Jury awards $2.3 million in Kroger customer's suit

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. (AP) — A Gwinnett County jury has awarded $2.3 million in damages after a judge determined that Kroger destroyed and manipulated key video evidence involving an injured customer.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports (http://bit.ly/yildCj) that 49-year-old Craig Walters said he slipped on crushed fruit on the floor of a Kroger store near Douglasville in 2008. His attorney, Lloyd Bell, said Walters suffered a serious spinal cord injury in the fall.

Walters sued the grocery company, and a jury returned the $2.3 million verdict after a three-day trial.

Gwinnett State Court Judge Joseph Iannazzone sanctioned the company and issued an order finding Kroger had tampered with video evidence.

A representative for the Cincinnati-based company said it disagreed with some of the decisions made during the trial and was evaluating whether to file an appeal.

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Information from: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, http://www.ajc.com