A woman attending a concert at a local church found herself in an unexpected legal battle after suffering injuries due to alleged negligence on the part of the church. Marilyn Silverstein filed a complaint against Spanish River Presbyterian Church, Inc., in the Circuit Court for the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit in Palm Beach County, Florida, on December 18, 2024.

The case revolves around an incident that occurred on January 9, 2024, when Silverstein attended a nighttime concert at Spanish River Presbyterian Church. According to the complaint, Silverstein was a business invitee of the church and parked her car in their parking lot. The plaintiff claims she tripped over a parking bumper due to inadequate lighting and poor maintenance of the premises. The lawsuit accuses the church of several negligent acts including providing improper and dim lighting which made it difficult for patrons to see potential hazards such as dirty and dark parking bumpers.

Silverstein’s complaint outlines that these conditions led to an optical illusion that obscured her view of the parking bumper, causing her to trip and fall. She alleges that the bumper was carelessly placed in a pedestrian path and posed a dangerous change in elevation. Furthermore, she argues that this condition violated multiple safety codes including sections from the Life Safety Code and ASTM Standard.