Litigation

[Israel Stein]

> I was just involved - as an expert witness - in a lawsuit brought by a
> pianist injured by a piano.  This man, an experienced pianist, went to a
> hotel to play for a party.  He moved the piano a few inches, it fell and
> the keyboard pinned his finger between it and the bench.  He sued the
> hotel for having an unsafe piano.

<cut>

> If I have learned anything from this experience, it is that I am going to
> warn all who have pianos that are dangerous in any way.  I'll send a
> written memo to this effect, and keep a copy.  I've done it in the past.
> It's now become a religious conviction!
>
> Dave Porritt
> SMU - Dallas

And sometimes it works. I had a situation with a tippy hotel piano a couple
years ago. I refused to tune it, advised the house pianist to refuse to play
it and sent a memo off to the banquet department prominently featuring terms
like "lawsuit" and "bodily injury" in close juxtaposition with "guests" and
"somewhat inebriated". I guess they finally decided that it would be less
trouble to just fix it. I still have the account.

Israel Stein