Defendants in slip-and-fall against mall non-suited

Defendants in a slip-and-fall lawsuit filed by Orange County resident Sandra Duhon were recently non-suited.

Court records show that on June 11, 2007, Duhon was walking from Dillard's to Target at Central Mall in Port Arthur when she fell. She alleges the fall occurred because there was no warning sign warning that the floor had recently been mopped.

As previously reported, she filed a suit April 3, 2009, in Jefferson County District Court against SCC Cleaning, GG&A Central Mall and Gregory Greenfield and Associates, which manages the mall.

Following a year and a half of litigation, Duhon filed a notice of non-suit on Oct. 26, court records show.

Two days later, Judge Bob Wortham, 58th District Court, signed the order on non-suit, dismissing the three companies with prejudice.

According to the lawsuit, an employee of SCC Cleaning was either in the process of or had just finished mopping the floor, but failed to place a "wet floor" sign in the area where Duhon was walking.

"Plaintiff could not see and was not aware of the wet, slick floor, and slipped in a wet area where the water was left standing, landing with all of her weight on her right knee, splitting the skin over her right knee-cap, and causing Plaintiff to fall backward landing on her left hip, and causing Plaintiff to suffer bodily injury and incur damages," the suit states.

Duhon was seeking a judgment of up to $74,000, plus pre- and post-judgment interest, costs and other relief to which she may be entitled.

She was represented by Larry C. Hunter of Hunter Burch in Vidor.

Houston attorney Lori Pritchett of Kilpatrick & White represented the defendants.

Case No. A183-712