eataly boston

Prosciutto problem: Customer sues Eataly Boston after slipping on sliced meat

Alice Cohen, of Gilford, New Hampshire, says she broke her ankle after falling at the Prudential Center store on Oct. 7, 2022

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A New Hampshire woman is suing Eataly Boston, saying she broke her ankle when she slipped on a piece of prosciutto at the Prudential Center food hall last year.

Alice Cohen, of Gilford, filed a lawsuit Friday in Suffolk Superior Court seeking at least $50,000 in damages.

The suit says Alice and her husband, Ronald, were shopping at Eataly on Oct. 7, 2022, when Alice slipped on a piece of prosciutto in an area where food samples were being offered to customers.

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"As Plaintiff Alice Cohen approached the area she slipped and fell on a piece of prosciutto on the floor injuring her left ankle resulting in fracture,” the lawsuit said. The court filing says she suffered a left ankle sprain and distal fibular avulsion fracture.

She also incurred medical bills in excess of $7,500, including doctor's bills, hospital bills and physical therapy expenses.

Her lawyers claim that the injury caused her "a loss of enjoyment of life," as well as "great pain and suffering."

The suit says Eataly "had a duty to ensure that the surface of the floors were free from unnecessary dangers, a duty to use ordinary care to maintain the premises in a reasonably safe condition and a duty to warn of such dangerous conditions."

You can read the full lawsuit below:

Ronald Cohen is also mentioned as a plaintiff in the lawsuit, as he has reportedly "suffered from the loss of consortium of his wife," the legal term for when an injured spouse can no longer give their spouse "the love, companionship, comfort, services, support, or intimate relations that they provided prior to the accident."

An email to Eataly was not immediately returned Monday. The company has until Dec. 11 to file a response to the lawsuit in court.

Eataly Boston opened in November of 2016. The three-story Italian market employs hundreds of people and features multiple restaurants, a coffee bar, a mozzarella station, a pastry lab, a butcher, a fishmonger, pizza and thousands of retail products.

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