A jury in Russell County, Alabama, returned a $10 million verdict last month in favor of a woman whose husband had been killed in a workplace incident. The widow, Erica Dupree, sued her husband’s employer, a contractor, a Montgomery engineering firm, and the Russell County Water Authority, contending the Defendants failed to provide safe work conditions that led to her husband’s fatal fall in 2008. The worker, Christopher Hardin Dupree, was killed in 2008 when he fell about 150 feet while helping paint a water tank in Hurtsboro.

The painting company, water authority and engineering firm were dismissed as Defendants before the trial. The lawsuit was amended to focus on the construction company because, as the general contractor on the project, it was responsible for workplace safety. An investigation by OSHA found safety violations at the water tank work site. Jurors were asked to return a verdict that would send a message to all employers that they must provide a safe working environment for employees. Chuck Kelly from Florence, Ala., and Sam Loftin, from Phenix City, Alabama, were the lawyers for Mrs. Dupree. They did a very good job for her.

Source: Birmingham News and Times Daily