CORPUS CHRISTI TX June 2 2013 -
In September of 2008, he was working as a security guard at the American Bank Plaza on North Caranchua, when he was attacked by a homeless man trying to get into the building.
A jury has awarded a $25 million dollar lawsuit to a man who was nearly beaten to death while working as a security guard in downtown Corpus Christi.
The multi-million dollar verdict was made yesterday in favor of 69 year old Leonardo Davila.In September of 2008, he was working as a security guard at the American Bank Plaza on North Caranchua, when he was attacked by a homeless man trying to get into the building.
Davila suffered serious injuries from the attack including brain damage, hearing loss, total blindness in his left eye and partial in his right.
He lost his sense of taste and smell. We're told he has memory issues and needs help walking.
His attorneys, Thomas J. Henry and Bob Hilliard, say this all could have been avoided.
According to them, Davila told his employer to install a gate that would block an alleyway leading into the plaza, the same alleyway the homeless man used to get into the bank.
They tell us it was one of the toughest legal battles they've faced.
"There were good lawyers on the other side. They are a big company who did not want to be found responsible. So every single day was a battle," Hilliard says.
"The main message was that this jury understood that employees deserve a safe work environment. The verdict sends a resounding message to employers, 'Provide a safe work environment'," Henry added.
The case (Cause No. 10-60874-1) was tried in Nueces County Court at Law No.1 before Judge Robert Vargas.
When asked about the verdict, Thomas J. Henry stated, “This verdict represents an issue in the State of Texas. Employers need to ensure that all employees, even third party employees, have safe working environments so they don’t get injured on the job.”