A Gulfport man with a bionic arm fell at a Coast Sherwin Williams store. Why he’s suing
A Gulfport man is suing Sherwin Williams Co. after a fall at a local paint store left him dealing with painful surgeries and unable to use his bionic arm, a lawsuit says.
Perry Pezzarossi went into the Sherwin Williams store on Pass Road in August 2021 to select a paint color for his house. He brought a piece of wood siding with him to serve as a sample.
Pezzarossi was directed to the paint counter and was helped by an associate. While there, employees began moving gallon buckets of paint and placed them around the customer, the lawsuit says.
When Pezzarossi turned to leave the store, he fell over a dolly left behind and landed on his right arm.
Pezzarossi had previously had part of his arm amputated and was fitted with a “Luke Arm,” a fully functional prosthetic.
“No Sherwin Williams employee warned Perry of the dolly they placed behind him while Perry was standing at the paint counter,” the lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court of Southern Mississippi on Jan. 10, says.
Pezzarossi’s partially amputated arm was fractured in the fall, and he has had to undergo several surgeries since the incident. He is also now unable to use his bionic arm.
“Perry suffers permanent disability to his body as a whole as a result of a fall caused by Sherwin Williams,” the lawsuit claims.
Pezzarossi, along with wife Jennifer Pezzarossi, are suing the Sherwin Williams corporate headquarters in Ohio, which could include the Sherwin Williams corporate office in Madison, Mississippi, for breach of duty, negligence and pain and suffering and more.
They are requesting a jury trial and are seeking an unspecified amount in damages, but the total does exceed $75,000, according to the lawsuit.
Three law firms, two from Louisiana, are representing the Pezzarossis, including Biloxi attorney David Harris Jr.
A lawsuit represents only one side of a story.
