A routine visit to a local ice cream shop turned into a painful ordeal for one Pinellas County resident, leading to a lawsuit against the establishment. Sharon LaPlume filed a complaint on June 28, 2024, in the Circuit Court of the Sixth Judicial Circuit in and for Pinellas County, Florida, accusing Strachan's Homemade Ice Cream & Desserts, LLC, and its manager Jane Doe of negligence that resulted in her injury.
According to the complaint, LaPlume visited Strachan's Homemade Ice Cream & Desserts located at 105 US-19 ALT Palm Harbor, FL on February 25, 2023. During her visit as a business invitee, she tripped and fell due to what she claims was the defendants' failure to maintain safe premises. The lawsuit alleges that both the company and its manager were responsible for ensuring the safety of their walkways and flooring but failed to do so. LaPlume asserts that this negligence led directly to her fall and subsequent injuries.
The complaint outlines several specific failures on the part of Strachan's Homemade Ice Cream & Desserts. These include not maintaining or adequately inspecting the premises for hazards such as slippery floors, failing to warn patrons about potential dangers, and not correcting known issues with the flooring. "Negligently failing to maintain or adequately maintain the premises/flooring thus creating a slip or trip hazard," reads one of the accusations. Furthermore, LaPlume claims that these conditions had existed long enough that the defendants should have been aware of them if they had exercised reasonable care.
LaPlume is seeking damages exceeding $50,001 for pain and suffering, disability, disfigurement, mental anguish, medical expenses, loss of earnings capacity, and other related costs. She emphasizes that these losses are either permanent or continuing and will affect her future quality of life.
The case also names Jane Doe as a defendant due to her role as manager at Strachan's Homemade Ice Cream & Desserts. The complaint alleges that Jane Doe was directly responsible for maintaining safe conditions at the store but failed in this duty through various acts of negligence similar to those attributed to the company itself. This includes inadequate training of staff regarding safety protocols and failing to follow corporate policies designed to prevent such accidents.
Attorney Keven Leveille from Morgan & Morgan P.A., representing Sharon LaPlume in this case, filed the complaint electronically via the Florida E-Filing Portal on June 28th. The case has been assigned Case Number 24-002899-CI.