The lawyer for the Beacon High School teen who was badly burned in a botched chemistry experiment asked a jury to award his client more than $70 million in damages for past and future pain. Ben Rubinowitz asked for the stunning figure for Alonzo Yanes, now 21, who was disfigured after a fireball erupted while his teacher Anna Poole was conducting the “Rainbow Experiment” Jan. 2, 2014.
“No matter what an award in a case like this is they [Yanes’ parents] would return it in a heartbeat if they could return their son to the way he was. But I can’t do that,” Rubinowitz said. Rubinowitz asked jurors to award Yanes the amount just for his past pain and suffering alone and didn’t suggest an amount for his future suffering but asked them to consider that his life expectancy is another 53.8 years....
...Earlier Thursday, lawyer Mark Mixson — who is representing the city and Poole — told jurors that Yanes should be awarded just $5 million for past and future suffering.
Jurors began deliberations Thursday afternoon and will resume again Friday.
Will be interesting to see if a verdict is reached by Wednesday afternoon.
Perhaps we can demonstrate to students that chemistry is useful for things other than setting s--t on fire?
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