Woman sues Costco for millions after heavy cabinet allegedly falls on her
A California woman is seeking millions in damages from Costco following an incident at one of the discount retailer's stores that she claims left her with lasting injuries.
In a lawsuit filed in the Superior Court of Alameda on April 29, Sadie Novotny alleges she sustained "multiple, permanent and severe" injuries after a heavy liquor cabinet on display at a Costco Wholesale store in Santa Rosa fell on her "suddenly and without warning."
Novotny was shopping at Costco with her husband on March 22 when the alleged incident occurred, according to the lawsuit. Novotny claims she suffered a closed head injury, or traumatic brain injury as a result.
Claude Wyle, an injury attorney and partner at Choulos, Choulos & Wyle who is representing Novotny, told CBS MoneyWatch that Novotny went to the emergency room after the incident and was diagnosed with a mild concussion. She continues to suffer from difficulty finding words, vision problems and headaches, he said.
Novotny is suing Costco for general negligence, premises liability and products liability. Wyle said his client is seeking millions in damages.
Wyle said Costco has a video of the alleged incident that has not been released to him, and which he likely won't see until the formal discovery period of the lawsuit.
Costco did not immediately respond to CBS MoneyWatch's request for comment.
In her complaint, Novotny claims Costco acted negligently by failing to fix the dangerous conditions that led to the alleged incident. The lawsuit also alleges that the discount retailer failed to adequately train its employees to properly maintain merchandise and that each one bears some blame for Novotny's injuries.
"The negligent conduct of defendants and each of them was a substantial factor in causing plaintiff's injuries," the lawsuit reads.
The lawsuit was moved to the U.S. District Court for Northern California last week at the request of Cosco, Wyle said.
Mary Cunningham is a reporter for CBS MoneyWatch. Before joining the business and finance vertical, she worked at "60 Minutes," CBSNews.com and CBS News 24/7 as part of the CBS News Associate Program.
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