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BankGuam, Otis settle with IPI staff over elevator mishap
The mother company of the bank of Guam, BankGuam Holding Co., and Connecticut-based Otis Elevator Co. have entered into a confidential agreement that settles a lawsuit filed by an employee of Imperial Pacific International Holdings Ltd. who alleged being injured when a cup of hot coffee he was holding spilled on his hand while he was inside an elevator in a bank’s building in Garapan.
The parties in the case submitted their confidential settlement agreement Friday to the U.S. District Court for the NMI for approval.
The parties consent to the jurisdiction of U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Heather Kennedy for the purpose of reviewing and approving the settlement.
Randyl W. Kruid is represented by counsel Bruce Berline. Thomas Clifford is counsel for BankGuam Holding Co. Daniel T. Guidotto is the lawyer for Otis Elevator Co.
In his lawsuit, Kruid asked the court to hold BankGuam and Otis liable to pay him damages in an amount to be proven at trial.
Imperial Pacific is leasing office spaces on the fourth floor of the Bank of Guam building. Kruid is an employee.
According to the complaint, Kruid arrived at the Bank of Guam building for work early in the morning of Nov. 22, 2018, and, as usual, took the stairs up to his fourth floor office.
After arriving at his office, Kruid realized that he had to return to his vehicle to retrieve his computer.
With a hot cup of coffee in his hand, the plaintiff walked downstairs to the parking lot where his vehicle was parked and retrieved his laptop.
Kruid entered the 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.
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.
Kruid’s hand was allegedly burned and required medical attention.
