Restaurant employees file second carbon-monoxide lawsuit

The first case won workers a $34 million jury verdict

Fourteen more people who say they were exposed to carbon monoxide while working at Ruth's Chris in the Pier 5 Hotel in February 2008 have filed a joint lawsuit in Baltimore Circuit Court seeking $39 million in compensatory damages for each of three counts

It's the second bite at the apple for their lawyers, the Murphy Firm — led by William H. "Billy" Murphy Jr. — who already won a $34 million jury verdict in the incident this summer, splitting it among 20 workers and several of their spouses.

All of the new plaintiffs "suffered permanent brain injuries of varying degrees," said lawyer Hassan Murphy. He said they weren't included in the first lawsuit for a "variety of reasons," including keeping the case size "manageable."

His firm filed the case — which alleges negligence, public nuisance and battery — Wednesday against the owner and manager of the Pier 5 Hotel building, who are appealing the verdict in the first lawsuit.

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