St. Louis Bread Co. sued over icy fall

Linda Graff filed a personal injury suit against Panera Bread Company in St. Clair County Circuit Court Dec. 12, seeking damages in excess of $50,000 for injuries she allegedly received at a Belleville restaurant on Jan. 31, 2004.

Panera Bread Co. is the parent company of St. Louis Bread Co.

Graff claims while she was walking into the restaurant on East Main Street in downtown Belleville, she slipped and fell on ice that was on the walkway near the entrance.

"Panera owed a duty to Graff to maintain its premises in a non-negligent manner and to keep the walkway clean of any unnatural accumulation of ice and snow," the complaint states.

Graff claims Panera allowed ice to be in the walkway where customers would enter and exit without cleaning it up and failed to warn customers of the ice.

According to the complaint, Graff sustained injuries to her right arm and shoulder, spent money for medical care and has experienced pain and suffering.

Graff is represented by James Williams of Williams Caponi and Associates of Belleville.

05 L 720 (20th Circuit)