Montana Jury Delivers Landmark $15 Million Verdict in Carbon Monoxide Fatality Case

MOBILE, Ala., April 12, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- On April 10, 2024, the law firms of Cunningham Bounds and Beck, Amsden & Stalpes obtained a $15 million verdict against Rainbow Ranch Lodge and other defendants in a carbon monoxide poisoning case involving the tragic death of Lew Hudgens. The record-setting verdict was more than double the existing largest verdict in Gallatin County, Montana.

In January 2021, Lew and Catharine Hudgens traveled to Big Sky, Montana for their honeymoon. The couple checked in to Rainbow Ranch Lodge on January 11, 2021. After not hearing from the newlyweds, the family called the Lodge on multiple occasions requesting wellness checks on the couple. The Lodge's staff failed to confirm the wellbeing of the Catharine and Lew. On January 15 – four days after the couple's arrival - the Lodge's general manager entered the Hudgens' room where he found Lew deceased in the bed and Catharine severely disoriented.

Lew's death and Catharine's injuries were caused by their inhalation of carbon monoxide that seeped through the wall separating their room and an adjacent room housing a spa boiler. The boiler had not been properly maintained for years, causing it to release the deadly carbon monoxide into the Hudgens' room.

The case was filed against Rainbow Ranch, its general manager, several plumbers, and others alleging that their negligence led to the death of Lew Hudgens and caused life-altering injuries and trauma to Catharine Hudgens.

When speaking about the case, Cunningham Bounds' attorney David Cain stated, "It was an honor to represent the Hudgens family and we are grateful to the jury for holding Rainbow Ranch accountable for this tragedy. An extremely dangerous spa boiler was ignored and neglected for years, resulting in its failure and the release of deadly carbon monoxide. Rainbow Ranch failed to do a wellness check on the Hudgens despite repeated calls by concerned family members and did not have the legally required carbon monoxide alarm in the Hudgens' room. We hope this verdict brings additional focus to the dangers of carbon monoxide, the importance of carbon monoxide alarms, and the need for timely action by staff when welfare checks are requested."

Catharine Hudgens was represented at trial by Skip Finkbohner and David Cain of Cunningham Bounds and Justin Stalpes of Beck, Amsden & Stalpes.

Cunningham Bounds is committed to fighting for plaintiffs in cases involving wrongful death, serious personal injury, medical malpractice, products liability, industrial accidents, and complex civil litigation. For more information about Cunningham Bounds, visit: www.cunninghambounds.com.

The law firm of Cunningham Bounds has offices in Mobile, Alabama and Atlanta, Georgia and has been representing plaintiffs for more than 65 years. The firm continues its tradition of representing victims in cases involving catastrophic personal injury, industrial accidents, defective products, truck and automobile accidents, medical malpractice, and wrongful death cases. The firm also has expertise in business litigation, complex litigation, and national and state class action litigation involving defective products and consumer fraud.

For more information, contact:
Amanda Cotton
[email protected]
251.471.6191

SOURCE Cunningham Bounds