A recent lawsuit claims that inadequate maintenance of shopping carts at a local supermarket led to serious injuries for a customer, raising questions about safety standards for shoppers and their families. The complaint was filed by Steven Hopkins in the Circuit Court of the Sixth Judicial Circuit in and for Pinellas County, Florida, on February 10, 2026, naming Publix Super Markets, Inc. as the defendant.
According to court documents, Hopkins alleges that on September 2, 2025, he visited the Publix store located at 3825 E Bay Drive in Largo as a business invitee with his granddaughter. The filing states that while exiting the store using one of the children’s shopping carts—referred to as a “race car” or “cart car”—one of the wheels suddenly broke off. As the cart tilted over, Hopkins attempted to grab his granddaughter to prevent her from falling but fell himself, sustaining injuries described as significant.
The complaint outlines several legal arguments against Publix Super Markets. Hopkins asserts that Publix owed him “a nondelegable duty to exercise reasonable care for his safety” while he was lawfully on their premises. He further claims that Publix breached this duty by failing “to maintain or adequately maintain the shopping carts in a reasonably safe condition,” failing “to inspect or adequately inspect the shopping carts,” and by “negligently creating a hazard to members of the public utilizing said shopping carts.” These alleged omissions are said to have created an unreasonably dangerous condition for customers like Hopkins.
Hopkins details that as a direct result of these actions or failures by Publix, he suffered bodily injury leading to “pain and suffering of physical and mental nature, disability, disfigurement, permanent and significant scarring,” along with loss of enjoyment of life and medical expenses. The complaint notes that some losses are either permanent or continuing and that he expects to suffer further losses in the future.
The legal filing cites Article 1, Section 21 of the Florida Constitution regarding access to courts and requests damages exceeding fifty thousand dollars ($50,000), exclusive of costs, interest, and attorneys’ fees. Hopkins also demands judgment against Publix Super Markets and requests a jury trial on all triable issues.
The case is being handled by attorney Patrick Maloney of Morgan & Morgan Tampa P.A., whose contact information is listed in the filing. The case number is 26-000860-CI.
Source: 26000860CI_Steven_Hopkins_v_Publix_Complaint_Pinellas_County_Florida.pdf
