You’ve probably heard the whispers or seen the headlines—something about a massive legal battle involving the Kroger in St. Clair Shores. Honestly, when people talk about the Kroger St. Clair Shores lawsuit, they usually get two or three different stories mixed up. Was it the slip and fall? The tragic wrongful death? Or that bizarre carjacking attempt where someone used a fork as a weapon?
It’s messy.
Legal drama in a local grocery store usually doesn't stay local for long, especially when it involves a corporate giant like Kroger. In this specific Michigan community, the tension between "business as usual" and "safety first" has hit the courtroom more than once. We’re going to look at what actually happened, who was involved, and why these cases still matter to anyone walking through those sliding glass doors at 9 Mile and Harper.
The Case That Changed Everything: Macaskill v. Kroger
The most significant legal event tied to this location didn't happen yesterday. It’s been winding through the system for years, and it’s a heartbreaking story. It started back in August 2012. Karen Macaskill, a 69-year-old resident, was just trying to go grocery shopping.
She never made it inside.
An employee had been watering plants near the entrance. To do this, they’d stretched a garden hose across the main walkway. They tried to be safe—kinda—by throwing a floor mat over the hose. But they didn't cover the whole thing. As Karen stepped out of her car and walked toward the door, she tripped over the exposed part of the hose.
She fell hard.
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The injuries were severe: fractures in both arms that required surgery. But the story gets darker. While recovering in the hospital, she suffered a heart attack and passed away. The autopsy linked the stress of the injuries and the surgery directly to her death.
Why the Legal Battle Was So Intense
This wasn't just a simple "who's at fault" situation. It became a massive fight over a legal loophole called the "Open and Obvious" doctrine. Essentially, Kroger’s lawyers argued that Karen should have seen the hose. If a hazard is "open and obvious" to a reasonable person, the business usually isn't liable in Michigan.
The trial court originally agreed with Kroger and threw the case out.
But the Macaskill estate didn't stop there. They took it to the Michigan Court of Appeals. The judges there looked at the video and the facts and basically said, "Wait a minute." They ruled that because the hose was partially hidden by a mat, it wasn't necessarily "obvious." This decision was a big deal for premises liability law in the state. It proved that stores can't just hide hazards under rugs and blame the customer for not having X-ray vision.
The $75 Million Verdict Ripple Effect
While the Macaskill case is the specific anchor for St. Clair Shores history, we can't talk about Kroger lawsuits in Michigan without mentioning the recent $75 million "shockwave" verdict from late 2025.
This wasn't at the St. Clair Shores store—it was another Michigan location—but it changed the game for every Kroger in the state. A shopper slipped on an unmarked wet floor and suffered catastrophic, life-altering injuries. The jury didn't just award medical bills; they sent a message. They found that Kroger had been ignoring maintenance logs and safety warnings for years.
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If you're a regular at the 9 Mile Kroger, you've probably noticed more "Wet Floor" signs lately. That's not a coincidence. It's a direct result of these massive legal losses. The "open and obvious" defense that Kroger used for years is finally starting to crumble in Michigan courts.
Violence in the Parking Lot: The 2025 Carjacking
Sometimes the "lawsuit" people are searching for isn't a civil case at all—it's a criminal one that ends up in the 40th District Court in St. Clair Shores. In February 2025, the Kroger parking lot at Harper and Nine Mile became a crime scene.
It was about 10:30 in the morning. A 64-year-old woman was getting out of her car when a man, later identified as 60-year-old Eddie Leon Gaines, tried to snatch her purse.
It gets weirder.
The suspect then jumped into another car that was idling nearby with a passenger still inside. He tried to drive off, threatening to shoot the passenger. But the victim in the passenger seat wasn't having it. He reached over, pulled the keys out of the ignition, and—this is the part everyone remembers—stabbed the suspect with a fork.
The suspect ran off and was caught inside a nearby Walgreens. While this isn't a lawsuit against Kroger, it sparked a huge conversation about security in the St. Clair Shores area. People started asking:
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- Why wasn't there more security in the lot?
- Is the lighting sufficient at night?
- Should the store be held responsible for the safety of the parking area?
These questions often lead to "negligent security" lawsuits, which are a whole different beast in the legal world.
Employee Rights and the "Hero" Problem
Kroger has also faced heat in Michigan for how they treat employees who try to do the right thing. Take the case of Beverly Bennett. She wasn't at the St. Clair Shores branch, but her 2022 lawsuit echoed through every Michigan store. She was a 30-year veteran of the company who got fired for stopping a shoplifter from walking out with a cart full of booze.
Kroger’s policy is basically "let them go." They don't want the liability of an employee getting hurt. But for a loyal worker who’s been there three decades, watching someone walk out with stolen goods feels like a betrayal. Bennett sued, claiming her firing was just a pretext to get rid of an older, higher-paid employee.
When you see a "Kroger St. Clair Shores Lawsuit" headline, it's often an employee filing a grievance through the union (UFCW Local 876). Most of these never make the front page, but they happen behind the scenes constantly—disputes over medical leave, disability accommodations, or "unapproved" absences.
Practical Insights for Shoppers and Workers
So, what does all this legal noise actually mean for you? If you live in Macomb County and shop at the 9 Mile Kroger, here's the reality:
- The "Open and Obvious" defense is dying. If you get hurt because of a hidden hazard, don't assume you have no case just because a lawyer tells you that you "should have seen it." The Macaskill case proved that context matters.
- Document everything immediately. In several Kroger cases, including a $2.3 million slip-and-fall award, the court found that Kroger had "taped over" or destroyed surveillance footage. If you’re involved in an incident, take your own photos and videos of the scene right then and there.
- Parking lot safety is your responsibility. Legally, it is very hard to sue a grocery store for a random criminal act in the parking lot unless there has been a documented "pattern" of similar crimes that the store ignored. Always stay aware of your surroundings, especially during early morning or late night runs.
- Employees have protections. If you're a worker facing discipline for something like a medical leave (like the Strohmer v. Kroger case in 2025), remember that federal laws like the FMLA and the ADA often override store handbooks.
Kroger is a massive corporation with a massive legal team. They play hardball. But as we've seen from the $75 million verdict and the Macaskill appeal, they aren't untouchable. Whether it's a garden hose or a chemical explosion, the courts are increasingly holding these big-box retailers to a higher standard of care for the people of St. Clair Shores.
If you believe you have a claim related to an incident at this location, your first step should be to secure a copy of the store's incident report—though be warned, they sometimes take years to produce them. You'll also want to contact a local firm that specializes in Michigan premises liability, as the laws here are specific and shift frequently based on new appellate rulings.