Navigation Plaintiff alleges negligence against retail giant after slip-and-fall incident
A slip-and-fall incident at a major retail store has led to a lawsuit that could potentially reshape how businesses handle safety protocols. On March 27, 2025, Barbara Weigold filed a complaint in the Circuit Court of the 15th Judicial Circuit in Palm Beach County against Wal-Mart Stores East LP. The case centers around an alleged failure by the retail giant to maintain safe premises, which Weigold claims resulted in significant personal injuries.
According to the complaint, on August 13, 2024, Barbara Weigold visited a Wal-Mart located at 2144 W Indiantown Rd., Jupiter, Florida. As a business invitee, she expected the premises to be maintained safely. However, Weigold alleges that Wal-Mart breached its duty of care by failing to ensure the flooring near the produce area was safe and by not warning her of any potential hazards. “Defendant owed Plaintiff duties to maintain the premises in a reasonably safe condition,” states the complaint. The allegations suggest that Wal-Mart’s negligence extended beyond simple oversight; it involved multiple failures such as inadequate maintenance and inspection of floors, insufficient staff training on safety protocols, and lack of proper policies for identifying dangerous conditions.
The lawsuit accuses Wal-Mart of numerous specific acts of negligence. These include failing to maintain or adequately inspect the flooring for hazards and not warning customers about these dangers despite knowing—or having reason to know—about them. Additionally, it claims that Wal-Mart did not have adequate staff assigned to monitor floor conditions and failed to follow its own corporate policies regarding safety measures. “Negligently failing to enforce its stated policy that all associates are responsible for inspecting floor surfaces for dangerous conditions,” is one of many accusations listed in the document.
