Case Description
Karl and Laura Schneider had everything you could ask for. They’d met in high school, dated through college, and pursued successful careers. Karl was a company man for a drilling company after making toolpusher—one of the highest-ranking positions on a drilling rig—by his 35th birthday. He and Laura had settled down in New Hampshire, where they were raising their kids.
As part of his new job for Terra Energy, Karl was sent to work in the oilfields of Western Colorado. What his new employers didn’t disclose was the risk of a rare but preventable virus unique to the area: Hantavirus. The virus is carried in mouse droppings, urine, and saliva. Though highly fatal to humans, recognizing early signs increases the likelihood of survival; as long as the company took mitigation and prevention measures seriously through training and pest control, it wouldn’t be an issue.
Unfortunately, the company did none of those things.
Terra Energy not only allowed the workers’ living space and workspaces to become riddled with mice, but they didn’t even inform the workers about Hantavirus or its early symptoms—despite having a written policy about the dangers of Hantavirus and how to prevent it. Consequently, when Karl fell ill with Hantavirus in September 2019, he thought it was the flu and tried to work through it.
By the time he admitted himself to the ER, the virus had progressed too far to save his life.
He died that night, nearly two thousand miles away from his home and family.
Laura called us when it became clear the company was hiding something about Karl’s death. The CDC had investigated Karl’s cause of death and confirmed the obvious: Karl had contracted a strain of Hantavirus common to Western Colorado. Our investigation found that Terra Energy knew about the risk of Hantavirus; they even possessed safety documents inherited from the previous company that owned those facilities. Despite all this, the most they ever offered Laura was $200,000—an insulting amount given what she and her family lost.
Attorneys Caj Boatright and Roland Christensen found that unacceptable. They worked the case around the clock for years, cutting through delay tactic after delay tactic with relentless litigation.
After three years of dodging responsibility, a jury saw what we saw: a company that caused a good man’s death because they couldn’t be bothered to be honest with their employees. The court awarded Karl’s family $103.6 million and hit Terra Energy with another $105.6 million in punitive damages.
Our firm was proud to get justice for Karl’s family, honoring his memory by forcing the company to acknowledge their guilt publicly.
Attorney's fees and expenses totaled $31,630,206.34.