A Florida appeals court has upheld a jury verdict against Walmart, ruling that the retail giant is liable for injuries sustained by an independent contractor who was severely shocked by an ungrounded electrical junction box while working in a locked area of a store.
On Wednesday, June 24, 2026, the Florida Second District Court of Appeal rejected an appeal by ‘Wal-Mart Stores East, LP’, cementing a final judgment for Joseph Johnson. Johnson had sued the retailer for negligence following a 2020 workplace accident in a Hillsborough County store that left him injured.
The legal dispute centered on whether Walmart could shield itself from liability using the independent contractor defense. Typically, business owners are not held responsible for injuries to independent contractors doing work they were hired to perform. However, Judge Sleet wrote for the court that Walmart could not escape liability because it negligently maintained a dangerous condition that it should have known about…