PALM BEACH GARDENS, FL (Boca Post) (Copyright © 2026) — A Palm Beach County woman has filed a negligence lawsuit against Joseph’s Classic Market Realty, LLC, claiming she was injured after slipping on a liquid substance inside a Palm Beach Gardens supermarket.
The complaint, Elba McLaughlin v. Joseph’s Classic Market Realty, LLC, Case No. 502026CA004497XXXAMB, was filed April 22, 2026, in the Circuit Court of the 15th Judicial Circuit in and for Palm Beach County, Florida. The filing lists Berman Law Group of Boca Raton as counsel for plaintiff Elba McLaughlin. No defense law firm is listed in the complaint.
According to the complaint, McLaughlin is a Palm Beach County resident, and Joseph’s Classic Market Realty, LLC is described as an active Florida corporation. The lawsuit says the defendant owned, operated, maintained and/or managed a supermarket at 4409 Northlake Boulevard in Palm Beach Gardens.
The complaint states that on or about Dec. 9, 2025, McLaughlin was lawfully inside the supermarket as a business invitee when she was “caused to slip and fall” because of a liquid substance on the floor. The lawsuit claims the liquid created a dangerous condition inside the store.
McLaughlin alleges that the defendant failed to properly manage the supermarket, prevent the condition, or properly train employees to prevent the condition. She claims those alleged failures caused her to suffer permanent and serious injuries.
The negligence count says Joseph’s Classic Market Realty, LLC owed duties to business invitees, including maintaining the property in a reasonably safe condition, properly training and supervising employees, establishing safety policies, and warning customers about unsafe conditions the defendant knew or should have known about.
The complaint alleges the defendant breached those duties by failing to provide proper maintenance, allowing an unsafe condition to exist, failing to correct or remedy the condition, failing to provide adequate warnings, and failing to have policies and procedures in place to address hazardous conditions.
According to the filing, McLaughlin claims the dangerous condition was either known to the defendant or had existed long enough that the defendant should have known about it.
The lawsuit says McLaughlin suffered bodily injury, pain and suffering, disability, disfigurement, mental anguish, lost wages, medical expenses, loss of earning ability, and other damages. She is seeking damages in excess of $50,000, taxable costs, and any other relief the court deems proper. The complaint also demands a jury trial.
The original complaint, Elba McLaughlin v. Joseph’s Classic Market Realty, LLC, Case No. 502026CA004497XXXAMB, as filed April 22, 2026, with the Palm Beach County Clerk of Court, can be viewed at the PBC Clerk of Court.
The allegations are claims made by the plaintiff in a civil complaint and have not been proven in court.
Injuries caused by unsafe property conditions are often filed as premises liability lawsuits in Florida courts. Boca Post explains how premises liability cases work in Palm Beach County. Boca Post reports regularly on civil filings in Palm Beach County courts. Readers can browse recent cases in our Boca Raton lawsuits coverage.
