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IPI employee sues bank owner over alleged hot coffee injury
An employee of Imperial Pacific International (CNMI) LLC is suing the owner of Bank of Guam over alleged injuries he suffered when the bank’s building in Garapan caused him to spill the hot coffee he was holding on his hand.
Randyl W. Kruid, through counsel Bruce Berline, is suing BankGuam Holding Co. in federal court for negligence. He wants BankGuam Holding held liable to pay him damages in an amount to be proven at trial.
As of press time Wednesday, Saipan Tribune was still trying to obtain comments from BankGuam Holding.
Imperial Pacific offices are located on the fourth floor of the Bank of Guam building in Garapan where the company holds trainings.
According to Berline in the complaint filed Wednesday, Kruid, a resident of South Dakota, worked in Imperial Pacific’s offices. Last Nov. 22, Kruid arrived at the Bank of Guam building for work early in the morning and, as usual, took the stairs up to his fourth-floor office.
Berline said that after arriving at his office, Kruid realized that he had to return to his vehicle to retrieve his computer.
Berline said that, with a hot cup of coffee in his hand, the plaintiff walked down the stairs to the parking lot where his vehicle was parked and retrieved his laptop.
Kruid then got on thebuilding’s elevator and pushed the button to ascend to the fourth floor. Once the elevator doors closed and the elevator began ascending, it allegedly unexpectedly started to violently shake and shudder.
Berline said the elevator’s sudden shaking and shuddering was so violent that it caused the hot coffee to spill on the back of Kruid’s left hand.
He said Kruid’s hand was burned and required medical attention.
Berline said BankGuam Holding and its agents failed to properly inspect or maintain the elevator so that it was in a safe and proper operating condition. (Ferdie de la Torre)
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