Newsletter #078 (View other news stories)
JUDGE DROPS FORKLIFT ASSAULT SUIT
HILLSBORO, United States
Thursday, 10 Oct 2002
A Washington County judge has dismissed a USD1 million lawsuit that accused the managers of a furniture store of strapping a woman to a forklift and taking her on a wild ride.
Judy Soucy, 59, said she was traumatised for life when she was forced to stand on a "rickety, teetering forklift" as it moved through the warehouse of Paul Schatz Furniture, a report in The Oregonian said.
She said she was sent to retrieve a sofa and chairs from warehouse racks more than 30 feet (nine metres) high. She sued for USD1,039,500, claiming damages for assault, battery and emotional distress.
The defendants said Ms Soucy volunteered to ride the forklift and was safely restrained, but she claimed she was upset after being strapped, in high heels, to an order picker against her will, "lurching" forward and back through the warehouse and being lifted and lowered.
Lawyers for the defence said Ms Soucy did not complain to her bosses or co-workers about the incident, but had told another supervisor, "I had some fun yesterday, I got to ride on the platform".
Judge Suzanne Upton threw out the case after learning a lawyer for Ms Soucy withheld information from the defence.
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