Baltimore Restaurant Workers Awarded $34M after CO Leak

A Baltimore jury has awarded $34.3 million to 23 employees of an Inner Harbor steakhouse who suffered brain damage as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning.

The plaintiffs worked for the Ruth’s Chris Steak House at the Pier V Hotel. The restaurant was evacuated on Feb. 2, 2008, after employees complained of dizziness and nausea. Carbon monoxide in the air was measured at potentially fatal levels.

Attorney Billy Murphy, who represented the plaintiffs, said Wednesday that the leak went on for weeks before the evacuation and that the hotel had removed a safety device that would have detected the problem.

The lawsuit named the hotel’s operator and owner. Murphy says Ruth’s Chris was not at fault.

Attorneys for the defendants could not immediately be reached for comment.

Latest Comments

• July 30, 2010 at 3:52 am

  T-Ma says:

  Here is information I found on proof of the brain damage: "The evidence of this damage was clearly visible from state-of-the-art high resolution MRIs, functional MRIs and CT s... read more
• July 30, 2010 at 3:04 am

  Big D says:

  That's because Homeowner's Insurance doesn't have that kind of money to shell out. Deep Pockets, remember?
• July 30, 2010 at 2:13 am

  Caldudenomore says:

  Dude, intended or not, the use of "rarely" and "well done" made my day. Well played sir, well played indeed!