What began as an ordinary grocery shopping trip turned into a multimillion-dollar legal battle after an Oregon woman slipped on a puddle of water inside a supermarket, allegedly leaving her with lasting health problems and unable to return to work.
Maria Torres, a Portland woman in her 70s, has reached an undisclosed settlement with Fred Meyer after suing the grocery chain over a 2023 accident at its Hawthorne Boulevard location.
The lawsuit, which sought more than $33 million in damages and was widely reported as a $36 million claim, accused the Kroger-owned supermarket chain of failing to address a dangerous water leak that Torres’ attorneys say employees had known about for years.
According to court documents, Torres was shopping for bananas when she stepped into a puddle caused by water leaking from the parking deck above the store.
She slipped backward and struck her head on the floor.
Surveillance footage obtained by The Oregonian showed employees and customers rushing to help Torres as water continued dripping from the ceiling.
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In an unusual scene, workers reportedly held umbrellas over the injured shopper to shield her from the ongoing leak while others attempted to manage the water on the floor.
Torres was taken to a hospital, where she remained for three days and was diagnosed with a concussion.
However, her legal team claims the consequences extended far beyond her initial hospitalization.
In the years following the fall, Torres reported persistent headaches, ringing in her ears and difficulty walking. Her attorneys argued that she suffered a traumatic brain injury that significantly disrupted her daily life.
Attorney Jason Kafoury said the injuries eventually forced Torres to stop working as a cleaner for buses and trains, costing her an important source of income.
The central dispute in the case was whether Fred Meyer had enough warning about the leak to prevent the accident.
Torres’ attorneys alleged that water had repeatedly leaked through the ceiling from the parking area above the store and that employees had been aware of the problem long before the October 2023 incident.
They argued that the company failed to take appropriate precautions to protect shoppers despite knowing that water could accumulate on the floor.
Fred Meyer disputed those allegations.
Attorneys representing the grocery chain maintained that the leak was a sudden problem that developed too quickly for employees to discover and clean up before Torres fell.
The company also challenged the extent of her claimed long-term injuries.
The case eventually reached Multnomah County Circuit Court in Portland, where a jury began hearing opening arguments on October 5, 2026.
Torres’ attorneys outlined plans to seek approximately $6 million in compensatory damages and another $27.5 million in punitive damages, bringing the documented claims to about $33.5 million.
Compensatory damages are intended to address losses such as medical expenses, lost earnings and suffering. Punitive damages, which are subject to stricter legal standards, are designed to punish particularly serious misconduct rather than simply reimburse an injured person.
Before jurors could reach a verdict, the two sides agreed to settle the case during the trial.
The settlement was reported during the second week of October, bringing the dispute to an end without a jury deciding whether Fred Meyer was legally responsible.
Neither party publicly disclosed the financial terms, meaning there is no confirmation that Torres received anything close to the amount originally requested.
The case highlights how a seemingly minor hazard, such as standing water on a supermarket floor, can lead to serious injuries and complicated questions about a store’s responsibility to customers.
In premises liability cases, courts generally consider whether a business knew or reasonably should have known about a dangerous condition and whether it had an adequate opportunity to correct the problem or warn customers.
For Torres, the dispute centered on an accident that she says permanently changed her health and ability to earn a living.
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