Lancaster, New York | $365,000 | Product Liability
A 55-year-old high school health teacher purchased shoes at Kinney Shoe store at a local mall and, the first day she wore them, the heel came off causing her to fall down a flight of stairs at her home. Ballow showed that the shoes, manufactured in Brazil, were defectively manufactured because only one staple held the heel to the right shoe. The left shoe's heel was held on with four staples and an adhesive glue. The plaintiff suffered a fracture of her left leg. Ballow had the shoes put through an x-ray machine along with a new pair of shoes of the same design, which would have illustrated to the jury that the shoe that caused her to fall was defectively manufactured because it showed only one staple. The case settled for $365,000 just before trial.
