Robert A. Kahn and Jonathan D. Roven of Kahn Roven, LLP. obtained a $400,000 settlement for their client, an elderly woman, who slipped and fell while walking down the steps at night from a high-end Morro Bay hotel. The plaintiff tripped over a step that was not lit, making the defendant negligent for knowing of the dangers, and failing to make the steps safer. MotionLit provided an animation reconstruction of the incident, which was presented in a Settlement Demand Package.

While staying at an expensive hotel, the plaintiff was walking at night on one of the hotel’s pathways. They had recently completed a remodel, where there was a staircase that had lights alongside the stair. After the remodel, there were no lights there, so the stair was nearly invisible. The plaintiff slipped and fell, suffering serious injuries to her head and knee. The defense fought very hard and litigated the case until they were very close to trial. Robert Kahn hired MotionLit Animation team to help reconstruct the incident, which was planned to be shown to the jury should the case have gone to trial and to perhaps encourage the other side to seriously think about what they were up against if they took the case to trial. Robert and Jonathan settled the case for $400,000.
 
Slip and fall cases are difficult because of the disputed liability component. MotionLit helped because they were able to show how the staircase really blended together and how it was very difficult to see the lower step. The video looked very similar to the actual photo, and showed the defense that the Plaintiff team was serious about the case and a jury would ultimately agree with the plaintiff, largely with the help of seeing MotionLit’s animation.