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Judge sues security firm

When U.S. District Judge Cynthia M. Rufe pulled into the parking garage at the federal courthouse in Center City on June 12, 2008, the last thing she expected was a broken ankle and other injuries.

When U.S. District Judge Cynthia M. Rufe pulled into the parking garage at the federal courthouse in Center City on June 12, 2008, the last thing she expected was a broken ankle and other injuries.

As she was waved through the guard booth, Rufe stopped at the gate and used her key card to gain access to the entry ramp.

When the traffic signal turned green and the gate's arm rose, Rufe watched as the security barrier lowered, and she proceeded over it, intending to drive down the ramp into the garage, according to a lawsuit Rufe and her husband, John, recently filed in federal district court.

Then, the barrier - an 18-inch-high hydraulic barricade - "suddenly and violently popped up," striking the front end of her 2004 Honda Accord and causing the driver airbag to deploy, the lawsuit said.

As a result, Rufe sustained a fractured right ankle, a bruised knee, wrists and arms, lacerations to her lip and hip and back pain, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit said Rufe has incurred and will continue to incur medical expenses, medical care, treatment and rehabilitation because of the defendants' actions and inactions.

Named as defendants in the lawsuit were Delta Scientific Corp., the manufacturer of the barrier, B & B ARMR Corp., B & B ARMR Services Group and Integrated Security Systems Inc. (The B & B ARMR companies are subsidiaries of Integrated Security Systems, which designs, develops and sells safety and security equipment, including crash barriers, to businesses and governments.)

Delta Scientific, which is headquartered just north of Los Angeles, is a private company whose Web site says it is "world's leading manufacturer of vehicle access control equipment."

The company supplies counter-terrorist barricade systems to more than 18 U.S. embassies and consulates in 130 countries, and has secured more than 110 federal buildings, including courthouses and FBI locations.

Rufe contends the defendants knew their barricade was defective and unsafe and "failed to operate properly" before her accident.

In April, an Alabama couple, Jay and Virginia Crawford, sued Delta Scientific in federal district court in central California.

The Crawfords' lawsuit said Jay Crawford was supervising the delivery of a shipment of presidential T-shirts to the U.S. Embassy in Paris on May 30, 2008, when a Delta Scientific 1,700-pound steel barrier at one of the embassy building's security gates malfunctioned, "crushed" his right leg and permanently disabled him.

Delta Scientific denied all the allegations in the Crawford lawsuit, which alleged strict liability, negligence and loss of consortium.

Rufe's lawsuit alleges strict liability, negligence and breach of warranty against all defendants. In addition, John Rufe alleged that the defendants deprived him "of the services, society and comfort" of his wife.

The Rufes are seeking more than $75,000 in damages and other costs.

None of the defendants has yet answered the lawsuit, according to the court docket. The defendants have 60 days to reply to the lawsuit from the time it was filed last month.

David Barry, an attorney for Delta Scientific, did not reply to an e-mail seeking comment.

The Rufes' attorney, Tiffany M. Alexander, was unavailable for comment.

U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Theodore A. McKee designated New Jersey federal district judge Joel A. Pisano to preside over the case, saying it was in the public interest.

Rufe, a former Bucks County Common Pleas judge, was named to the federal bench by President George W. Bush in 2002.