Attorney Grant Riley of Riley Ersoff LLP in Los Angeles has secured an $18-million verdict in a carbon monoxide poisoning lawsuit filed against a landlord for an injured tenant, catching news headlines, including a feature from Daily Journal.
LOS ANGELES, March 27, 2025 -- Attorney Grant Riley of Riley Ersoff LLP in Los Angeles, California, has prevailed for a woman who sued her landlord for failing to install a carbon monoxide detector in her South Central Los Angeles apartment, ultimately causing her severe injury and the death of her boyfriend. After a two-week trial, the jury returned an $18-million verdict in favor of Briana Garcia. Briana Garcia filed her lawsuit against Saenz LLC, the company that owned her apartment, and the company's manager, Nelson Saenz. The importance of the case and the significance of the multimillion-dollar verdict caught news headlines, including a featured piece in the Daily Journal.
On January 7, 2023, Briana's boyfriend, Edwin Pereira, brought a small BBQ into the kitchen several hours after it had been used. He was unaware that the charcoal in the BBQ was still generating dangerous levels of carbon monoxide (CO), and there was no carbon monoxide alarm within the apartment that would have sounded once it detected the odorless, invisible, and toxic chemical compound. As the CO built up within the apartment, both Briana and Edwin passed out. The next morning, Briana woke up under Edwin, who was dead. The Los Angeles County Coroner ruled that Edwin had died from carbon monoxide intoxication.
Briana was hospitalized for a week at L.A. General Hospital for carbon monoxide poisoning, which had caused Briana severe kidney damage, heart damage, and rhabdomyolysis, among other serious health problems. To this day, she still struggles with memory, cognition, walking, and other common day-to-day activities and tasks. Briana's carbon monoxide poisoning has shattered her dream of becoming a therapist.
Throughout the legal proceedings and the trial, Saenz LLC argued that smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms had been installed in the apartment. The argument created a direct challenge to Briana's explanations of the events, but Attorney Riley was not deterred. With measured and precise approaches while preparing the case and litigating before the court, he was able to convince the jury that there was no carbon monoxide alarm in the apartment at the time of the fatal incident.
The jury found that Saenz LLC was negligent and therefore liable for a significant portion of Briana's pain and suffering, as well as 100% of her future medical care, medical monitoring, and therapy. With these damages calculated, the final verdict award was $18,050,000.00.
Mr. Riley had this to say about his work on behalf of Ms. Garcia, "Carbon monoxide isn't called the silent killer for nothing. You cannot see it, smell it, or detect it in any way. Carbon monoxide is extremely dangerous and the only way to determine if you are being exposed to this deadly toxin is to have a working carbon monoxide alarm. California law is clear that all rental units must have carbon monoxide alarms. Sadly, too many landlords ignore the law to save a buck. That is intolerable and is something we will always speak up about."
For more information about this case and the significance of its outcomes, interested parties can read the full Daily Journal article that features Attorney Riley: https://dailyjournal.com/articles/384252-18m-verdict-slams-landlord-in-fatal-co-poisoning-case. For more information about the types of cases handled by Riley Ersoff LLP in Los Angeles, including catastrophic injury claims and wrongful death lawsuits, interested parties, legal peers, and potential clients should visit: www.rileyersoff.com.
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