MAINE LAWYER WINS SECOND LARGEST VERDICT IN VERMONT HISTORY

Burlington, Vermont.

On Friday, Berman & Simmons of PA won the second largest verdict in history of the State of Vermont. Following a three-week trial, the jury returned a verdict of $22,497,000.

A Berman & Simmons attorney represented Michael and Tracey Hemond. On September 28, 2006, Michael Hemond, a line worker for the Vermont Electrical Cooperative, suffered significant electrical burn injuries which resulted in below-the-knee amputations of both of his legs. The defendant in the case was Frontier Communications of America, Inc. Frontier is one of the largest telephone service providers in the country. At the time of the events involved in the case, Frontier was known as Citizens Communications. Citizens had owned and operated an electrical utility company in Northern Vermont.

Michael Hemond claimed that Citizens was negligent in the design of an electrical substation and the selection of certain high-voltage switches used at that substation. Michael Hemond was severely injured when he attempted to open one of those switches.

Mr. Hemond was also represented in the case by John Evers, of Shoup, Evers and Green of Burlington, Vermont and Timothy Kenlan of Berman & Simmons, PA of Lewiston, Maine.