In Mayne v. JFK Blvd. Holding, a Hudson County jury returned a $550,000 verdict in favor of a 29-year-old woman who severely injured her ankle in a fall at the front entrance of her Jersey City apartment building.
On Sept. 16, 2019, Yanique Mayne was exiting her apartment building at 1697 John F. Kennedy Blvd. in Jersey City when she fell on a single step which she alleged was excessively high, uneven and damaged. Two days after the incident, Mayne went to Jersey City Medical Center’s emergency department where X-rays confirmed that she had a displaced medial malleolus fracture to her right ankle. On Oct. 1, she underwent open reduction and internal fixation to her right ankle, which required two screws.
At an arbitration on May 25, 2022, a net award of $220,000 was issued in Mayne’s favor after she was assigned 35% of comparative negligence. A six-day trial was then conducted before Judge Jane L. Weiner in Hudson County Superior Court. At trial, Mayne presented a medical expert, Dr. Alan S. Nasar from Medico-Legal Evaluations, and a liability expert, Craig L. Moskowitz of CLM Engineering Associates. The jury awarded Mayne $550,000, apportioning 65% liability to JFK Blvd. Holding and 35% to Mayne. Her new net award was $357,500.
On Nov. 1, 2023, Mayne filed a motion to amend the final judgment pursuant to the offer of judgment. Following settlement negotiations, the parties agreed to an additional $225,000 on Nov. 28, 2023, to resolve the offer of judgment for a total award of $582,500.
Mayne was represented by Guillermo J. Gonzalez and John J. Scura III of Scura, Wigfield, Heyer, Stevens & Cammarota in Wayne.
“I am happy that our client, Ms. Mayne, was able to obtain a favorable verdict for the pain and suffering she sustained due to the negligence of the landlord defendant in this matter,” Gonzalez said. “Our firm’s attorneys and staff members put substantial time and resources into preparing for this trial, and their dedication was clearly on display during trial.”
Counsel to the defendant, Matthew G. Minor of Biancamano & Di Stefano, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
