On August 11, 2021, Meagher + Geer attorneys John Hughes and Elizabeth Kriz made news when a Fargo, North Dakota jury returned a complete defense verdict on behalf of Meagher + Geer client, The Hotel Donaldson, in wrongful death and personal injury lawsuits that were tried together.

The plaintiff’s claim of negligence arose out of an assault on a public sidewalk near the hotel’s front door. The plaintiffs alleged the hotel was liable for the wrongful death of a man, and serious injuries to another man, who were assaulted by another customer of the bar after they were all involved in an altercation inside the bar and told to leave.

Following a six-day trial where the wrongful death plaintiff suggested to jurors damages between $7M to $10M and personal injury plaintiff suggested damages between $600,000 to $1.2M, the Cass County jury determined The Hotel Donaldson was not at fault for the wrongful death and personal injuries.

Links to the reporting follow: Fargo Forum | Valley News Live | KVRR Local News