Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

Doug Saeltzer and Doris Cheng recovered $3,100,000 on behalf of tenants who suffered carbon monoxide poisoning from their malfunctioning apartment heater. The couple fell ill with flu-like symptoms for roughly a week before being overwhelmed by fumes. With nausea and dizziness worsening they called 911. The fire department measured high carbon monoxide levels in the apartment. Doug and Doris’s expert investigators documented a malfunctioning heater that was well past its life cycle. The plaintiffs required hyperbaric treatment. After treatment they were left with cognitive deficits, including moderate speech and memory compromise. The wife returned to work with accommodations by her employer. The husband had previously retired. The defendant landlord sought to minimize the nature and extent of the injuries through a consulting neuropsychologist who minimized the extent of plaintiffs’ brain injuries, suggesting that both were suffering from pre-existing cognitive impairment and their diagnostic testing indicated exaggeration. Doug and Doris produced medical evidence that the cognitive deficits were consistent with objective injury shown on brain mri scans.