Virginia woman sues Outback Steakhouse for $1.5mn after slipping on mashed potatoes

A Virginia woman has filed a $1.5 million lawsuit against Outback Steakhouse after allegedly slipping on mashed potatoes at one of the chain’s former restaurant locations in Sterling.

According to court documents, Tracy J. Renshaw first filed the lawsuit in Loudoun County Circuit Court in 2025.

The case was later moved to the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia in Alexandria in 2026.

Renshaw claims the incident happened on 14 May 2023 while she and her family were dining at the restaurant.

In the complaint, she said she got up from her table to go to the restroom when “she stepped on a slippery foreign substance, which appeared to be mashed potatoes.”

The lawsuit states that Renshaw fell face-first onto the floor and suffered “serious and permanent” injuries.

The complaint further alleges that the substance “created an unreasonably dangerous condition for visitors” and claims there were no warning signs posted in the area.

Outback Steakhouse denied most of the allegations in its response to the lawsuit, including claims regarding the severity of Renshaw’s injuries.

The company also argued that it did not have “any duty to warn regarding any condition that was open and obvious to the Plaintiff exercising ordinary care.”

The Sterling restaurant location involved in the lawsuit has since closed.