Phenix City Walmart Lawsuit: $7.5M Award For Watermelon Shopper

PHENIX CITY, AL — An Alabama man who tripped and broke his hip while buying a watermelon at a Walmart store was awarded $7.5 million in damages in his lawsuit against the retail giant. Henry Walker won the award on Wednesday following a jury trial in Phenix City, Alabama, near the Georgia state line, court records showed.

Walker sue Wal-Mart Stores Inc. alleging his foot became trapped in a pallet beneath the watermelons as he reached for one of the fruits in Phenix City two years ago. Walmart should have covered the pallet so as to prevent it from entangling a shopper's foot, one of Walker's attorneys told The Columbus Ledger-Enquirer.

Walmart has maintained that the display was safe and that any negligence was Walker's fault, according to court records and testimony.

"Walmart continues to display watermelons in the same manner as it did on June 25, 2015," the company in a court filing on Wednesday. "These displays come to the store from the producer already packaged and ready to be dropped and displayed."

Walmart is disappointed in the verdict, spokesman Randy Hargrove said Thursday. The company plans to appeal.

"We appreciate the jury's service, however we believe that the damages awarded were excessive in light of the facts in this case."

Photo credit: Jae C. Hong/Associated Press