Janitor sues after falling in flooded building

CHARLESTON - A Kanawha County woman has filed a suit against her employer and the owners of a building she was instructed to clean, after she was injured when she fell in a flooded part of the building.

Runetta Stevens filed a suit June 11 in Kanawha Circuit Court, against Patton Building Services, Real Estate Resources and General Corporation.

Stevens was employed as a janitor with Patton Building Services, and as such worked at City Center East, a building owned by General Corporation. Real Estate Resources, Inc. is employed by General Corporation to manage the building.

Stevens claims she was cleaning part of the building June 17, 2005, when she "fell down twenty cement stairs due to water running down the stairs while she was directed to clean the flooded building," the suit says.

According to the lawsuit, Stevens suffered serious and permanent injuries.

Stevens, through attorney Kimberly E. Williams, claims Patton Building Services required her to work in an area where there was a high degree of risk and a strong probability of death.

Stevens claims she is no longer able to work because of her injuries. She seeks compensatory damages to cover her medical expenses and lost wages. She also seeks punitive damages and any other relief the court deems necessary.

The case has been assigned to Judge James Stucky.

Kanawha Circuit Court case number 07-C-1132