DELRAY BEACH, FL — A Delray Beach Chick-fil-A restaurant is at the center of a new premises liability lawsuit in Palm Beach County Circuit Court, after a Palm Beach County woman alleged she tripped and fell on a sloped walking surface at the fast-food location, according to a complaint filed this month.
Plaintiff Sherine Ellis filed the civil complaint on July 6, 2026, against SML Culinary, LLC, doing business as Chick-fil-A, court records show. The case, Sherine Ellis v. SML Culinary, LLC d/b/a Chick-fil-A, was filed in the Circuit Court for the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit in and for Palm Beach County, Florida, under Case No. 502026CA007546XXXAMB. The filing is assigned to Division AI.
The lawsuit centers on an incident the complaint says took place on or about September 5, 2024, at a Chick-fil-A restaurant at 1800 S. Federal Highway in Delray Beach. According to the complaint, Ellis was a business invitee lawfully on the property when she tripped on what the filing describes as "a dangerous sloped, improperly marked, walking surface," causing her to lose her balance and fall.
The complaint alleges Ellis sustained serious and permanent injuries as a result of the fall. The filing does not describe the specific injuries in medical detail, but the lawsuit claims damages that include pain and suffering, exacerbation of a pre-existing injury, mental anguish, past and future medical expenses, loss of capacity for the enjoyment of life, and disfigurement.
The lawsuit alleges SML Culinary owed a non-delegable duty to keep the premises in a reasonably safe condition and breached that duty in several ways. According to the complaint, the operator allegedly improperly designed, constructed, or maintained a dangerous sloped walking surface; failed to inspect, detect, or repair the condition; failed to provide adequate warnings in writing or by other reasonable means; and allowed the sloped condition to exist immediately adjacent to a doorway. The complaint alleges the placement near the doorway created an unreasonable risk that patrons who tripped could strike the door or surrounding structures, increasing the severity of any resulting injury.
The complaint further alleges the condition existed long enough, or occurred with such regularity, that it was foreseeable and that SML Culinary knew or should have known about it.
Ellis is represented by Anthony K. Goodman of Kanner & Pintaluga, PA, a personal injury law firm with offices at 6600 N. Military Trail in Boca Raton, according to the complaint. No defense attorney or law firm is listed in the filing reviewed by Boca Post.
The lawsuit seeks damages exceeding $50,000, exclusive of interest and court costs, along with interest, costs, a trial by jury, and any other relief the court deems just and proper.
The filing reviewed by Boca Post does not include a response from the defendant. SML Culinary, LLC is identified in the complaint as a Florida limited liability company authorized to transact business in the state and conducting business in Palm Beach County. The complaint identifies the defendant as the entity that owned, operated, maintained, and controlled the restaurant at the Delray Beach address. Chick-fil-A, Inc., the corporate franchisor, is not named as a defendant in the complaint.
The allegations in the complaint are unproven. A civil complaint reflects only the plaintiff's claims and does not represent findings by the court.
Boca Post reviewed the complaint, Sherine Ellis v. SML Culinary, LLC d/b/a Chick-fil-A, Case No. 502026CA007546XXXAMB, filed July 6, 2026, in the Circuit Court for the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit in and for Palm Beach County, Florida.
The case is newly filed, with a jury trial demanded. No response from the defendant appears in the filing reviewed by Boca Post.
Palm Beach County court records show civil complaints filed throughout the year. Boca Post tracks those filings in our Delray Beach lawsuits coverage.
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