Shampooed carpets blamed for man's fall at movie theater

An Orange County man claims he was left physically impaired when he fell at a Beaumont theater because of the dampness of the recently cleaned carpets.

Don Prince filed a lawsuit Jan. 26 in Jefferson County District Court against Wallace Theater Holdings, doing business as Hollywood Theaters, and One Stop Business.

Prince says he visited Hollywood Theaters on April 3, 2008, when he sustained injuries due to a fall.

The night before Prince's visit, One Stop Business had shampooed the carpet in the theater. By the time of Prince's arrival, the carpets remained very damp and laden with cleaning residue, according to the complaint.

"Plaintiff Don Prince's shoes had become extremely slippery from the carpets and his fall occurred as he left the carpet and stepped to the tile floor," the suit states. "The Defendants were aware of the damp carpets prior to Plaintiff's fall, yet there were no warning signs in the area. Such knowledge was apparent to the theater manager who agreed that dryers should have been in place to fully dry the carpets."

In addition to his physical impairment, Prince incurred medical costs, lost earnings and his earning capacity and suffered physical pain, mental anguish and disfigurement because of his fall, the complaint says.

He blames Hollywood Theaters and One Stop Business for failing to keep the premises in a safe condition, for failing to inspect the premises for latent defects, for failing to give warnings of any defects and for failing to eliminate any risks.

Prince seeks an unspecified judgment, plus pre-judgment interest, costs and other relief the court deems just.

Jonathan C. Juhan of Beaumont will be representing him.

The case has been assigned to Judge Milton Shuffield, 136th District Court.

Jefferson County District Court case number: D185-803.