Claybon v. Midwest Petroleum Co.

819 S.W.2d 742, 1991 Mo. App. LEXIS 1480, 1991 WL 184846
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedSeptember 24, 1991
Docket58921
StatusPublished
Cited by19 cases

This text of 819 S.W.2d 742 (Claybon v. Midwest Petroleum Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Claybon v. Midwest Petroleum Co., 819 S.W.2d 742, 1991 Mo. App. LEXIS 1480, 1991 WL 184846 (Mo. Ct. App. 1991).

Opinions

CRANE, Judge.

This is an appeal from the grant of Summary Judgment for defendant, Midwest Petroleum Company, in an action for the wrongful death of Reginald Claybon. Plaintiffs are Joyce Claybon, Reginald’s mother, in her individual capacity, and as the “Next Friend” of John Doe, Reginald’s two year old son. Midwest Petroleum Company [Midwest] is the owner of a service station on whose premises Reginald Claybon was shot. We affirm.1

Summary judgment is recognized as a drastic remedy, since it denies the opposing party his or her day in court. Olson v. Auto Owners Ins. Co., 700 S.W.2d 882, 884 (Mo.App.1985). In order for summary judgment to be granted, the pleadings, depositions, admissions, and affidavits filed must show there is no genuine issue as to any material fact. Id. On review of a grant of summary judgment, we view the evidentiary record in the light most favorable to the party against whom summary judgment was granted, determine if any genuine issue of fact exists which would require trial, and determine if the judgment is correct as a matter of law. Union Mutual Ins. Co. v. Brown, 809 S.W.2d 144, [744]*744145 (Mo.App.1991). If the judgment is sustainable as a matter of law under any theory we will affirm it. Id. Since the deletion of subsection (h) from Rule 74.04 in 1988, it is no longer necessary to support a motion for summary judgment by “unassailable proof.” Id.; Defino v. Civic Center Corp., 780 S.W.2d 665, 667-68 (Mo.App.1989).

On December 1, 1985, Reginald Claybon was present at a Sunoco service station in Pagedale, Missouri, owned and operated by Midwest. Plaintiffs alleged that Claybon was an invitee applying for future employment or discussing future employment with Earl Jones, the employee on duty. While Claybon and Jones were talking in the cashier’s booth, two men entered the building, produced a gun, announced, “This is a holdup!” and ordered Claybon and Jones to go to the back of the station. One of the assailants told Jones to remove the station’s holdup device.2 Claybon began to struggle with one of the subjects and was shot in the side. As one of the robbers retrieved the money in the station, the other proceeded to shoot Claybon in the head, and Jones in the back. Claybon died as a result of his injuries.

Plaintiffs submitted interrogatories to Midwest. In its answers, Midwest admitted owning and operating the Sunoco service station, having acquired this particular business on November 25, 1985, just six days before the shooting. It also acknowledged that Earl Jones was the employee on duty at the time of the incident, but stated that Claybon was not supposed to be on the premises, except as a customer. Midwest further answered that there was no criminal activity on these premises between the period of November 25, 1985, and December 1, 1985. It added that “for any date prior to that time the answer is unknown.”

Midwest filed a motion for summary judgment with an accompanying affidavit. In its motion it contended that it was not liable for Claybon’s death, because it was not aware of any similar prior incidents of crime. It contended that plaintiffs’ allegations that the area was a high crime area and that service stations in general are favorite targets of crime were mere speculation. In opposition to the motion, plaintiffs filed the affidavit of Joyce Claybon, which incorporated the police report. On July 16, 1990, Midwest’s motion for summary judgment was granted.

Plaintiffs filed a motion to reconsider, along with the affidavits of Earl Jones, George Seper, a former police officer, and June Jones, custodian of records for the Pagedale Police Department. The motion for summary judgment was reheard on August 15, 1990 and was again granted. It is from this judgment plaintiffs now appeal.

In an action for negligence, plaintiff must establish (1) a duty on the part of the defendant to protect the plaintiff from injury, (2) failure of the defendant to perform that duty, and (3) injury to the plaintiff resulting from that failure. Faheen v. City Parking Corp., 734 S.W.2d 270, 272 (Mo.App.1987). Generally, the owner of a business property has no duty to protect an invitee from a deliberate criminal attack by a third person. Keenan v. Miriam Foundation, 784 S.W.2d 298, 301 (Mo.App.1990). This is true even though the area is one of “high crime.” Id. at 302.

There are, however, exceptions to this general rule. The owner of business property may be liable when “special relationships” or “special facts and circumstances” exist. Meadows v. Friedman R.R. Salvage Warehouse, 655 S.W.2d 718, 721 (Mo.App.1983). “Special relationships” arise where a party entrusts himself to the protection of another and relies upon that person to provide a place of safety. Faheen, 734 S.W.2d at 272. Typically, special relationships include: common carrier-passenger, school-student, innkeeper-guest, and sometimes employer-employee. Id.

The “special facts and circumstances” exception encompasses two theories: (1) the intentional infliction of injury [745]*745by known and identifiable third persons; or (2) frequent and recent instances of violent crimes against persons on the premises by unknown assailants. Faheen, 734 S.W.2d at 272; Keenan, 784 S.W.2d at 302. Under the first theory, a duty may be recognized when a person, known to be violent, is on the premises, or an individual is present who has acted in such a way as to indicate danger. Faheen, 734 S.W.2d at 273; Keenan, 784 S.W.2d at 302. The second theory, referred to as the “violent crimes” exception, imposes a duty on a landowner for premises liability when certain elements exist. Faheen, 734 S.W.2d at 273-74; Keenan, 784 S.W.2d at 303.

Plaintiffs claim the trial court erred in denying their motion for summary judgment because they claim Midwest owed a duty to protect Reginald Claybon as a matter of law under the “special relationships” and “special facts and circumstances” exceptions and because Midwest voluntarily assumed such a duty. Viewing the eviden-tiary record in the light most favorable to the plaintiffs, we find no genuine issue of fact exists and that as a matter of law, this record does not establish that Midwest had a duty under any of these theories to protect Claybon.

Plaintiffs first contend that a “special relationship” of employer-employee existed between Midwest and Reginald Clay-bon. They rely on the description of Clay-bon as Midwest’s employee in the police report. However, neither party alleged nor admitted that Claybon was an employee. The plaintiffs’ petition states that Claybon “was an invitee applying for future employment.” Reginald Claybon’s name is notably absent from the list of employees Midwest had submitted in answer to plaintiffs’ interrogatory. Plaintiffs did not object to these answers.

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Claybon v. Midwest Petroleum Co.
819 S.W.2d 742 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1991)

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Bluebook (online)
819 S.W.2d 742, 1991 Mo. App. LEXIS 1480, 1991 WL 184846, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/claybon-v-midwest-petroleum-co-moctapp-1991.