Following years of litigation, a woman has finally won a massive lawsuit against Walmart, and was awarded $10 million after she lost her leg from multiple surgeries caused by stepping on a rusty nail.
A jury has awarded April Jones of Florence, South Carolina, ten million dollars following a four-day trial in a lawsuit against Walmart which was filed in May of 2017. The jury awarded the money for pain and suffering, as well as for past and future medical expenses, according to a press release.
The injury occurred in June of 2015, when Jones was a customer inside Walmart Store #630 in Florence, where she stepped on a rusty nail.
An excerpt from the press release said, “Jones was injured by a rusty nail in the main aisle of the store on June 26, 2015. The initial injury resulted in an infection, subsequent surgery, and eventually three separate amputations, leaving Ms. Jones without most of her leg. She has been wheelchair-bound for 6 years and her daily life was significantly interrupted as she lived alone and independently prior to the incident.”
Jones’ attorneys have spoken out after the verdict, saying that the jury’s decision will give their client the ability to “purchase prosthetic, handicap-accessible addition to her home, and cover her medical expenses stemming from the injury.”
Walmart is attempting to appeal the decision.
Attorneys for Walmart filed a motion asking for “judgment notwithstanding the jury’s verdict (“JNOV”); or, in the alternative, for a new trial absolute or a new trial.”
Part of that motion stated: “There was no evidence from which the jury could have reasonably inferred that the nail was on Walmart’s floor long enough to impute constructive knowledge. There was zero evidence about the length of time the nail may have been on the floor before Plaintiff discovered it in her sandal. It would be pure speculation to suggest whether the nail had been on the floor for any extended period of time or for only a moment before Plaintiff encountered it.”
The court has not yet responded to the motion, but Jones’ lawyers have announced that they will continue fighting for her.
“We’re going to fight for her on every appeal. Because Walmart is risking losing again. With like a larger verdict, if that’s the case. And it’s a possibility. You know, that $10 million is not the maximum. It’s not the cap. A jury of Ms. Jones‘ peers in Florence County could find Walmart even more financially liable to her,” said Brian Stellwag, one of the lawyers with the Anastopoulo Law Firm representing Jones.
