Area woman who blamed store for bike fall loses appeal

BLOOMFIELD HILLS (AP) — A suburban Detroit woman couldn’t convince jurors that Target had sold her a defective bike. The country’s second-highest court isn’t swayed, either.

A federal appeals court says it won’t overturn a verdict from a three-day trial over a bike mishap.

Lorie Applebaum of Bloomfield Hills fell off the bike and hurt her shoulder on her first ride on July 4, 2009. 

She accused Target of selling a bike with a bad brake.

But the big retailer said the bike was new and that Applebaum’s fall was simply due to how she rode it.

In a 3-0 decision last week, the appeals court says much of the evidence in Applebaum’s favor came from her. 

The court says she’s entitled to a “fair jury” but “not one that believes whatever she says.”