Trial Starts Wednesday in Louise Turner's Burn Injury Lawsuit over Alleged Illegal and Negligent Operation of Open Fire Pit at Shanghai Red's; Opening Statements Expected to Begin on Friday.

LOS ANGELES -- Trial starts on Wednesday, January 4, 2006 at 9:30 AM in Los Angeles Superior Court/West Los Angeles Division in Louise Turner's negligence lawsuit against Anaheim, CA-based Specialty Restaurants Corporation doing business as Shanghai Red's. Ms. Turner was horrifically burned, injured and maimed when she fell into an illegal open, unguarded gas fire pit at Shanghai Red's on Fiji Way in Marina del Rey, CA. The case will be heard before the Hon. John L. Segal, Department C, 1633 Purdue, Los Angeles, CA 90025.

Opening statements are expected to begin on Friday, and the trial is expected to last 4 weeks. Louise Turner is represented by Browne Greene and Geoffrey S. Wells with the Santa Monica, CA law firm of Greene Broillet & Wheeler, LLP and by Beverly Hills, CA attorney Marvyn Gordon. Louise Turner v. Specialty Restaurants Corporation (dba Shanghai Red's), Case No. SC078557.

On August 15, 2003, Ms. Turner filed a civil complaint for damages against Specialty Restaurants Corporation doing business as Shanghai Red's for negligence, premises liability and products liability, among other claims. She alleges that Shanghai Red's is responsible for the events which caused her to be injured because of its long history of operating its patios and fire pits in violation of numerous state and local fire safety and building regulations, making them illegal, unsafe and dangerous to the public.

California law prohibits restaurants which seat 50 or more people from operating open flame devices, with no exceptions allowed. As Shanghai Red's is a restaurant that seats more than 50 people, Ms. Turner claims that its fire pits were illegal and were being operated in violation of Title 19 of the California Code of Regulations and Section 2501.17 of the California Fire Code. She also claims that by allowing burning fire pits on its premises, Shanghai Red's was in breach of its lease with Los Angeles County which specifically prohibits "open flame burning."

Louise Turner alleges that Shanghai Red's failed to notify the Los Angeles County Fire Department that it was engaging in open burning in violation of California Fire Code Section 1109.8.2 which mandates that open flame devices, including fire pits, must be enclosed. Yet, the fire pits at Shanghai Red's were open at the time of her accident and, allegedly, have not been enclosed since then. Had Shanghai Red's complied with these and other regulations, Ms. Turner's third degree burn injuries would have been prevented.

On June 11, 2003, Culver City, CA resident Louise Turner (then age 60) and a female friend arrived together at approximately 4:30 PM for happy hour at Shanghai Red's. They sat inside at the bar and Ms. Turner drank three or four glasses of wine. When happy hour ended at 7:00 PM, the women moved to Shanghai Red's outdoor patio. Ms. Turner sat down by an open, unguarded gas flame fire pit that was also burning wood in violation of fire code regulations. By this time, she had stopped ordering or consuming alcoholic beverages and was drinking only water. Shortly before 9:00 PM, Ms. Turner reached for a glass of water that had been placed on the fire pit ledge by a Shanghai Red's employee and fell into the burning fire pit.

No one could quickly shut the gas flame off because the key was locked inside the manager's desk. Nor could anyone douse the flames out with a fire extinguisher as one was not readily available. A bartender managed to pull Ms. Turner out of the illegally burning fire pit, but not before she sustained severe burns to 19% of her total body surface, resulting in the loss of her entire right breast and severe deformities to her right arm and hand, among other serious injuries and health complications.

"Louise Turner came to Shanghai Red's to have a nice evening out with her friend," explained Browne Greene, "and not to end up a burn victim so badly maimed that she now shuns going out in public. Yes, she had a few drinks, but isn't that what Shanghai Red's happy hour is all about? Unfortunately for Louise, she had no idea that Shanghai Red's had been operating for years in defiance of laws designed to protect the public's safety. Nor could she have realized that Shanghai Red's didn't take its own company policy to watch out for intoxicated customers very seriously and that this conduct also put her in jeopardy."

"Shanghai Red's negligence precipitated this disaster," continued Greene, "yet it wants to avoid taking responsibility and blame everything on Louise Turner. For Shanghai Red's to claim that Ms. Turner's having a few drinks should excuse it from operating an illegal fire pit on its premises in repeated violation of the law is not only unconscionable, it is indefensible. We're on board to see to it that she has her day in court and to see to it that Specialty Restaurants Corporation and Shanghai Red's are held accountable for their role in ruining Louise Turner's life."

Editor's Note:

Plaintiff Louise Turner is represented by Browne Greene with the Santa Monica, CA law firm of Greene Broillet & Wheeler, LLP (www.greene-broillet.com); Tel: [phone], and Beverly Hills, CA attorney Marvyn Gordon.

Defendant Specialty Restaurants Corporation is based in Anaheim, CA; Tel: [phone], and is the parent corporation of Shanghai Red's which is located at 13813 Fiji Way in Marina del Rey, CA; Tel: [phone]. It is represented by Mark W. Norman with the Los Angeles, CA law firm of Harrington, Foxx, Dubrow & Canter, LLP; Tel: [phone].