Articles Posted in Mississippi

In Mississippi, personal injury law governs a broad range of legal disputes stemming from incidents that result in bodily harm, emotional distress, or other damages. These may include car accidents, slip and falls, medical malpractice, etc.

Understanding the potential settlement payouts and jury awards available to victims in personal injury cases is essential. It is also hard.  The amount of compensation awarded to a plaintiff in Mississippi can depend on various factors, such as the severity of the injuries, the degree of fault or negligence involved, and the case’s specific circumstances.

This page explores personal injury law in Mississippi, including the state’s laws and regulations, such as the statute of limitations, and examines recent cases to provide examples of typical settlement amounts and jury awards.

Mississippi law and Mississippi jurors give slip-and-fall victims a fair shake.  Here are some recent slip and fall verdicts and settlements in Mississippi.

Mississippi Slip and Fall Verdicts and Settlements

Below are recent Mississippi slip and fall cases.  A few years back in the Hattiesburg American, there was an article that slip and fall lawsuits in Mississippi were on the rise.  The article offers nothing substantive to support the premise; the opposite may be true.  We see fewer reported Mississippi slip-and-fall settlements and verdicts in 2023.

A Mississippi Appeals court recently affirmed a trial court decision to throw out a Wal-Mart premise liability case involving a damaged container and corrosive burns. Instead of letting the events (and the injuries) speak for themselves, the court places an extremely high evidentiary expectation that was out of the plaintiff’s grasp. Should courts be allowing corporations to escape liability just because the plaintiff is unable to show every single detail of the accident when he is clearly injured? It is a challenge courts have wrestled with for hundreds of years.

What happened? A patron visited a Mississippi Wal-Mart in the fall of 2010. While perusing the aisles, he selected a bottle of bleach to put in his basket. After leaving the checkout counter, the patron realized he accidentally forgot to purchase the bleach and placed the bottle on his lap to return to the cashier. Unfortunately, this bottle of bleach was leaking and spilled its contents on his legs and thighs. Because of a prior injury, the man had been paralyzed from the waist down since 1967 and he did not become aware of the spilled bleach until the cashier noticed the leaking bottle. The bleach caused chemical burns on his thigh and knee, and he brought suit against the Wal-Mart Corporation.

The patron filed a premise liability claim that alleged Wal-Mart was negligent and had knowledge of a dangerous condition. Wal-Mart made a motion for summary judgment, and the trial court dismissed the case, saying that the patron failed to prove Wal-Mart’s negligent act. The Mississippi Appeals Court affirmed the lower court’s decision.