While attending her son's wedding in 2021, Janet Davis, 55, was the victim of a freak accident after the couple broke the glass in Skokie, Illinois. An 87-pound chuppah fell on her, sticking her on her neck and back. This led to Davis suffering multiple injuries, including permanent tinnitus and spinal injuries. She earned a $2.3 million settlement.
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During the ceremony, Davis was below the chuppah while family members were congratulating her son and his newly wedded wife. A chuppah is a type of canopy used in Jewish weddings, with the couple standing under it during the ceremony. Moments before, they had completed the "breaking the glass" ceremony, a Jewish wedding tradition.
All of a sudden, the chuppah collapsed on top of Davis. There is a possibility that someone ran into the chuppah, but the damage was already done. "It was possible that the chuppah might have been bumped into then, causing the collapse. Either way it was not supposed to fall," said Marc McCallister, one of Davis's attorneys, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Davis spent $325,000 on medical bills. These expenses covered treatment for her concussion and inner ear and cervical surgeries. Janet Davis and his husband, Edward, ended up filing a lawsuit against Ateres Ayala - the wedding venue -, Luxe Catering, and Jose Vargas Ortega - the man who set up the chuppah in the first place.
Settlement Reached
Three years after Davis's accident took place, both parties reached a settlement agreement on September 13, 2024. Ateres Ayala paid $550,000, Ortega paid $10,000, and Luxe Catering paid $1.7 million, totaling almost $2.3 million.
Timothy J. Cavanaugh, another of Davis's attorneys, weighed in on the accident. "Their (Janet and Edward) son's wedding was supposed to be one of the happiest days of their lives," said Cavanaugh. "Instead, it turned into a tragedy for Janet and her family that was easily preventable and never should have happened."
According to Cavanaugh, they were prepared to go to trial since they had video evidence of the chuppah's collapse alongside testimony. The latter mentioned how Ateres Ayala and Luxe Catering "failed to secure the chuppah in a structurally sound condition."
"Had Ateres and Luxe properly secured the chuppah, it would not have collapsed, Janet Davis' injuries would have been avoided and the family would have enjoyed a beautiful wedding celebration," Cavanaugh said.
