Federal Judge Loses Escalator Injury Suit, Lawyer Cites Bias

The lawyer for a federal judge who lost a $21 million lawsuit for an escalator injury is blaming bias against the judiciary for the verdict.

California jurors deliberated only two hours before ruling against U.S. District Judge George Schiavelli of Los Angeles, who said he was injured when a shopping center escalator stopped abruptly and knocked him down the stairs, the Los Angeles Times (reg. req.) reports. He has had surgery to replace one knee and will undergo more surgery to replace the other knee and a hip.

Browne Greene, who represented Schiavelli, said the jury decision was not based on the facts of the case. “The bias against judges in today's world is just palpable," he told the Times.