Verdicts & Settlements August 13, 2007: Employee sustains injuries while unloading granite.

Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff

$1.07 million settlement

On Oct. 24, 2003, the plaintiff, while in the course of his employment as a custom kitchen designer and salesperson, was told by his employer to assist a granite-distribution company with unloading a shipment of granite.

The granite was packed in an intermodal container which was attached to a chassis and truck cab. While assisting with the unloading of granite, the employee suffered severe and permanent injuries when a bundle of granite slabs weighing at least 8,000 pounds toppled over and fell against his head, fracturing his face and skull and injuring other parts of his body.

The employee sued multiple defendants and intended to prove that they were jointly and severally liable to the employee for damages.

The employee sued an Italian granite company, a Swiss shipping company, the American granite-distribution company, the trucking company that transported the container, and a crane company.

All defendants denied liability to the employee and several defendants filed cross claims against each other for contribution.