CLEARWATER — Two guests are suing Pinellas Park property owners, alleging negligence in the collapse of a drywall in the kitchen.
James Eric Bennet and Susan Hintz filed a complaint on May 2, in the Pinellas Circuit Court against Harriet Andries and Hector Orzo, alleging that they failed to use due care to maintain its premises in a safe condition.
According to the complaint, on Sept. 12, 2017, around the time of Hurricane Irma, Bennet and Hintz were assisting a friend who was renting the defendants' property at 7730 65th St. N., Pinellas Park. The suit says some men accompanied by the defendants were walking on the roof and caused the drywall and an overhead fan in the kitchen to collapse and strike the plaintiffs in the neck and head.
The lawsuit says Bennet and Hintz sustained permanent bodily injuries, resulting in pain and suffering, disability, loss of earnings and medical expenses.
The plaintiffs alleges Andries and Orzo failed to timely repair the roof, allowed agents to jump on the roof knowing the risk for a cave-in, and required the tenant with Bennet and Hintz to come to the uninhabitable property despite knowing the unstable condition of the roof.
Bennet and Hintz seek trial by jury, economic and non-economic damages of more than $15,000, plus fees, court costs and any other relief the court deems just. They are represented by attorney Duane H. Kaizer of Tampa.
Pinellas Circuit Court case number 18-CA-2833