I had a joiner doing up my kitchen, walls and ceiling, he used a small stool that was lying in the garden left by the fornmer owners, on the second day he was stretching over and he took a fall, he got up and was OK, he fell again a bit later and the leg in the stool broke, still he was fine, he worked for a couple more days. He went on holiday after that for a week came back to do a bit of finishing off, he said he would return next day but would be late as he had to go to the doctor with his ankle that he hurt when he fell in my house, he hasn't came back to finish and hasn't got in touch. Can he sue? Thank you. M.

I don't know where you are but in NY, yes, he can sue. You are responsible for the safety of workers on your property (whether you were "at fault" or not). That's why I carry workers comp insurance as part of my homeowners package.

The answer to the question "can he sue" is almost always yes. People sue everyone for everything. Are there damages, that is the question. Do you have home owners insurance which covers others on your property?