A Connecticut tenant who won a $1.6 million (£1.23 million) court award after tripping over construction debris outside his unlit apartment building has still not received any money from his former landlord, according to his lawyer. Michael Criscuolo, 65, suffered a serious foot injury that eventually led to the amputation of one of his toes. The incident happened outside his apartment at 23 Argonne Terrace in Seymour, Connecticut, in May 2024. After his landlord failed to respond to a personal injury lawsuit, Superior Court Judge H. Gordon Hall issued a default judgment awarding Criscuolo $1.6 million in damages in January 2026. However, the landlord is now appealing the decision, delaying payment indefinitely. According to the Valley Independent Sentinel, Criscuolo's attorney, Sean Stokes of Riscassi & Davis, P.C., confirmed that the former landlord has not paid any part of the judgment. "What happened to Mr Criscuolo happens all the time. People get injured because there's a defect on a property, or they slipped on ice, that happens," Stokes told the Valley Independent Sentinel. "The difference is most of the time we have landlords and property owners that are responsible and either carry insurance coverage, or are self-insured, or show up in court when a case is filed. None of that happened here."
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