Estate of Terrance Hill v. Pinnacle Management Realty Company and St. Louis Housing Authority

Landlord and tenant wrongful death claim by family of Terrence Hill, age 4, who died when he fell out his 11th-floor window at the Cochran Gardens public housing complex on June 12, 2000. The plaintiffs claimed that Hill died because the defendants were negligent by not heeding her request for a window guard on Terrance's bedroom window.

The defendants assert that Hill was negligent for putting Terrance's bunk bed next to the unguarded window.

No one saw the child fall and a window fan was found next to his body. Witnesses speculated that the boy may have climbed onto the window sill to play with the box fan.

Plaintiff's verdict for $18 million including $2 million in compensatory damages and $26 million in punitive damages. The St. Louis Housing
Authorities liability is capped at $300,000 by Missouri law. The jury also found that Pinnacle was 60% at fault in causing the death.

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Reported by AKM