Woman Hurt On Farming Commune

From the November 29, 2004 Missouri Lawyers Weekly.

Her Hand Was Crushed In Sorghum Press
$825,000 Settlement

A woman living on a farming commune whose hand was crushed in a sorghum press brought a claim for negligence against the farm.

Leanna Little, 27, was a member of the Eastwind egalitarian community in Tecumseh, Mo. Egalitarian communities are small groups of people who live together and, according to the Federation of Egalitarian Communities, “share a set of core principles including nonviolence, egalitarianism, and participatory decision-making.” About 65 adults and 10 children live at the Eastwind community.

On Oct. 2, 2002, Little was at a 10-member egalitarian community in Scotland County, helping with the sorghum harvest.

After a brief orientation, Little began helping with the sorghum press. The machine, dating from the early 1900s, had large, exposed rollers through which workers fed sorghum stalks.

At some point, Little’s right hand got caught in the rollers and was crushed. She lost four fingers, and the rest of her hand was significantly and permanently deformed. The next day, Sandhill Farm installed a guard around the rollers.

In her claim against Sandhill Farm, Little contended that the press was dangerous and should have been guarded to prevent inexperienced volunteers like herself from inadvertently allowing their hands too close to the moving rollers. Sandhill Farms’ manager signed a statement agreeing with her position.

The parties settled for $865,000 before suit was filed.

Type of Action: Negligence
Type of Injuries: Mutilation of right, dominant hand, including loss of four fingers
Court Case/Case No./Date: Scotland County Circuit Court/not filed/October 2004
Caption: Little vs. Sandhill Farm, Inc.
Judge, Jury or ADR: N/A
Name of Judge: Not filed
Special Damages: $44,278.76 past medical expense, $30,000 future medical expense
Last Offer: N/A
Last Demand: N/A
Verdict or Settlement: $825,000 settlement
Allocation of Fault: N/A
Attorney for Plaintiff: Neil Chanter, The Strong-Garner-Bauer, Springfield
Insurance Carrier: The Hartford
Plaintiffs’ Experts: None
Defendant’s Experts: None