SARASOTA, Fla. — It took a five-year legal battle, but in the end a jury decided that a laundry owner must pay in the case of a woman who fell in the parking lot as she was carrying her laundry basket back to her van. Ronald Jansen, owner of North Trail Laundryland, will pay Gena Allison $1.35 million. Allison was seeking $4 million.Jurors, after a seven-day trial, awarded Allison $750,000 for future medical expenses, $240,000 for lost future wages, $200,000 for physical pain and suffering, $100,000 for past medical expenses and $60,000 for lost earnings.Jurors were convinced that Jansen was negligent because he didn’t deal with a pothole-filled parking lot. In addition to dealing with the negligence issue, Allison’s lawyer also had to prove his client suffered Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD) as a direct result of the fall. This disorder is caused by nerve damage and can cause sharp, constant pain.Jansen’s lawyer tried to convince the jury that Allison was exaggerating the extent of her injury to get a larger settlement.
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