The Region - News from March 27, 1985

A Garden Grove insurance salesman who injured his left knee in a fall at Furnace Creek Ranch resort in Death Valley in 1979 was awarded $1.5 million by a Los Angeles Superior Court jury. The amount was reduced to $1.29 million because the jury found that Philip Frankel was 15% responsible for the accident. However, about $200,000 in interest will be added to the award, raising it to $1.49 million. Stanley B. Mann, attorney for the ranch’s owner, Amfac Inc., called the award “excessive” and said he will seek a new trial. Frankel, 59, was attending a convention when he left the ranch’s pool area through an unlocked gate and fell five feet. “This verdict represents justice,” Edward Steinbrecher, Frankel’s attorney, said. “Amfac is now going to start to pay attention to the safety of the people that patronize their resorts.”