Jeffrey P. Raasch - Vernis & Bowling

Jeffrey P. Raasch, Esq.
Vernis & Bowling of Atlanta, LLC 30 Perimeter Park Drive, Suite 200 Atlanta, GA 30341
Phone: (404) 846-2001
Email: JRaasch@Georgia-Law.com
Fax: (404) 846-2002
Website: www.national-law.com
V-Card Email

Verdicts and Dispositions

Altrina Johnson v. GMRI, Inc. D/B/A Olive Garden
Jeffrey Raasch (Atlanta, GA) (Premises Liability) obtained Summary Judgment in a Premises Liability case. The Plaintiff filed this case to recover for a broken ankle and other injuries she received when eating at an Olive Garden restaurant near Atlanta on August 14, 2018. When the Plaintiff was sliding out of the booth where she and her family had just finished eating, the Plaintiff said the top portion of the bench on which she had been sitting had stuck to her buttocks for some unknown reason. As she stood up, the bench continued sticking to her rear-end through her pants, but then it suddenly came loose, supposedly ejecting her from the booth. She then said the bench top fell between her feet and tripped her as she was in the process of getting up from the table.

However, the Plaintiff testified in her deposition that not only had her family eaten at the booth without incident, but she remembered looking at the bench before she sat on it and “everything was 100% copacetic” with it. The manager gave an Affidavit saying that his restaurant never had a problem like this with any of their benches before and they were inspected every morning before the restaurant opened. The Court granted the Summary Judgment based on all of these factors. No appeal was filed.

The Plaintiff’s attorney had demanded a settlement in the mid-six figures pre-suit and said that due to complications from the broken ankle, the Plaintiff would need to have her home and car modified to assist her getting around. He also said he was going to probably double or triple the demand (to an amount closer to seven figures once he had a “life-planning expert” determine how much money she would need to “get around the rest of her life.” Dekalb County, GA is one of the most liberal jurisdictions in the State of GA and its juries have a long track record of awarding extremely large verdicts.
Edward Mitchell v. Hewett Packard, ISS Facility Services, and Cheryl Redmond
Jeff Raasch (Atlanta, GA) (Premises Liability) obtained Summary Judgment in the case Edward Mitchell v. Hewett Packard, ISS Facility Services, and Cheryl Redmond. This case was filed in the State Court of Fulton Co., GA. The facts show that on July 2, 2014, the plaintiff was working as a night security guard at the Hewlett Packard corporate campus in Alpharetta, GA where ISS Facility Services, Inc. provided maintenance and janitorial services. Defendant Cheryl Redmond was the on-site supervisor for ISS Facility Services at that time. As the plaintiff was doing his rounds to check the security of the building, he shined his flashlight into the kitchen/cafeteria area and noticed water on the floor. He walked around that puddle, and then across an area of dry floor. Suddenly he claims to have encountered another puddle of water but he did not see the second one.

After two back operations the plaintiff claimed $97,817 in medical bills and $28,980 in lost wages for missing 92 weeks of work for total special damages of $125,797. A settlement demand of $550,000 was made prior to the filing of the Motion for Summary Judgment. The Judge agreed with the defendants’ arguments that the plaintiff was on notice that there could be more water on the floor ahead of him in the dark room and, because he was working as a security guard, whose job was to discover and report situations such as this to ISS Facility Services’ 24-hour maintenance line, he should have had a heightened duty to watch where he was walking. There was no appeal by the plaintiff.

