Cornerstone Services Sued By Lockport Man Who Tripped Over Floor Mat

JOLIET, IL - A Lockport man is suing Cornerstone Services contending the Joliet entity kept its floor mats in a dangerous condition during an incident from two years ago. The Joliet law firm of Rathbun, Cservenyak & Kozol on Executive Team filed a premises liability and negligence lawsuit this week on behalf of Charlie Tate Sr. The lawsuit states that Tate suffered an injury back on October 26, 2015. Cornerstone Services operates as an advocacy organization for people with disabilities in Joliet and across Will County.

On that particular date in 2015, Tate was entering through the front doors when he had his mishap at the Cornerstone property in the 700 block of Joyce Road, according to his suit. Cornerstone "carelessly and negligently caused and permitted said premises to remain in a dangerous condition for persons using said premises including the Plaintiff, Charlie Tate Sr., by allowing an improperly maintained, curled floor mat to exist upon the floor in the area of its main entranceway/exit doors," this week's lawsuit at the Will County Courthouse claims.

According to the allegations put forth by Tate's lawyer, Willard L. Hemsworth III, Cornerstone Services "failed to properly flatten or secure a floor mat located at the main entrance." As a result, the curled up mat at the entrance and exit doors of the Joliet facility became "an unreasonable risk of harm to customers and other individuals entering the premises" and that the "acts and or omissions of Defendant Cornerstone Services Inc. was the proximate cause of Plaintiff Charlie Tate Sr. tripping and falling on the floor of the property," the lawsuit contends. (For more information on this and other Joliet Patch neighborhood stories, subscribe to Patch to receive free daily newsletters and free breaking news alerts.)

However, Tate's lawsuit includes no mention of specific injuries or hospitalization that the Lockport man may have suffered. Instead, his lawyer has advised the Will County court: "Charlie Tate Sr. ... sustained severe and permanent injuries, both externally and internally and was and will be hindered and prevented from attending to his usual duties and affairs and has lost and in the future will lose, the value of that time as aforementioned. (Tate) also suffered great pain and anguish, both in mind and body, and will in the future continue to suffer."

The Will County civil lawsuit asks a jury to award Tate "large sums of money for medical care and services endeavoring to become healed and cured of said injuries."

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