Woman Awarded Nearly $11.4M in Lawsuit Against Target After Fracturing Leg in Parking Lot By Kimberlee Speakman

A Florida woman was awarded millions of dollars after winning a lawsuit against Target.

The woman — who sued the retailer after getting injured at one of its parking lots —  was awarded nearly $11.4 million by an Orange County jury on Friday, Oct. 17, according to local outlets WFTV and Orange Observer. 

The incident occurred in the Target parking lot at Winter Garden Village shopping center on Daniels Road on December 23, 2019, according to the outlets, which cited the woman’s lawsuit.

She claimed that while carrying her daughter across the parking lot and navigating holiday traffic and puddles, she walked near a landscaping island where the pavement dropped off abruptly at the curb — a design she alleged violated several building codes, per WFTV.

She said she stepped onto the uneven surface, twisted her left ankle and fell down. She alleged that she had to regain her balance while holding her child, but her leg ended up twisting in a way that left her with fractures in her right tibia, fibula and lateral malleolus, per Orange Observer.

The woman’s attorneys Morgan & Morgan stated she turned down a pre-trial settlement offer of $250,000 prior to the verdict from the Orange County jury. Target was found by the jury to have been 90% at fault for the incident, per WFTV.

The woman’s attorneys Morgan & Morgan and representatives for Target did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment on the case.

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Target announced on Thursday, Oct. 23 that it was cutting 1,800 corporate jobs as it looked to reverse years of stagnant sales and rebuild its customer base, according to the Associated Press.

A company spokesperson told the outlet that about 1,000 employees are expected to receive layoff notices next week and that 800 positions that are currently vacant will be eliminated as well. This will cut the company’s corporate workforce by approximately 8%, per the AP and CNBC News.

This comes a few months after Target CEO Brian Cornell announced that he was stepping down as CEO after 11 years at his post. He will be replaced by Michael Fiddelke, Target’s current chief operating officer, on Feb. 1, 2026. 

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The appointment comes amid falling sales for the retailer as it struggles to keep up with competitors like Walmart, Amazon and Costco, according to CNN. The AP noted that the competitive retail landscape emerged during the COVID pandemic.

According to the AP, Target, which has 1,980 U.S. stores, reported a 21% drop in net income in the quarter ended Aug. 2. The company has seen stagnant or declining comparable sales in eight out of the past 10 quarters including the latest period.