Joe was a 30 year old man I evaluated in the context of his lawsuit.
One Friday evening, after everyone had gone home, he was working late at his Manhattan office. At 7:00 PM, he went downstairs to smoke a cigarette. Heading back to the office, he entered the elevator alone. Between the 30th and 31st floors, the elevator came to a sudden stop. He pushed every button, but the doors failed to open. No one responded to the alarm. He tried using the intercom; but still no response.
After an hour, he felt a sense of dread. He knew he was stuck. It was the beginning of a weekend, and the building would be empty until Monday morning. Neither the intercom nor alarm button worked, and no one was there to hear it, anyway. Joe had no food, no toilet, nothing to occupy him, and was alone in an eight by eight foot enclosure, hanging between floors in a Manhattan skyscraper. He was trapped.
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