A Walk Across the Lot Turns Dangerous

Peter Gibson walked across the Universal Studios lot in Los Angeles on April 26, 2018. After lunch, he made his way uphill toward his office. A commercial barrier gate system—known as the “LiftMaster”—stood nearby, controlling vehicle access. The pathway to the right of the gate was blocked, so Gibson and his coworkers walked on the left. The gate arm stood upright. No lights flashed. No warning sounds played. Suddenly, the arm dropped. It struck Gibson on the head without any notice.

Design Flaws and Missed Warnings

Gibson claimed the gate system was unsafe. He pointed to several issues: a lack of visual and audio warnings, the failure of the arm to detect people in its path, and an unsafe pedestrian layout. He alleged that the manufacturer, The Chamberlain Group, created a defective product. He also alleged that Universal Studios and related entities failed to install and maintain it safely. In his view, the gate presented a clear risk to pedestrians, which these parties ignored.

A Life Changed in an Instant

The impact caused Gibson a traumatic brain injury. He suffered serious damage to his ability to think, work, and care for his family. The blow affected his role as a husband and a father. It also disrupted his professional life. He could no longer carry out daily activities the way he once did. His injury appeared to have permanent effects.

The Cost of Injury

Gibson faced major medical costs. He needed doctors, surgeries, and long-term care. He expected to need more treatment in the future. He also lost income and expected his earning ability to remain limited. The injury caused emotional distress and deeply affected his family life. In court, he sought compensation for both financial and personal losses.

Key Arguments and Proceedings

Legal Representation

• Plaintiff: Peter Gibson

• Counsel for Plaintiff: Gary Alan Dordick | Jeremy Laurence Tissot

• Defendant(s): The Chamberlain Group Inc. dba CGI Inc. | Universal Parks & Resorts | Universal Studios Hollywood | Universal Studios LLC | Universal Studios Lot

• Counsel for Defendants: Carol A. Hogan | Jason Roger Litt | Erna Mamikonyan | Edward E. Ward Jr.

The Legal Case Against the Companies Involved

Gibson brought two main legal claims. First, he sued for negligence, naming the manufacturer and property owners as responsible for unsafe design, installation, and maintenance. Second, he claimed strict liability against the manufacturer, arguing the product was defective and lacked proper warnings. He requested a jury trial and sought damages for his injuries, expenses, and loss of income.

Defense

Defendants Chamberlain Group, Inc. (CGI) and Universal Studios LLC both denied all allegations in Peter Gibson’s complaint and raised numerous affirmative defenses. CGI asserted that it did not cause or contribute to Gibson’s injuries and claimed that his complaint failed to state valid causes of action. CGI also alleged various legal bars, including the statute of limitations, waiver, estoppel, and the exclusivity of workers’ compensation. It argued that Gibson’s own negligence, or that of others, caused his injuries, and it further claimed that any recovery should be reduced due to his failure to mitigate damages or because of third-party modifications and misuse of the product.

Universal Studios LLC similarly denied liability and alleged that Gibson’s own conduct contributed to his injuries. It raised defenses such as comparative negligence, assumption of risk, lack of notice, and the presence of an open and obvious condition. Universal also asserted that the incident occurred in an area outside its control and fell under the jurisdiction of workers’ compensation law. Both Defendants reserved their right to add more defenses as new facts emerged.

Jury Verdict

On November 22, 2024, the jury found that Universal Studios, LLC was negligent in the use or maintenance of its property and that this negligence was a substantial factor in causing harm to Peter Gibson. The jury determined that Gibson was not negligent and assigned 77% of the responsibility to Universal Studios and 23% to Gibson. They awarded Gibson a total of over $7.6 million in damages.

Court Documents

Court documents are available upon request at Jurimatic@exlitem.com