Lawsuit Claims Werner Stepladder Collapsed, Leaving Woman With Skull Fracture and Brain Injury

Werner ladder lawsuit alleges that design defects and inadequate warnings about the true capacity of the stepladder resulted in the collapse.

A California woman has filed a product liability lawsuit alleging that a defective stepladder collapsed during use, causing her to fall and suffer a traumatic brain injury, fractured skull and other serious injuries.

The complaint (PDF) was brought by Armine Tataryan in the Superior Court of California on April 29, naming New Werner Co. and Werner Co. as defendants. The case was removed to the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California on August 5.

Tataryan claims the Werner aluminum stepladder suddenly collapsed while she was standing on it, causing her to fall and suffer severe and permanent injuries.

Ladder Collapse Risks

The filing comes amid a number of similar ladder collapse lawsuits filed in recent months, each involving allegations that design defects make certain widely used products unreasonably dangerous and defective.

In April, a separate Werner ladder lawsuit alleged one of the company’s ladders suddenly collapsed while a homeowner was working near his roofline, causing him to fall and suffer a displaced wrist fracture.

Amazon has also been named in multiple lawsuits involving allegedly defective ladders. Last month, a lawsuit alleged a New York man suffered severe and permanent injuries after falling from a Rikade telescoping ladder purchased through Amazon.

The complaint claims Amazon was negligent in allowing the allegedly defective ladder to be sold through its online marketplace and remain available to consumers.

Stepladder Injury Allegations

According to this recently filed complaint, Tataryan was standing on the Werner stepladder on January 21, 2025, while putting away Christmas decorations in her garage when it suddenly collapsed, causing her to suffer a traumatic brain injury, a fractured skull, facial paralysis, a ruptured eardrum, orthopedic injuries and dental injuries.

The lawsuit indicates the ladder was marketed with a 200-pound maximum load capacity, even though Tataryan’s combined weight and the weight of the items she was carrying allegedly remained below that limit. After the incident, the complaint says one of the ladder’s legs was found buckled at the joint where the spreader was bolted to the frame.

Tataryan claims the ladder was defectively designed and manufactured, rendering it unreasonably dangerous, and alleges it lacked adequate safety features, warnings and instructions.

The filing states Werner used a red plastic top cap and pail shelf to signal they were not intended to be used as steps. However, the first step below the top was allegedly made from the same aluminum material and had the same appearance as the remaining steps, creating confusion about where it was safe to stand. The lawsuit further claims the product’s warning label failed to adequately communicate the hazard.

“As a direct and proximate result of the LADDER’s defective design, manufacture, warning and/or instruction, Plaintiff, while using the LADDER in a reasonably foreseeable way, sustained severe injuries.”

— Armine Tataryan v. New Werner Co. et al.

Tataryan raises allegations of strict product liability, negligent products liability and breach of implied warranty. She seeks past and future general and special damages, costs of the suit and other relief deemed appropriate by the court.

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