Brenda Lewis v. City of Bastrop

CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedSeptember 25, 2019
Docket52,884-CA
StatusPublished

This text of Brenda Lewis v. City of Bastrop (Brenda Lewis v. City of Bastrop) 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
Brenda Lewis v. City of Bastrop, (La. Ct. App. 2019).

Opinion

Judgment rendered September 25, 2019. Application for rehearing may be filed within the delay allowed by Art. 2166, La. C.C.P.

No. 52,884-CA

COURT OF APPEAL SECOND CIRCUIT STATE OF LOUISIANA

*****

BRENDA LEWIS Plaintiff-Appellee

versus

CITY OF BASTROP Defendant-Appellant

Appealed from the Fourth Judicial District Court for the Parish of Morehouse, Louisiana Trial Court No. 2014-085

Honorable Robert C. Johnson, Judge

HUDSON, POTTS & BERNSTEIN, L.L.P. Counsel for Appellant By: Johnny R. Huckabay, II Robert M. Baldwin L. Casey Auttonberry

HALES & STRICKLAND Counsel for Appellee By: Myrt T. Hales, Jr. Joshua L. Strickland

Before MOORE, STEPHENS, and THOMPSON, JJ. THOMPSON, J.

This matter arises from an incident in which Plaintiff, Brenda Lewis

(hereinafter “Plaintiff”), a spectator attending the t-ball game of her

grandson at the City of Bastrop’s Carter Park recreational complex, tripped

on an above ground support brace of a fence at one of the playing fields and

was injured. Defendant, City of Bastrop (hereinafter “Defendant”), appeals

the trial court’s judgment in favor of Plaintiff, asserting in part that

Defendant is entitled to immunity under La. R.S. 9:2795, the Recreational

Use Immunity Statute. For the reasons set forth below, we reverse.

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

On April 29, 2013, Plaintiff was injured while attending her

grandson’s t-ball game at Carter Park in Bastrop, Louisiana. Plaintiff

arrived at Carter Park in the late afternoon that day, around 5:30-6:00 p.m.

under good weather conditions. She was walking with her daughter-in-law,

Ms. Aubrey Allen (hereinafter “Ms. Allen”), as they approached the field

where Plaintiff’s grandson would be playing. Plaintiff walked alongside a

significant distance of fencing on the way to her grandson’s game. Plaintiff

admitted at trial she was inattentive while walking, talking with Ms. Allen,

and looking for her grandson. Plaintiff testified she tripped and fell, injuring

her right foot. After hitting the ground and injuring her foot, she looked

back to see what caused her to trip and noticed the above ground pipe

stander and securing rebar partially driven into the ground. Plaintiff suffered

a fractured foot that required surgery. Joint Exhibit 3 from the trial appears below, which depicts the pipe

stander and rebar on which Plaintiff allegedly tripped.

Figure 1: Trial Court - Joint Exhibit 3

On February 26, 2014, Plaintiff filed suit in the 4th Judicial District

Court requesting damages from Defendant. As for her damages Plaintiff

maintained that, in addition to her medical expenses, she is unable to

participate in the activities she enjoyed before the accident and experiences

discomfort due to the multiple screws and swelling in her foot.

Carter Park is a recreational facility that is owned, operated, and

managed by Defendant. The city employees perform preparation work at

Carter Park for visitors they know will utilize the Park for a variety of

recreational activities, including participants and spectators of softball and t-

ball games. The city employees are employed by Defendant. Preparation

work performed at Carter Park by the city employees includes cleaning and

mowing the grounds for various activities, and moving and securing the

portable fencing that are necessary for the scheduled activities.

The fence is composed of portable/moveable fence panels that can be

positioned into different configurations to accommodate different needs for

2 various sporting events, such as baseball, softball, t-ball, and football games.

The ten-foot moveable fence panels each have stabilizing “L” shaped pipe

standers that are fastened to the back of the fence which allow the fence

panel to stand erect. The “L” shaped pipe stander is above ground and each

is anchored by a rebar stake inserted through a pre-drilled hole and driven

into the ground. A sledgehammer or piece of equipment is used to drive the

rebar stakes through the pipe stander and into the ground. The fence at

Carter Park is comprised of fence panels connected by pipe standers and

securing rebar at ten-foot intervals.

A motion for summary judgment was filed by Defendant on June 29,

2015. In Defendant’s motion, Defendant argued recreational immunity

pursuant to La. R.S. 9:2795 and that, in the alternative, it was not liable

under ordinary negligence principles. See La. R.S. 9:2800(C). On

September 10, 2015, Plaintiff filed an opposition to the motion for summary

judgment claiming willful or malicious failure to warn and gross negligence.

La. R.S. 9:2795(B)(1), (E)(2)(d). The motion was heard on December 22,

2015, and the trial court denied Defendant’s motion for summary judgment

without issuing reasons. The matter then proceeded to trial.

Bench Trial

The bench trial of this matter was held on October 10-13, 2016. The

trial court heard testimony from Plaintiff, Plaintiff’s daughter-in-law (Ms.

Allen), Plaintiff’s husband, the Mayor of Bastrop, Plaintiff’s safety expert,

and various city employees who testified they worked with the fence panels

at Carter Park.

3 Plaintiff testified that immediately before tripping and falling she was

not watching where she was going because she was looking for her

grandson. Plaintiff walked into the area immediately adjacent to the fence

panel where the pipe stander and securing rebar was located and she tripped

and fell injuring herself. She commented that if she had been paying

attention she would not have tripped. Plaintiff also testified that there were

no warning signs or anything keeping visitors from walking in the area.

Plaintiff claimed that the pathway was the only entrance to get to the t-ball

fields.

Dr. Timothy Spires of Monroe, Louisiana, performed surgery on

Plaintiff’s foot and to this day Plaintiff maintains that her foot constantly

hurts, swells, and limits her activities. Plaintiff’s husband, Mr. George

Lewis, who was not present during the accident, testified to Plaintiff’s

discomfort and inability to enjoy certain activities after her fall.

Also testifying at trial was the Plaintiff’s daughter-in-law, Ms. Allen,

who accompanied Plaintiff to Carter Park that day to watch her son,

Plaintiff’s grandson, play t-ball. Ms. Allen testified she was not certain if, at

the time of Plaintiff’s fall, Plaintiff was talking with her or looking for her

grandson (child of Ms. Allen). Ms. Allen provided testimony that she had

seen someone else trip over a different rebar stake on a different day, but

provided no other evidence to support her claim.

Testimony from city employees at trial established the moveable

fence panels were built in 1976 or 1977, and had been configured at Carter

Park weeks before the date of the accident in preparation for t-ball and

softball seasons. The Mayor of Bastrop, Mr. Arthur Jones, who worked in

4 the parks and recreation division for the City of Bastrop for decades prior to

his election as Mayor, testified that there had never been an accident at

Carter Park in the 40 years it has been open.

The exact condition of the specific pipe stander and rebar on which

Plaintiff tripped was disputed at trial. Plaintiff asserted that the rebar

extended above the pipe stander created a situation which would more likely

cause someone to trip and fall.

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