Suit: I Got Traumatic Brain Injury in Costco Aisle

A California woman wants Costco to pay more than $14 million in damages after she says a floor-model liquor cabinet fell on her, causing "permanent" and "severe" injuries. Sadie Novotny of Sonoma County says she suffered a traumatic brain injury when the heavy liquor cabinet fell on her in an aisle of the Costco in Santa Rosa on March 22, pinning her underneath, per SFGate and USA Today. She's filed a negligence lawsuit, claiming the cabinet with "thin legs" was at risk of falling as it wasn't securely fastened on a "worn" and "inadequate wooden pallet," but Costco failed to realize the "unsafe conditions."

Novotny says she suffered "multiple, permanent, and catastrophic" injuries, including a head injury and a traumatic brain injury. She's seeking $5 million for "pain, suffering, and inconvenience"; $5 million for emotional distress; $4 million for future medical expenses and loss of earnings; and $100,000 for medical expenses and loss of earnings to date, per SFGate. The lawsuit was filed April 29 in Alameda County Superior Court, though Costco successfully appealed to have the case moved to federal court in the Northern District of California because its headquarters are outside the state, per the Press Democrat. The two sides are next due in court in September. (More Costco stories.)