Marilyn Pucalik, Administratrix of the Estate of Lawrence J. Pucalik v. Holiday Inns, Inc.

RIPPLE, Circuit Judge.

An armed robber shot and killed Lawrence Pucalik while he was working as a security guard in a Holiday Inn hotel in Hammond, Indiana. As administratrix of his estate, Mr. Pucalik’s wife brought a wrongful death action against Holiday Inns, Inc. The complaint alleged that Holiday Inns’ failure to maintain properly its premises caused Mr. Pucalik’s death. The jury returned a verdict for one million two hundred and fifty thousand dollars in favor of the Pucalik estate. The district court denied Holiday Inns’ motions for judgment notwithstanding the verdict (n.o.v.), new…