Suit: Box of Skinny Pop popcorn left in aisle caused woman's trip

Whole Foods is facing a lawsuit from a customer who claims she tripped and fell over a partially unpacked box containing bags of Skinny Pop popcorn that had been left in the aisle of one of its Chicago stores.

Maria Bierbauer filed a premises liability lawsuit Jan. 27 against Whole Foods Market Group Inc. in Cook County Circuit Court.

According to the complaint, Bierbauer was at the Whole Foods at 1550 N. Kingsbury St. in Chicago on March 10, 2013, when she tripped over the box in the aisle and landed on her knees, causing injuries.

She accuses Whole Foods of failing to keep the aisles of its stores free of trip and fall hazards, creating the hazard that caused her fall by not removing the box and not providing warnings to customers about the impeded walkway.

Lauren A. Levin of Miroballi Durkin & Rudin in Chicago is representing the plaintiff.

Cook County Circuit Court case number: 2015L000832.

This is a report on a civil lawsuit filed in Cook County Circuit Court. 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 represents only one side of the story.