Case Background
Benjamin Franklin Akaba sought to upgrade his home in Miami-Dade County by purchasing a new bed online from City Furniture. This routine purchase set off a chain of events that culminated in a significant personal injury lawsuit after the furniture failed to provide the safety expected of a household staple. The legal battle centered on whether a major retailer and its contracted delivery service failed in their basic duties to provide and assemble a safe product.
Cause
The incident began on July 27, 2023, when employees from JF Moving, LLC arrived at Mr. Akaba’s residence to deliver and assemble the bed. During the process, the assembly technician noticed that several essential screws were missing from the manufacturer’s kit. Instead of halting the process or disassembling the incomplete frame, the technician finished the job and left the bed in an unstable state.
The following day, Mr. Akaba visited a City Furniture store to address the issue. He spoke with the store manager and a sales representative who provided him with a set of loose screws. The representative allegedly assured Mr. Akaba that these parts "should work" and that the bed "would be fine" once he installed them. Mr. Akaba followed these instructions and installed the provided hardware. Later that same night, while Mr. Akaba was in the bed, the frame collapsed entirely.
Injury
The sudden collapse of the bed frame threw Mr. Akaba to the floor, causing him to suffer severe and permanent bodily injuries. Beyond the immediate physical trauma, the incident resulted in significant pain and suffering, physical impairment, and disfigurement. Mr. Akaba also experienced mental anguish and a diminished capacity to enjoy his life. The injuries required extensive medical treatment and resulted in substantial healthcare expenses that the Plaintiff expected to continue well into the future.
Damages Sought
Mr. Akaba filed a lawsuit seeking compensation for a wide range of economic and non-economic losses. His legal team demanded judgment for damages exceeding $50,001.00, the threshold for the circuit Court’s jurisdiction. The requested compensation covered past and future medical expenses, lost earnings, and pain and suffering. The Plaintiff also sought to recover the costs of the legal action and post-judgment interest.
Key Arguments and Proceedings
The litigation progressed through the Eleventh Judicial Circuit Court in Miami-Dade County under Case No. 2024-001916-CA-01. The proceedings involved detailed examinations of the service standards held by furniture retailers and the liability of third-party contractors.
Legal Representation
Plaintiff(s): Benjamin Franklin Akaba
· Counsel for Plaintiff(s): Jessica Tome | Jason C Fezza | Leslie Vega
Defendant(s): City Furniture Inc. and JF Moving, LLC
· Counsel for Defendant(s): Eusebio Gonzalez | David S. Tadros
· Experts for Defendant(s): Jonathan Hyde | Ming Xiao | Richard Bajakian
Key Arguments or Remarks by Counsel
Counsel for Mr. Akaba argued that both companies had displayed a reckless disregard for customer safety. They emphasized that JF Moving had knowingly left a defective product in a customer's home and that City Furniture had provided "guesswork" solutions with incompatible hardware.
JF Moving’s defense counsel argued that their client had not committed any act of negligence. They suggested that Mr. Akaba’s own actions specifically his attempt to finish the assembly himself with parts provided by a third party acted as an intervening cause that broke the chain of liability for the moving company.
Claims
Mr. Akaba brought three distinct counts of negligence against the Defendants.
Negligence Against City Furniture The Plaintiff alleged that City Furniture breached its non-delegable duty to provide correct parts and materials. The claim stated that the retailer failed to warn Mr. Akaba about the dangers of the bed collapsing and provided him with screws that were incompatible with the furniture.
Negligence Against JF Moving, LLC This claim focused on the professional standards of the delivery and assembly team. The Plaintiff argued that the moving company failed to use reasonable care when they noticed missing parts but chose to leave the bed assembled anyway. The suit alleged the company should have disassembled the unit to prevent it from being used in a dangerous state.
Negligent Design and Manufacture The final count were directed at City Furniture regarding the inherent safety of the product. Mr. Akaba’s team argued that the bed was defectively designed because it could collapse without warning during normal use. They further claimed that the user manual failed to provide adequate warnings about the potential for catastrophic failure if the hardware was not exactly right.
Defense
JF Moving, LLC filed a formal answer denying nearly all of the Plaintiff’s specific allegations regarding their conduct. They raised several affirmative defenses to shield themselves from liability.
The company argued that Mr. Akaba was the "proximate cause" of his own injuries. They claimed that his decision to install the screws himself constituted negligence and that he was at least partially, if not entirely, responsible under the principle of comparative negligence. They also asserted that any damages should be reduced by "collateral sources," such as insurance payments Mr. Akaba might have already received. Finally, the defense argued that the complaint failed to state a valid legal claim and that Mr. Akaba had failed to "mitigate" his damages essentially arguing he did not take proper steps to minimize the harm after the accident.
Jury Verdict
On December 9, 2025, after hearing the evidence presented by both sides, the jury reached a unanimous decision in favor of the Plaintiff, Benjamin Franklin Akaba.
The jury determined that the incident resulted in significant financial and personal losses for Mr. Akaba. They awarded the following amounts:
Future Medical Expenses: The jury calculated that Mr. Akaba would require $105,000.00 for medical care in the coming years.
Past Pain and Suffering: For the physical and mental difficulties Mr. Akaba endured from the date of the accident until the trial, the jury awarded $200,000.00.
Future Pain and Suffering: To account for the permanent nature of his injuries, including future disability, physical impairment, and loss of capacity for the enjoyment of life, the jury awarded an additional $400,000.00.
The jury concluded that the total damages sustained by Benjamin Franklin Akaba amounted to $705,000.00. The verdict form was signed by the foreperson, Marietta Yglesias, officially closing this chapter of the litigation in the Eleventh Judicial Circuit.
Court Documents