Areas Of Practice

Automobile Liability (PIP/PD/BI/UM)
Civil Litigation
Condominium and Homeowners' Association Litigation
Construction and Construction Defect Litigation
Environmental Law/Toxic Torts
Garage and Garagekeepers Liability
Government Law
Liability Defense
Liquor Liability
Negligent Security
Premises Liability
Product Liability
Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Liability
Wrongful Death

Bar & Court Admission

Georgia Bar, 1985
Tennessee Bar, 2004
Virginia Bar, 1983
All State Courts in Georgia, Tennessee and Virginia
Federal District Courts for the Northern and Middle Districts of Georgia
Federal District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Virginia
Federal Courts of Appeals for the 4th and 11th Circuits
The Court of Military Appeals

Education

Graduate:
Cumberland School of Law, Samford University, J.D., 1983
Undergraduate:
University of Virginia, Bachelors of Arts in History and Government, 1979

Reported Decisions

McCrary v Preferred Risk Mut. Ins. Co., 198 Ga.App.727, 402 S.E.2d 519, 1991 WL 57290, Ga.App., January 11, 1991 (No. A90A1642.)
Jones v Cropps, 197 Ga.App. 313, 398 S.E.2d 295, 1990 WL 201323, Ga.App., October 18, 1990 (No. A90A1194.)
Pirkle v Hawley, 199 Ga.App. 371, 405 S.E.2d 71, 1991 WL 107345, Ga.App., March 6, 1991 (No. A90A1870)
Quality Ford Sales, Inc., v Greene, 201 Ga.App. 206, 410 S.E.2d. 389, 1991 WL 251501, Ga.App., September 16, 1991 (No. A91A1687.)
Paper Recycling, Inc. v Amoco Oil Co., 856 F.Supp. 671, 1993 WL669268, 40 ERC 2043, 25 Envtl. L. Rep. 20,135, N.D.Ga., August 23, 1993 (No. 1:91-cv-3123-RHH.)
Brooks v Young, 220 Ga.App. 47, 467 S.E.2d 230, 1996 WL 36044, Ga.App., January 31, 1996 (No. A95A2586.)
Pyle v Pyle, 243 Ga.App. 398, 531 S.E.2d 738, 2000 WL 283688, 00 FCDR 1472, Ga.App., March 16, 2000 (No. A99A2387.)
Hoeflick v Bradley, 282 Ga.App. 123, 637 S.E.2d 832, 2006 WL 3056885, 06 FCDR 3422, Ga. App., October 30, 2006 (No. A95A2586.)
Ballenger v Floyd, 282 Ga.App. 574, 639 S.E.2d 554, 2006 WL 3410819, 06 FCDR 3731, Ga.App., November 28, 2006 (No. A06A1763.)

AV Preeminent Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell

Jeffrey Paul Raasch was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, and was raised in the Chesapeake Bay area of Virginia. He graduated from the University of Virginia with Bachelor of Arts degrees in History and Government in 1979, where he played Varsity Football. After college, Jeff taught high school social studies near Richmond, Virginia, where he coached football, soccer and tennis.

Jeff earned his J.D. from Cumberland School of Law at Samford University in 1983. He was admitted to the Virginia Bar in 1983. He served the Air Force Judge Advocate General Corps as a Captain, and tried over 20 Court-Martials. While stationed at Hahn Air Force Base, in West Germany, he was a college instructor for the University of Maryland European Division.

He was admitted to the Georgia Bar in 1985, and is licensed to practice law before all state courts in Georgia. Prior to joining Vernis & Bowling in 2005, Jeff was a Partner in the Atlanta firm of Seacrest, Karesh, Tate & Bicknese, litigating and trying cases in automobile liability, general liability, civil litigation, commercial vehicle liability, condominium and homeowners association litigation, garage liability, liquor liability, negligent security, product liability, property litigation, wrongful death, premises liability, common carrier liability, construction litigation, construction defect litigation, professional liability/E&O, environmental and toxic tort litigation, uninsured/underinsured motorist liability, declaratory judgment actions and insurance coverage issues. Jeff was admitted to the Tennessee Bar in 2004, and currently represents clients in liability and workers’ compensation matters across Eastern Tennessee.

His wife, Christel, has been the Assistant Clerk of the Georgia House of Representatives for over 30 years. They have two sons, Chris and Will, who Jeff has coached in baseball, soccer and basketball.

Jeff has been awarded an AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell, indicating the highest level of skill and professionalism. He has tried over 25 civil jury trials, has won over 100 summary judgment motions, and has successfully defended and pursued numerous appeals on behalf of his clients.

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