A Prince George's County Circuit Court jury returned a $71.39 million verdict on January 1, 2026, in favor of Godlove Djapa, who sued Riverdale Towne Apartments, the operator of the Lilly Garden apartment complex in Lanham, Maryland, on claims of premises liability and negligence [1]. The case centered on a nighttime fire at the complex that Djapa alleged was the result of unsafe conditions and inadequate fire protection maintained by the defendant [1].
The jury deliberated for approximately 30 minutes before reaching its award, which encompassed damages for lost earning capacity, noneconomic harm, and future medical care [1]. Djapa had jumped from a second-story apartment window to escape the blaze, sustaining injuries that plaintiff's counsel characterized as catastrophic and requiring lifetime care [1]. The speed of deliberations and the scope of the award reflected the jury's apparent acceptance of the full damages model presented by the plaintiff.
Plaintiff's counsel stated the verdict is believed to be the largest personal injury award in Prince George's County history [1]. No punitive component was included in the judgment, and the $71.39 million figure represents the total compensatory award [1]. The verdict accordingly falls in the eight-figure range for a purely compensatory damages case arising from a single-plaintiff premises liability claim.
No information regarding post-trial motions, remittitur proceedings, or appellate filings was available at the time of publication. Given the size of the award relative to a county-court premises liability case, a post-verdict challenge or appeal by the defendant is a conventional next step under Maryland civil procedure, but no such action has been confirmed by available sources.
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