Justices Find $0 Award for Pain Inadequate

A woman who suffered cervical spine injuries deserves a new trial because a jury's pain-and-suffering award of zero dollars was "grossly inadequate," the Vermont Supreme Court ruled. " ... Although there is no evidence of compromise apart from the verdict itself, we conclude that the inconsistencies in the verdict itself strongly suggest that it was a compromise," Justice C.J. Reiber wrote in Smedberg v. Detlef's Custodial Service Inc., 2005-396, 09/21/2007. Jean Smedberg was an employee of Central Vermont Public Service (CVPS) when she slipped and fell in the hallway at her workplace....