Macy's Inc. sued for negligence over elevator malfunction

A woman is suing Macy's over claims she sustained injuries when an elevator malfunctioned.

Laverne Howlett filed a lawsuit Nov. 6 in Cook County Circuit Court against Macy's Inc., Macy's Retail Holdings Inc., Marshall Field's Chicago Inc., The May Department Stores Co., Schindler Enterprises Inc., Schindler Elevator Corp. and Schindler Holding Ltd.

According to the complaint, Howlett was shopping at a Macy's store at 111 N. State St. in Chicago. She claims she entered an elevator on the first floor, at which time the elevator made a sudden jerking movement and sudden stop in between the first and second floors, causing her to sustain injuries.

Howlett is seeking damages in excess of $50,000. She is represented by Michael A. Shammas of Brustin & Lundblad.

Cook County Circuit Court Case No. 2013L012293.

This is a report on a civil lawsuit filed at the Cook County Courthouse. The details in this report come from an original complaint filed by a plaintiff. Please note that a complaint represents an accusation by a private individual, not the government. It is not an indication of guilt, and it represents only one side of the story.