Walmart has been ordered to pay millions of dollars to the family of the boy who died after a store incident.
Tamika Springer sued the retail giant for creating a ‘dangerous and unsafe condition’ within their Fort Lauderdale store after her son, Saiy’yah Allen-Bey, then seven, walked into a metal stock cart and hit his head in a walkway in November 2020.
Springer, of Miami Gardens, Florida, claimed that her son passed away in May of 2023 after suffering from a serious head injury and seizures for two and a half years as a result of the accident.
On day five of the civil trial, the company said the child caused his own injuries by being ‘inattentive’ and failing to pay attention to where he was going.
On Friday, a jury awarded Allen-Bey’s family $2.7 million, as a spokesperson for Leeder Law – the firm representing his loved ones – said the ‘verdict is a bittersweet victory.’
The jury initially awarded the child’s family $9 million but later determined that the retail store was only 30 percent responsible for the boy’s injuries.
Each of his parents were also found 30 percent at fault for his injuries, while his estate was found to be 10 percent responsible, the spokesperson told Law&Crime.
‘This verdict is a bittersweet victory. Nothing can bring back this beloved child and talented artist. Saiy-Yah loved to draw and create art with pride and precision and this decision affirms that his life had immeasurable value,’ Thomas H. Leeder, the family’s attorney, said in a statement.
The family of Saiy’yah Allen-Bey, the boy who died after a store incident at the Walmart in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, has been awarded $2.7 million from the retail giant
Allen-Bey, then seven, walked into a metal stock cart and hit his head in a walkway in November 2020. (Pictured: Stock image)
‘Walmart’s negligence stole a future filled with incredible promise of a young artist. We hope this verdict serves as a wake-up call to corporations everywhere: prioritize safety and following its own safety rules or face the consequences.’
Following the verdict, the retailer said: ‘We empathize with any family dealing with loss. The jury found the majority of the fault did not lie with Walmart. Under current Florida law, Walmart would not have any financial responsibility for the judgement.
‘We are awaiting a decision on a directed verdict and considering all of our post-trial options,’ they added, referring to the state’s new system of comparative fault law.
It was altered last year after the state passed a law that excludes plaintiffs in negligence lawsuits from recovering damages if they are found more than 50 percent at fault for their injuries.
The law firm’s spokesperson told the outlet that the new law does not apply to this case ‘because the lawsuit was filed before the tort reform occurred.’
Walmart previously claimed the company was ‘not liable for the incident,’ their legal team wrote in a motion for summary judgement.
‘Walmart is not liable for the incident as the stock cart was so open and obvious that [Allen-Bey] should have been reasonably expected to discover it and protect himself (by simply walking around it).
‘[Allen-Bey] failed to use his senses and was walking while looking backward, therefore he did not observe the open, obvious and innocuous stock cart,’ the company added.
The jury initially awarded the child’s family $9 million but later determined that the retail store was only 30 percent responsible for the boy’s injuries. (Pictured: Allen-Bey with his family)
Springer initially filed a complaint in 2022 – seeking damages beyond $30,000 for the store’s alleged negligence, which she said led to her young boy suffering from extreme pain, mental anguish and loss of capacity for the enjoyment of life.
The lawsuit claimed that Allen-Bey – who was later diagnosed with a seizure disorder – fell to the floor after hitting his head and had his first seizure while still in the store.
The court heard testimonies from the boy’s 13-year-old sister, Miharah Allen, and Walmart attorneys during trial.
Allen, who was present when it happened, told the court about the seizures her brother endured in the years after the accident.
‘He would shake a lot and he would look in a different direction, and then he would shake and make noise too,’ Allen said.
‘Every time he ate, he would throw up, he would throw the food up or use the bathroom on himself,’ she added.
But her testimony came just as Walmart attorney’s questioned whether or not the accident was the reason for his diagnosis and ultimate death three years later.
The motion filed by the company in June of this year noted how a stock cart is so not inherently dangerous that it doesn’t constitute as a dangerous condition.
They also mentioned how one angle of the store’s surveillance footage depicted the boy running out of the frame and down the aisle seconds before the accident occurred – despite the accident itself not being visible.
The court heard testimonies from the boy’s 13-year-old sister, Miharah Allen (pictured), and Walmart attorneys during the trial
Their filing also noted how Allen previously testified telling her brother to watch out for the cart as he was looking backward but that it was too late.
‘Here, unfortunately, [Allen-Bey] was inattentive and failed to walk around a stock cart’s handles that were observed by his sister, who was not walking with her head turned.’
Despite placing the blame on the dead child, the company’s summary judgement request was ultimately rejected by the court, Newsweek reported.
Allen-Bey was described as a ‘King that the world deserved but wasn’t ready for’ in his obituary.
He was also painted as a young boy with extraordinary talent in art.
‘He often made origami birds and drawings for our friends and even random people he came in contact with,’ the obituary read.
‘His eyes and smile lit the entire universe! He did everything with the utmost pride and precision. We all told him how brilliant and genius he is and how his talents will only get greater.’
