Stephen Siegal has filed a lawsuit against two major retail entities, accusing them of negligence that led to a severe injury. The complaint was lodged by Siegal in the Circuit Court of the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit in Palm Beach County, Florida, on October 13, 2024. The defendants named in the case are Holiday CVS LLC and CVS Pharmacy Inc.

The incident at the heart of this legal battle occurred on September 21, 2023, when Stephen Siegal visited a CVS store located at 2390 N. Federal Highway in Boca Raton, Florida. As an invitee intending to purchase a drink from the refrigerator display, Siegal’s visit took an unfortunate turn when he tripped over a black pallet used for displaying merchandise. This pallet was positioned at the endcap of a shopping aisle and blended into the dark grey and black carpet, making it difficult for customers like Siegal to detect. According to the complaint, this negligent placement created a trip hazard due to its industrial design with “fork openings,” which are typically meant for warehouse operations rather than customer-accessible areas.

Siegal’s foot became caught in one of these fork openings, causing him to fall and sustain severe injuries, including a traumatic brain injury. The lawsuit alleges that both Holiday CVS LLC and CVS Pharmacy Inc were aware or should have been aware of the dangers posed by using such pallets in their stores without proper safety measures or warnings for customers. Furthermore, it is claimed that industry standards were violated as water bottles were not stacked properly on the pallet, exacerbating the risk.