Injury caused by poor maintenance

Not exactly. In this specific instance, everything is so vague and spread thin that it's doubtful he’d ever even face a lawsuit. And even if he somehow managed to pull one off? It wouldn't be worth the cost of the legal fees.

slycobra5 said:Fine, so nobody’s saying anything... basically, you just have to watch your step. If you end up getting hurt, it's on you.

Look, both the client and the contractor are legally on the hook for any damage caused to third parties, though don't expect anyone to walk away with a massive jackpot here. You really ought to sit down with the client, find out who actually did the work, and then go after that contractor for some cash—maybe even throw in a little threat about filing a lawsuit over off-the-books labor if they were cutting corners. I mean, how much of this is actually his own fault for falling in the first place? And honestly, how much blame does the client actually carry? Between the legal fees and how long these court cases drag on in the States, it’s usually more trouble than it's worth anyway.