An allegedly broken shopping cart that went missing and a deleted surveillance video have brought a harsh penalty from a judge, who ruled that Michaels Stores Inc. intentionally spoiled evidence in a premises liabilities lawsuit.

A Houston court on Tuesday sanctioned the arts and crafts retailer by preventing the company from claiming that a mother who visited the store was a responsible third party because she allegedly failed to supervise her three-year-old child. The girl suffered a brain injury when she fell from a shopping cart in a Michaels store in Houston.