Woman Sues Wal-Mart Over Alleged Encounter With ‘Norman,’ a Nutria

A lawsuit filed by a Louisiana woman over foot injuries she allegedly suffered while shopping at her local Wal-Mart store has made international headlines because of the claimed cause of the action: Norman the Nutria.

Rebecca White says in her lawsuit that she was pushing a full shopping cart when "suddenly and without warning a large wild nutria came from behind the Coke rack" and allegedly ran straight toward her, reports the Associated Press.

Fearful of her safety from what appeared to be a large rat, White says she yanked her shopping cart back and ran over her own foot, breaking several bones and damaging nerves. The injuries required surgery. Employees in the Abbeville store, however, allegedly made light of the incident, telling her that she'd had an encounter with "Norman," the name they'd given to the nutria running loose there, according to the state-court suit filed in Abbeville in April by White and her husband.

Apparently reported initially by the Abbeville Meridional, the suit contends that Wal-Mart and its employees were negligent because they didn't warn her about the wild animal in their store and didn't make adequate efforts to remove Norman from the premises.

The suit seeks damages and reimbursement for White's medical expenses. In addition to her foot injuries, she also hurt her back and suffered a panic attack, the action alleges.

A spokeswoman for Wal-Mart Stores Inc. declined to comment about the lawsuit yesterday, saying that Wal-Mart hadn't been served. But ‘‘a safe, clean and friendly shopping environment for customers is always our goal," says Michelle Bradford, noting that Wal-Mart is looking into White's claimed close enounter with Norman.