Westchester County will pay $2.8 million to settle a lawsuit from a worker hurt when he fell off a ladder in the basement of the county court building in White Plains.
Joseph Gragnaniello, a heating and air conditioning mechanic working for Unity Mechanical Corporation, was fixing a boiler in the basement of 111 Dr. Martin Luther King Blvd. on May 20, 2013 when he allegedly injured his spine, both shoulders and his right knee.
Gragnaniello, who was 38 years old at the time of the accident, fell off a six-foot ladder and said he struck multiple objects on the way to the floor. He said the county was negligent because it hadn’t provided adequate equipment or safety measures. He’d received a summary judgment in March 2016.
A letter from the court this week showed that the court had been informed that the case was settled, but was awaiting the attorneys to certify a "stipulation of discontinuance" by March 24. The county legislature had approved the settlement at its March 6 meeting.
County attorneys had recommended the settlement, saying the county in a jury trial could have been made to be well beyond the $2.8 million in damages and economic lost. Gragnaniello could argue he is permanently physically disabled and can no longer work as a journeyman mechanic, the documents said.
The building is owned by The Dormitory Authority of the State of New York, but is leased to Westchester, according to court filings.
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WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- Westchester County legislators approved a $2.8 million settlement last week in a four-year-old lawsuit involving a worker at the County Courthouse.
Joseph Gragnaniello, 38, a heating and air conditioning mechanic working for Unity Mechanical Corporation, reportedly fell from a six-foot ladder while repairing a boiler in the basement of 111 Dr. Martin Luther King Blvd. in May 2013.
The county reportedly settled to avoid a costlier jury trial.
The building is owned by The Dormitory Authority of the State of New York, but is leased to Westchester County.
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WHITE PLAINS, NY — A worker who has injured falling off a ladder in the basement of a White Plains court building will receive $2.8 million in a settlement of a lawsuit against Westchester County.
Heating and air-conditioning mechanic Joseph Gragnaniello was fixing a boiler May 20, 2013, when he fell off a 6-foot ladder, striking many object on the way down, the Journal News said.
He alleged the county didn’t provide adequate safety or equipment.