An Alabama jury has awarded $7.5 million to a man who says he broke his hip buying a watermelon at WalMart.
Henry Walker, 61, says his foot became trapped in a pallet beneath a box of watermelons as he reached for one in 2015. He fell and sustained the injury. His attorney argued the retail giant should have covered the pallet, making the display safer.
WalMart, however, maintains the display isn’t dangerous and the injury was the fault of the customer. The retailer added it was disappointed in the verdict, feels it was an excessive amount and plans to appeal. In court documents during the trial, it said the same displays are still being used in stores around the country.
“Walmart continues to display watermelons in the same manner as it did on June 25, 2015,” the company said in a Wednesday court filing. “These displays come to the store from the producer already packaged and ready to be dropped and displayed.”