March 19th, 2023

Louisiana Supreme Court Opinions
Jones v. Market Basket Stores, Inc.

Docket: 2022-C-00841
Opinion Date: March 17, 2023
Judge: Jefferson D. Hughes, III
Areas of Law: Business Law, Civil Procedure, Personal Injury

The district court awarded damages to plaintiff Lashondra Jones who was allegedly injured when she stepped on a wooden pallet with an attached pallet guard, holding a bulk watermelon bin, to reach a watermelon in the bottom of the bin, and the pallet guard collapsed. Defendant Market Basket Stores, Inc. appealed, and the appellate court reversed the award, finding manifest error in the factual findings of the district court requiring de novo review and concluding that the watermelon display did not present an unreasonable risk of harm to plaintiff. After review, the Louisiana Supreme Court concluded there was no manifest error in the district court’s finding of negligence on the part of the defendant; therefore, the appellate court erred in its ruling.

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