October 7, 2009 - Target Settles with Chicago Woman for $7 Million

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An elderly Chicago woman settled for $7 million with Target Corp. for brain injuries she sustained from a store's malfunctioning door, her lawyer said.

As Claire Putman entered the company's Rosemont, Ill., store, a swinging door struck her and knocked her to the floor, where she hit her head, the Chicago Sun-Times reported Tuesday.

The store's security video showed the door swung back and hit Putman again, hitting her head a second time, Putman's attorney said.

Putman, 81, was hospitalized after the incident and has a brain injury that caused permanent loss of certain cognitive abilities, the newspaper reported.

"She can speak but has trouble processing words and processing thoughts," her attorney said.

Putman will move from her nursing home back into her family's home. The settlement money will pay for her medical assistance, he said.

A Cook County judge entered the order for the settlement from Target and Besam USA, the door manufacturer.