PHENIX CITY, Ala. (AP) – An Alabama man who said he tripped and broke his hip while buying a watermelon at a Walmart store has won a $7.5 million verdict in his lawsuit against the retailer.
Court records show that Henry Walker on Wednesday was awarded the damages after a jury trial in Phenix City, Alabama.
Walmart spokesman Randy Hargrove said Thursday the company believes the damages were excessive, and plans to appeal.
Walker had sued Arkansas-based Wal-Mart Stores Inc. in 2015, saying his foot became trapped in a pallet beneath the watermelons as he reached for one.
In a Wednesday court filing, the company said the display wasn’t dangerous.
Charles Gower, one of Walker’s attorneys, tells The Columbus Ledger-Enquirer that Walmart should have covered the pallet so it couldn’t entangle a shopper’s foot.
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