Thompson v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

WYNN, Judge.

While shopping at the Wal-Mart store in Albemarle, North Carolina on 29 July 1995, Malinda G. Thompson slipped and fell while reaching for an item in the shampoo aisle. On the floor, she saw some small pieces of glass tucked up under the overhang of the lowest shelf. She also saw and felt a puddle that was clear, slimy, thick, and about the size of a dinner plate.

Ms. Thompson stood up and looked for an employee in the area. Not finding anyone, she walked to Wal-Mart’s garden center, where she told an employee named Barbara Gregory that she fell in some shampoo and hurt her knee.…