Sharon Stone to Pay $232K to Worker Injured at Her Home
Unmoved by her testimony, a jury in Los Angeles handed Sharon Stone a verdict on Thursday, and the actress isn't happy.
Finding that she was negligent in the upkeep of her property, a group of her less famous peers ordered Stone to pay $232,000 to Peter Krause, a worker who injured himself while installing outdoor wiring at her home in 2008.
Eh, she probably got away easy.
Sharon Stone's property apparently borders a ravine that separates her from her neighbors, reports CBS. While completing a project, Peter Krause claims to have fallen down a "large concealed drop-off," which sent him spiraling into a fence that broke under his weight.
He fell 15 feet.
On the stand, Stone unconvincingly testified that the wall around her yard has always been reinforced by a chain-link fence.
The jury still found her negligent, determining that the fence was not up to code nor sturdy enough to prevent a fall.
Contractors, or workers, on a person's property are considered "invitees," which means that a property owner owes them a heightened degree of care.
In order to avoid liability for injuries, a property owner must therefore repair known dangers, as well as inspect for unknown dangers in the area occupied by the invitee.
What this means is that, knowing Peter Krause was to be near the fence, Sharon Stone had a legal duty to make sure the fence was sturdy enough to prevent a fall into the ravine below.
Obviously she didn't, which is why the Sharon Stone verdict appears to be correct.
Related Resources:
- Sharon Stone Ordered To Pay $232k To Man Injured On Her Property (Radar Online)
- Homeowner Liability: Invitees, Licensees, and Trespassers (FindLaw)
- Marriott Evergreen Resort Death: Liability? (FindLaw's Injured)