Isanti County Jury Rules in Favor of Small Business Owner Injured at Area Ice Arena

    CAMBRIDGE, MN, August 18, 2016 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Friday, August 13th an Isanti County jury ruled in favor of an area building contractor who sustained a serious ankle injury while attending a pre-construction meeting at the Cambridge Isanti Arena Corporation ice arena in 2013.

Independent contractor Donald Barth was invited to a pre-construction meeting on the arena's second floor. Unbeknownst to Barth, as he walked to the far end of the second floor he fell through the suspended ceiling. At the time, there was no railing, wall or fence to separate the hardwood floor from the drop off to the suspended ceiling.

No one from the arena warned Barth of the hazard. The privately owned and insured arena has since installed a guard railing. The jury was never informed of this subsequent repair/safety measure taken by the arena after the fall based on a Minnesota law keeping that information from the jury.

Richard Schroeder, Barth's attorney led the case through multiple attempts by the Cambridge Isanti Arena Corporation to dismiss the claim. "For Mr. Barth and his small business, it's unfortunate that this process dragged on as long as it did. The attorney for the arena corporation blamed Mr. Barth, and their insurance company made no offer to resolve this dispute."

Schroeder added, "However, once the story was told to the jury over the course of 4 days, they determined that the arena's negligence led to this preventable incident."

According to court documents, Barth will be reimbursed (by the arena's insurance company ) for his medical expenses and his lost earnings while he was recuperating.

Richard Schroeder is managing partner at the Law Offices of Schroeder & Mandel, of St. Paul, Minnesota. Schroeder, recognized as a Super Lawyer by the Minnesota legal community and Mpls/St. Paul Magazine 2008-2016 is licensed in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Georgia.

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