James R. Hausman is an accomplished businessman who owns his own precious-metals shop in Illinois. But the most profitable thing he has ever done is collide with a sliding-glass door.
In 2011, Hausman suffered a minor brain injury when he was struck in the head by a such a door while traveling aboard a Holland America cruise ship. This week, a U.S. District Court jury in Seattle compensated Hausman for his injury with $21.5 million in damages — one of the largest verdicts issued by a Washington State federal court in recent memory, according to the Seattle Times.
Hausman was able to finish out his 280-day world cruise after the glass-door incident, but his traumatic brain injury left him prone to vertigo and small seizures, according to his attorneys. While it’s true that even minor brain injuries can significantly impair a person’s quality of life, Hausman’s huge payout had less to do with his suffering than with Holland America’s alleged negligence — $16.5 million of the verdict was issued in punitive damages.
Man Gets Hit by Glass Door, Earns Millions -- NYMag
In 2011, Hausman suffered a minor brain injury when he was struck in the head by a such a door while traveling aboard a Holland America cruise ship. This week, a U.S. District Court jury in Seattle compensated Hausman for his injury with $21.5 million in damages — one of the largest verdicts issued by a Washington State federal court in recent memory, according to the Seattle Times.
Hausman was able to finish out his 280-day world cruise after the glass-door incident, but his traumatic brain injury left him prone to vertigo and small seizures, according to his attorneys. While it’s true that even minor brain injuries can significantly impair a person’s quality of life, Hausman’s huge payout had less to do with his suffering than with Holland America’s alleged negligence — $16.5 million of the verdict was issued in punitive damages.
Man Gets Hit by Glass Door, Earns Millions -- NYMag
