Ladder lawsuit includes deposition by Stratton man

STRATTON -- A Stratton man has suddenly found himself involved in a California ladder lawsuit.

Caught completely by surprise, Ted Pierce was contacted a few weeks ago by a law firm in Beverly Hills, representing a client who had had an accident with a ladder and was suing the maker of the ladder. The company contended that the ladder was as safe as it could possibly be.

Pierce's 32-year-old invention called the "No Tip" Ladder Stabilizer has come to light again, thanks to the lawsuit in California.

Pierce and his brother, Dwight, produced the stabilizer years ago under the name of Pierce Metal Products. The stabilizer included two telescoping sides that accommodated uneven surfaces and snapped to the ladder when not in use.

The product was patented in 1971. The patent was later sold to Miller Weeder Co. in Stratton, which is no longer in business.

Before the Pierces closed out production, they made 50 of the stabilizers for the Bureau of Mines in Laramie, Wyo.

In a Gazette article from 1971, Ted said, "They (the stabilizers) can be used on uneven surfaces with as great safety as on the level. The stabilizer makes the ladder as sturdy as the Rock of Gibraltar."

The Beverly Hills law firm was doing research on the Internet, came across the patent for the Stratton invention and contacted Pierce.

Pierce was asked to travel to Beverly Hills to give a deposition.

"I didn't want to go to California," Pierce said. Instead, a representative of the law firm met Pierce in Ogallala at the office of his son, Phil Pierce, who is also an attorney, where Ted gave a video deposition.

Pierce says it is all a waiting game now as the case goes to trial on Oct. 9.