Barton v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

254 So. 3d 796
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedSeptember 26, 2018
Docket18-146
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 254 So. 3d 796 (Barton v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Barton v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., 254 So. 3d 796 (La. Ct. App. 2018).

Opinion

GREMILLION, Judge.

*797Before the court comes the appeal of Mr. Douglas W. Barton, who protests the summary judgment granted in favor of Appellee, Wal-Mart Louisiana, LLC, which dismissed Mr. Barton's merchant liability claim under La.R.S. 9:2800.6 for injuries he allegedly sustained when he fell in the automotive maintenance section of Appellee's store in Alexandria, Louisiana, on July 29, 2016. For the reasons that follow, we reverse.

PROCEDURAL POSTURE

Mr. Barton's action was commenced by the filing of a petition on August 12, 2016, in Alexandria City Court. Six days later, Wal-Mart answered the suit. On March 29, 2017, Mr. Barton moved to transfer the matter to the Ninth Judicial District Court claiming his damages exceeded the $50,000.00 jurisdictional limit of Alexandria City Court. On September 7, 2017, Wal-Mart filed the motion for summary judgment that resulted in this appeal. That motion was granted on December 14, 2017.

APPELLATE REVIEW OF SUMMARY JUDGMENTS

On appeal, summary judgments are reviewed de novo. Magnon v. Collins, 98-2822 (La. 7/7/99), 739 So.2d 191. Thus, the appellate court asks the same questions the trial court asks to determine whether summary judgment is appropriate. Id. This inquiry seeks to determine whether any genuine issues of material fact exist and whether the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. La.Code Civ.P. art. 966(B) and (C). This means that judgment must be rendered in favor of the movant if the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, admissions on file, and affidavits show a lack of factual support for an essential element of the opposing party's claim. Id. If the opposing party cannot produce any evidence to suggest that he will be able to meet his evidentiary burden at trial, no genuine issues of material fact exist. Id.
Material facts are those that determine the outcome of the legal dispute. Soileau v. D & J Tire, Inc., 97-318 (La.App. 3 Cir. 10/8/97), 702 So.2d 818, writ denied, 97-2737 (La. 1/16/98), 706 So.2d 979. In deciding whether facts are material to an action, we look to the applicable substantive law. Id. Finally, summary judgment procedure is favored and designed to secure the just, speedy, and inexpensive determination of every action. La.Code Civ.P. art. 966(A)(2).

Am. Zurich Ins. Co. v. Caterpillar, Inc. , 12-270, p. 4-5 (La.App. 3 Cir. 10/3/12), 99 So.3d 739, 742-43.

*798MERCHANT LIABILITY

Claims against a merchant for allegedly hazardous conditions on its premises are governed by La.R.S. 9:2800.6, which reads:

A. A merchant owes a duty to persons who use his premises to exercise reasonable care to keep his aisles, passageways, and floors in a reasonably safe condition. This duty includes a reasonable effort to keep the premises free of any hazardous conditions which reasonably might give rise to damage.
B. In a negligence claim brought against a merchant by a person lawfully on the merchant's premises for damages as a result of an injury, death, or loss sustained because of a fall due to a condition existing in or on a merchant's premises, the claimant shall have the burden of proving, in addition to all other elements of his cause of action, all of the following:
(1) The condition presented an unreasonable risk of harm to the claimant and that risk of harm was reasonably foreseeable.
(2) The merchant either created or had actual or constructive notice of the condition which caused the damage, prior to the occurrence.
(3) The merchant failed to exercise reasonable care. In determining reasonable care, the absence of a written or verbal uniform cleanup or safety procedure is insufficient, alone, to prove failure to exercise reasonable care.
C. Definitions:
(1) "Constructive notice" means the claimant has proven that the condition existed for such a period of time that it would have been discovered if the merchant had exercised reasonable care. The presence of an employee of the merchant in the vicinity in which the condition exists does not, alone, constitute constructive notice, unless it is shown that the employee knew, or in the exercise of reasonable care should have known, of the condition.
(2) "Merchant" means one whose business is to sell goods, foods, wares, or merchandise at a fixed place of business. For purposes of this Section, a merchant includes an innkeeper with respect to those areas or aspects of the premises which are similar to those of a merchant, including but not limited to shops, restaurants, and lobby areas of or within the hotel, motel, or inn.
D. Nothing herein shall affect any liability which a merchant may have under Civil Code Arts. 660, 667, 669, 2317, 2322, or 2695.

This statute tasks a merchant with the duty to maintain its premises in a reasonably safe condition. This duty includes the obligation to refrain from creating hazardous conditions, to discover unreasonably dangerous conditions in a timely manner, and to reasonably ameliorate hazardous conditions when discovered. The law also imposes liability on a merchant who fails to discover an unreasonably dangerous condition that has existed for such a time that it would have discovered it had the merchant exercised reasonable care, which duty is known as "constructive notice." The statute also explicitly places the burden of proving these elements, including proof of the merchant's actual or constructive notice of a hazardous condition, on the claimant.

APPLICATION OF THESE PRINCIPLES TO THIS CASE

The initial burden is on Wal-Mart to demonstrate that it is entitled to summary *799judgment; therefore, we will first examine Wal-Mart's motion and submissions to determine whether it carried its burden of proof. In support of its motion, Wal-Mart supplied excerpts of the depositions of Mr. Barton and its employee, Mr. Javathan Bullions, the affidavit of Mr.

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Bluebook (online)
254 So. 3d 796, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/barton-v-wal-mart-stores-inc-lactapp-2018.