Chinese gymnast Sang Lan is seeking $1.8 billion in compensation for the pain and suffering that she has endured, as a result of someone attempting to move a mat from where she was about to land during warm-ups at the 1998 Goodwill Games in New York. As a result, Ms. Lan claims that she was distracted, fell and hit her head on the floor, thereby causing paralysis from the chest down including her arms and hands. Her injury received widespread attention in 1998 as celebrities including, Leonardo DiCaprio, Celine Dion, Christopher Reeve and then vice-president Al Gore visited her in the hospital. The defendants in the lawsuit include media mogul Ted Turner who founded the Goodwill Games, AOL Time Warner Inc, the US Gymnastics Federation, TIG Insurance Co and two legal guardians appointed to look after her following the accident. The attorneys for Ms. Lan are hopeful the trial will start in June 2011. Read more
