Attorney Philip Dunn Obtains a Defendant’s Verdict

In the matter of Bowes v Lamplighter Motel of Clinton, LLC, the plaintiff alleged that he fell on black ice in the early morning hours of February 27, 2002, while he was a guest at the defendant’s motel.  He testified that he brought an electric blanket to the motel that caught fire in the early morning hours, and he was rushing outside to obtain a fire extinguisher.  Instead of using the cleared walkway, he ran over a pile of snow that was stored on the asphalt parking area as it was the most direct route to the fire extinguisher.  On his way back to his room he claims he fell on black ice adjacent to the pile of snow.  The plaintiff suffered a contusion to his hand and an aggravation of a prior low back condition.  He alleged ongoing limitations relative to the use of his hand.  He attempted to connect lumbar surgery to remove pre-existing hardware to the case.

The defendant motel owner testified that the paved area where snow was stored is not a parking area and there was no expectation that people would enter that area for any reason.  Further, the plaintiff offered no evidence of the presence of the alleged black ice and admitted that it could have formed in the hours leading up to his fall.

A small settlement was offered before trial and was rejected.  The offer was withdrawn at the commencement of jury selection.

The jury returned a defendant’s verdict after forty-four minutes of deliberation on January 28, 2026.