Marriott International was recently found liable in the case of a 25-year-old man who died due to injuries he sustained during a Super Bowl contest in 1995. John Gioffre, 25 at the time of the incident, was attending a convention at the Marriott Orlando World Trade Center hotel in Orlando, Florida when he entered a contest that required contestants to compete while wearing padded costumes that made them resemble sumo wrestlers. During the event, Gioffre fell into his opponent and broke his neck, leaving him a quadriplegic. He died four years later after developing complications related to the injury.

Gioffre had filed a personal injury suit soon after the accident, but it was dismissed when he died and his wife filed a wrongful death lawsuit. Florida law does not allow personal injury and wrongful death claims to be filed simultaneously. After going to trial, the Orange County jury awarded Gioffre's family $11.8 million.