A 74-year-old woman has sued The Villages for injuries that she allegedly sustained after slipping and falling on a pathway outside of an open house in Middleton.
The lawsuit was filed Tuesday in the fifth judicial circuit court for Sumter County by Orlando-based law firm Morgan & Morgan on behalf of Pamela S. Henson, who is a resident of Oxford Oaks, against the Holding Company of The Villages, Inc.
Henson, who was 73 years old at the time of the alleged incident, claims she was visiting an open house at 2593 Ruter Way, in Middleton, a new, non-age-restrictive community owned and operated by The Villages.
According to the complaint, the open house was held on or about July 30, 2023, from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m., and was “open to the general public.”
At around 1 p.m., Henson claims she visited the open house to “tour the property.” After she toured the “interior living spaces,” Henson allegedly left the premises and “walked out of the front door.”
As Henson was walking towards the roadway and “utilizing the available and designated concrete walkway,” she allegedly “tripped and fell” on a pathway that changed “in elevation,” according to the complaint.
Henson’s attorneys describes the change in elevation as “inconspicuous, nondelineated, not readily apparent,” and “unpainted.” They say the area shared “the same material, texture, and color throughout,” effectively creating an “optical illusion of continuity, flatness, and levelness.”
The complaint accuses The Villages of failing to maintain or inspect the area in question, saying the injuries “would not have happened without The Villages’s negligence.”
Henson claims she suffered bodily injury and “permanent and significant scarring,” among other injuries. She is seeking damages “in excess of $50,000, plus interest and costs.”
The court docket shows that a summons was issued to the Holding Company of The Villages on Tuesday. There are no additional filings in the docket, according to Sumter County court records.
The lawsuit files similar filings against The Villages in the past several months.
Last month, a Village of Amelia resident sued the Sumter Landing Community Development District claiming that she sustained “serious injuries” after a rope chain barrier that she was leaning against allegedly gave way.
Earlier this year, a Village of DeSoto resident sued The Villages after she was allegedly pushed while ascending stairs during a tree lighting ceremony at Lake Sumter Landing, resulting in severe injuries.