Workers at an Inner Harbor steakhouse win a $34 million dollar lawsuit over CO poisoning

BALTIMORE, Md. - "These are people that day, two day now, young people in their 20's young people with memory problems, retention problems, personality changes, depression, and post traumatic stress. A whole gamut of problems related to a brain injury."

While the damage is already done......attorneys representing nearly two dozen restaurant workers say at least Wednesday's jury verdict brings justice.

"The carbon monoxide levels were 690 and higher and people got poisoned and brain damaged and that's how the jury saw it."

The Pier 5 hotel was ordered to pay more than 34 million dollars in damages for a c-o leak that seeped into Ruth's Chris steakhouse over a period of 4-5 months. The major leak came February 2, 2008 when the hotel had to be evacuated and workers went to hospitals.

"There were holes in the wall between Ruth's Chris and the boiler room owned and controlled by the hotel, and that's how the c-o got into the restaurant."

The plaintiff’s attorney maintains a 58-hundred dollar repair could have easily been prevented what they called the worst carbon monoxide poisoning incident in the history of Baltimore.

"What caused it was the owner of the hotel had, like B-P down in the gulf disconnected a safety device that would have prevented it, in order to keep the hotel operating."

Hotel officials declined to comment.
The restaurant was not at fault....in fact many of the plaintiffs still work there.
Attorney Billy Murphy says they can't afford not to....because they are regular, working class people who've been dealt a devastating blow.

"They are relieved that justice was done, and they are apprehensive about their future because they do have permanent brain damage."