Plaintiffs: Elizabeth Price, parents Gary and Kathy Price
Defendants: D.C. government, Mayor Adrian Fenty
Damages Sought: $15,000
Complaint: Eastern Senior High School student Elizabeth Price was walking to class on March 9, 2004. She didn’t see the puddle. She slipped, and the fall landed her in the emergency room for injuries to her elbow, hip, and wrist. “Eastern High School negligently maintained the Premises by allowing the pool of water to remain,” writes attorney Linda Houston.
Quality of Representation: Moderate to good. Houston’s complaint is well-organized and concise—it doesn’t take up all of its four pages. But the writing is stilted, Houston has trouble with commas, and there is not enough of an attempt to justify the damages.
Summary Judgment: Swab the decks. General dilapidation in D.C. Public Schools is as rare as turds in a dog park, but now kids can’t even walk down the hallway without incident? The court awards plaintiffs all damages and legal fees. Defendant Fenty is ordered to provide his superintendent, Clifford Janey, with a mop, a bucket, and official D.C. Public Schools custodial garb. We give him one weekend to get Eastern’s floors dry.