Salsa Dancer Awarded $6.45 Million After Slipping on Fish Guts Outside Upper West Side Citarella

Labor Day weekend 2014, a woman named Castillo was walking past Citarella's Upper West Side location at 2135 Broadway near West 75th Street when she slipped on fish guts left on the public sidewalk outside the store. The fall dislocated her knee and ruptured three ligaments. She was 53 years old and an avid salsa dancer.

Castillo did not initially plan to file a lawsuit. She contacted Citarella only to obtain a copy of the accident report so her medical insurer could process her treatment claims. The store refused to hand it over unless she retained legal counsel. She hired Jacoby and Meyers.

The injuries that followed were severe and prolonged. Castillo underwent at least 12 surgical procedures over the next 11 years as complications compounded. The accident effectively ended her ability to dance, a pursuit that had been central to her life before the fall.

Trial attorney Sharon Scanlan built the case on a straightforward premise: a grocery store that extends its business operations onto a public sidewalk has a duty to keep that space safe for pedestrians. The store's use of the sidewalk for fish display and delivery generated the hazard; Citarella had an obligation to clean it up. The jury in Manhattan Supreme Court agreed.

In April 2025, the jury returned a verdict of $6.45 million. After the verdict, Scanlan told reporters that the outcome sent a clear signal: a grocer cannot take over a sidewalk for commercial purposes without protecting the people who walk by. No post-verdict reduction or remittitur appeared in coverage reviewed.