$6.63 Million Verdict Against Home Depot After Customer Falls on Unsafe Store Flooring in Los Angeles

Henrietta Castrellon was a customer inside a Los Angeles Home Depot store when she encountered a hazardous floor condition and fell, sustaining injuries the jury later classified as painful and debilitating. She filed suit in Los Angeles Superior Court on August 12, 2020, alleging Home Depot failed to keep its premises in a reasonably safe condition and either knew of the dangerous condition or should have discovered it through proper inspection.

Castrellon's injuries required hospitalization and ongoing therapy and limited her ability to work. Medical records submitted at trial documented both the immediate harm and the long-term care she would need. The defense contested the extent of her injuries and raised comparative negligence, arguing she bore some responsibility for the fall. The jury found that Castrellon was negligent and that her negligence was a substantial factor in causing her harm, then set out her damages in full across every category.

Carpenter and Zuckerman trial lawyer Pejman Ben-Cohen tried the case in Los Angeles Superior Court, with co-counsel Jason Frost of the Sharifi Firm. On September 15, 2025, the jury returned a special verdict, breaking out each category of damages in turn. The panel awarded $653,160.98 for past medical expenses, $973,442 for future medical expenses, $1,750,000 for past non-economic losses, and $3,250,000 for future non-economic losses, reaching a total of $6,626,602.98.

The Los Angeles Daily Journal, which covers the state's legal community, reported the outcome and noted it was potentially the largest slip-and-fall verdict against Home Depot in California history. No post-trial reduction of the award appears in the available court record or published reporting.