POMPANO BEACH, FL — A Pompano Beach Publix is facing a civil negligence lawsuit in Broward County after a shopper alleged that a store employee knocked him to the ground while trying to pass him in a narrow aisle, according to a complaint filed this month in circuit court.
George Woods filed the lawsuit against Publix Super Markets, Inc. on July 15, 2026, in the Circuit Court of the 17th Judicial Circuit in and for Broward County, Florida. Court records list the case as George Woods v. Publix Super Markets, Inc., Case No. CACE-26-011470, assigned to the Circuit Civil Division. The complaint was signed on July 14, 2026, and electronically filed with the Broward County Clerk of Courts the following morning, records show.
Woods is represented by Chatenka & Vannatta Injury Law, PLLC, a firm based in Stuart. The filing lists attorneys R. Timothy Vannatta and Aaron Chatenka as counsel for the plaintiff.
According to the complaint, Woods was a business invitee at the Publix supermarket at 1140 SW 36th Avenue in Pompano Beach on or about January 26, 2026. The lawsuit alleges that while Woods was lawfully on the property, a Publix employee negligently attempted to pass him in a narrow area and forced him to the ground, causing him to fall and injure himself.
The complaint brings a single count of negligence against Publix. It alleges the company owed a duty to its business invitees to provide a reasonably safe environment and that Publix, through its employees, breached that duty. The lawsuit claims the store failed to provide sufficient room while passing Woods in the aisle, came into contact with him while he was walking, and failed to warn him that an employee was passing too closely.
The lawsuit alleges that as a direct and proximate result of the claimed negligence, Woods suffered significant and severe bodily injuries, along with pain and suffering, disability, disfigurement, physical impairment, mental anguish, and loss of the enjoyment of life. The complaint claims he incurred expenses for hospitalization and medical and nursing care, lost earnings, and a reduced ability to earn money in the future, and it states that some of the losses are permanent or continuing.
The complaint states the action involves damages in excess of $75,000, the jurisdictional threshold for Florida's circuit courts. Woods seeks a judgment against Publix for damages, costs, interest, and other relief the court deems appropriate. The filing also includes a demand for a trial by jury on all issues.
The claims described in the lawsuit are allegations. They have not been proven in court, and no finding of fault has been made against Publix. The filing reviewed by Boca Post does not include a response from the defendant.
Pompano Beach sits in central Broward County, and civil cases arising there are heard in the county's circuit court system, based at the main courthouse in Fort Lauderdale. Premises and general negligence claims like this one are a routine part of the circuit civil docket, though each turns on its own facts and evidence.
Boca Post reviewed the complaint, George Woods v. Publix Super Markets, Inc., Case No. CACE-26-011470, filed July 15, 2026 in the Circuit Court of the 17th Judicial Circuit in and for Broward County, Florida.
As of the filing reviewed by Boca Post, the case is newly filed, a jury trial has been demanded, and no defense response is included in the record. The docket does not list a next hearing.
Boca Post tracks civil court filings across Broward County, including lawsuits involving businesses, residents, property disputes, associations, and local organizations. Follow our Broward County Lawsuits coverage for recent filings.
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