Costco might not be too common a shopping destination in the UK, but it’s a massive deal. With a massive footprint across North America and outlets in 12 other countries around the world, including the UK, it’s the third-largest retailer in the world.
Operating on a membership basis, its USP is its wholesale stock and bargain prices that make those memberships pretty highly sought-after.
The mega-chain has come under fire from a California woman who is suing it for $14,110,000 (£10.4 million) over allegations that she received ‘multiple, permanent and catastrophic injuries’ in an incident at one of its stores.
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Court documents seen by US outlet People claim that the woman was at the Santa Rosa, California store when a liquor cabinet display fell on her in March 2025.
Sadie Novotny, the woman in question, is suing Costco over negligence, premises liability and products liability, the publication reports.
She is said to be seeking $14,110,000 in general and special damages after she claims a large, heavy liquor cabinet display fell on her during a trip to the store in March. Novotny is suing the corporation for general negligence, premises liability and products liability.
The court documents claim that the display fell ‘suddenly and without warning’, rendering ‘multiple, permanent and severe injuries thereby, including but not limited to a closed head injury and traumatic brain injury’.
In the initial incident report filed on March 22nd and included in the court documents, Novotny said: “My husband and I were buying a liquor cabinet. I was holding the flatbed when the floor model fell on top of me. I caught the cabinet and pushed it back. My right shoulder, forearm, hand, fingers, and lower back hurt after the accident.”
The lawsuit was served to Costco on May 7th 2025, and the case was moved to the US District Court for Northern California on June 5th.
Novotny said in the initial complaint that ‘[Costco] should have known that a condition on their property created an unreasonable risk of harm to users’ and that it had failed to ‘give adequate warning’ to customers.
As to the alleged issues with the liquor cabinet, the court documents claim it ‘had thin legs’ and that it was positioned on top of ‘a defective or worn or otherwise inadequate wooden pallet, in an unreasonably dangerous manner, which posed a serious risk of harm to the public’.
Nick Rineberg, representing Costco Wholesale Corporation and Costco Wholesale Membership via Perry, Johnson, Anderson, Miller & Moskowitz LLP, made a request for the complainant to remove the latter entity from the lawsuit.
“Costco and Membership are separate entities, Membership does not operate the subject premises, Membership does not employ any persons at the subject premises, and Membership does not own, lease, operate, or manage the subject premises,” he said.
The New York Post said that the lawsuit seeks ‘approximately $5 million for pain, suffering and inconvenience; $5 million for emotional distress; $100,000 for medical expenses and loss of earnings; and $4 million for future medical expenses and loss of earnings’.
Costco and Perry, Johnson, Anderson, Miller & Moskowitz LLP have been approached for comment by FOODBible.
Rachael Davis