$1.9 Million for Apartment Fire Victim

Mr. Mahoney co-tried a month-long Hudson County case on behalf of the surviving mother of three young girls who perished in a nighttime blaze at a multiple-unit apartment house with non-functioning and uninspected smoke detectors. Mr. Mahoney conducted the direct and cross-examination of most of the liability experts and delivered the closing statement on liability. The case resulted in a substantial plaintiff’s verdict against the landlord and, following numerous post-trial motions and arguments, the case settled while pending on appeal for $1.9 million. The case generated significant satellite litigation on the subject of an insurance carrier’s “bad faith” in settlement negotiations. Ultimately, the carrier in issue paid both its $1 million limits and $900,000 in excess.