Legal Question in Real Estate Law in Virginia

steam shower lawsuit

My father owns his own corporation and they specialize in heating and air conditioning and plumbing.

A few months ago, a woman was stayin in a condo at a resort that my father did the plumbing for when it was being built 6+ years ago.

She was in the steam shower and apparently stayed in there too long, resulting in burns she suffered on her feet.

I'm not sure of the severity of the burns, but they couldn't be any worse then 2nd degree.

She is suing the reaort, my father, and my father's insurance company at the time when he was installing the plumbing.

My question is this: Does she have grounds for a lawsuit when it was her own incompetence that is at fault and can she actually sue my father and his previous insurance company, when all my father did was correctly install the plumbing? And would my father be able to file a counter-suit, maybe for defamation of his company's name?

Thanks-


Asked on 1/30/03, 12:51 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys

Bruce Marshall Durrette, Irvin & Bradshaw, P.L.C.

Re: steam shower lawsuit

People can sue and often do for bad reasons. Sometime it's the lawyer's fault, sometime his ignorance, but most of the times lawyers aren't sure who should be held accountable for injury so they sue everyone possible. Your father's insurance company will provide him a defense in this case. The woman's own negligence will very much be an issue. Finally, a defamation claim will not be sucessful based on someone filing suit against another.

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Answered on 1/30/03, 1:34 pm


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