A shopper’s visit to a popular retail store turned into a nightmare, leading to a lawsuit that could have significant implications for business owners everywhere. On August 30, 2024, Vassilios “Bill” Skotanis filed a complaint in the Circuit Court in and for Pinellas County, Florida, against Nordstrom, Inc., doing business as Nordstrom Rack.

According to the complaint, Skotanis was shopping with his wife at the Nordstrom Rack store located at 2435 State Road 580 in Clearwater, Florida, on February 21, 2023. As he navigated through the aisles filled with circular clothing racks, he tripped over an empty square rolling rack left in the middle of a major hallway. The incident occurred around 8:00 p.m., and Skotanis alleges that this “tripping hazard” was not visible or apparent to him or other customers due to its placement among larger racks filled with clothing.

The lawsuit claims that Nordstrom and its employees were negligent in their duty to maintain a safe environment for customers. Specifically, it states that they failed to operate, manage, service, control, clean, and repair the premises adequately. “The empty square rolling rack constituted a ‘tripping hazard’ and/or ‘dangerous condition’ as it existed,” reads one part of the complaint. Skotanis argues that Nordstrom should have known about this hazard through reasonable care and should have taken steps to correct it or warn customers.

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