January 21, 2014 - New York - A taxpayer undergoing an audit at an Internal Revenue Service office on Long Island successfully sued the IRS for $862,000 after he was injured by tripping over a phone cord.

William Berroyer claimed in his lawsuit that he could no longer play golf or have relations with his wife more than once a month after he fell during a 2008 audit at an IRS office in Hauppauge, N.Y., according to the New York Post. He had visited the offices to work out a payment agreement for a $60,000 tax bill when he tripped on the phone cord and fell against a cabinet.

After leaving the office, he telephoned the IRS auditor from the parking lot to inform him that he had lost the sense of feeling in his leg and was suffering from shoulder pain. He then spent 17 days in hospitals and rehabilitation centers recovering from his injury.

Attorneys for the IRS claimed he was exaggerating his injury, but the judge awarded him $862,000 for pain and suffering. He won't have to pay taxes on the damages either. However he was denied the full $10 million amount he was seeking. Berroyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Hacohen Wolf is a law firm specializing in Real Estate, Taxation and Commercial Law with offices in Jerusalem, Tel-Aviv, New York, London, Amsterdam and China.