Law, Business, and Society 9th Edition by Tony McAdams

Exercise 54

Pat Stalter was injured when a bottle fell through the bottom of a soft drink carton and broke while she was shopping at Food City, a Little Rock, Arkansas, grocery store. A piece of glass went through her slacks, cutting her. A store employee said the carton was "mushy" and appeared to have been wet for some time. The bottles were in a display maintained by Coca-Cola Bottling Company. Two or three times a week the company cleaned the shelves and rotated the stock. Coca-Cola said that this process ensures that only minimal moisture is on bottles when they are placed in cartons. Most cartons are reused only once. Stalter sued Food City and Coca-Cola Bottling Company for damages.
a. Explain the plaintiff's claims.
b. Decide. See Pat Stalter v. Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Arkansas and Geyer Springs Food City, Inc., 669 S.W.2d 460 (Ark. S. Ct. 1984).