Electrical Fire Kills Young – Confidential Settlement

The following resulted in a substantial confidential settlement against Georgia Power Company in March 2010. Mr. Neal defeated the Augusta City Inspector’s claims of sovereign and official immunity in the Superior Court of Richmond County, the Georgia Court of Appeals (View in Adobe PDF Format), and the case is currently pending in the Georgia Supreme Court.

trailer-fire Mr. Neal, along with two co-counsel, represents the surviving families of two young lovers who rented their first place to live together, a 1969 run down mobile home. The boy was a handsome 18 year old soccer playing beginning his first year of college at Augusta State University. The girl was his 20 year old high school sweetheart. While they lay sleeping, a defective electrical wire caught fire in the kitchen light and burned them alive in a fire that reached 1,500 degrees and took only 15 minutes to kill them and their dog. The trailer had not been properly inspected by the Augusta License and Inspection Department or Georgia Power and had no smoke detectors. 4635195 If a proper wiring inspection had been completed, as was required, their deaths would have never occurred. Suit has also been filed against the landlords. After two years of litigation, Mr. Neal obtained a substantial confidential settlement against Georgia Power Company in March 2010. Mr. Neal defeated the Augusta City Inspector’s claims of sovereign and official immunity in the Superior Court of Richmond County, the Georgia Court of Appeals (View in Adobe PDF Format), and the case is currently pending in the Georgia Supreme Court. Mr. Neal expects to win in the Georgia Supreme Court and to take the case against the City Inspector to trial, which could result in the biggest tort verdict in the history of Columbia County.