Kroger sued again over parking lot

CHARLESTON – A woman is suing the Kroger Co. after she says her purse was taken from her in its parking lot.

Kroger Limited Partnership I; KRGP, Inc.; and Kroger Co-managers John Doe and John Carpenter were also named as defendants in the suit.

On July 27, 2011, Wanda Williams went to Kroger to do her grocery shopping and was putting her groceries into her car in the parking lot when Joshua Cordwell, Jennifer Williams and Sara Cordwell pulled up in a Chrysler Sebring next to Wanda Williams’ vehicle, according to a complaint filed Jan. 15 in Kanawha Circuit Court.

Wanda Williams claims Jennifer Williams got out of the vehicle, threatened her and tried to grab her purse.

When Jennifer Williams could not free the purse, she dragged Wanda Williams and the purse toward the vehicle in which the Cordwells were waiting, according to the suit.

Wanda Williams claims Jennifer Williams finally wrestled the purse away from her when she was halfway in the vehicle and had ordered Joshua Cordwell to drive the vehicle, which caused her to fall out of the moving vehicle while in the parking lot.

The defendants failed to come to Wanda Williams’ aid and failed to take any action to maintain a safe premise for invitees, according to the suit.

Wanda Williams claims she was on Kroger’s premises when she was threatened, robbed and had her purse stolen.

The defendants had a duty to provide safe premises for invitees and failed to take any action to maintain safe premises, according to the suit.

Wanda Williams claims the defendants had actual knowledge that a violent criminal atmosphere existed at Kroger and the vicinity of the grocery store and failed to take reasonable measures to prevent foreseeable criminal acts.

The defendants’ negligence caused Wanda Williams to sustain serious, debilitating and permanent injuries, according to the suit.

Wanda Williams is seeking compensatory and punitive damages with pre- and post-judgment interest. She is being represented by J. Michael Ranson, Cynthia M. Ranson and G. Patrick Jacobs.

The case has been assigned to Circuit Judge Paul Zakaib Jr.

This is the second recent lawsuit filed against Kroger and Carpenter.

On Jan. 7, Jacobs filed a suit claiming his 83-year-old father was kidnapped in the Kroger parking lot. George Joseph Jacobs Jr. died the day after he testified in a criminal trial against his kidnapper. G. Patrick Jacobs claims the stress his father endured contributed to his death.

Kanawha Circuit Court case number: 13-C-65