Collazo v. Condado Plaza Hotel

941 F. Supp. 16, 1996 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 15024, 1996 WL 585579
CourtDistrict Court, D. Puerto Rico
DecidedSeptember 9, 1996
DocketCivil No. 94-1680 (DRD)
StatusPublished

This text of 941 F. Supp. 16 (Collazo v. Condado Plaza Hotel) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Puerto Rico primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Collazo v. Condado Plaza Hotel, 941 F. Supp. 16, 1996 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 15024, 1996 WL 585579 (prd 1996).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

DOMINGUEZ, District Judge.

Pending before the court is plaintiff Mereie M. Larrinaga Collazo’s motion for summary judgment filed on August 10, 1995. (Docket 9) Defendant Condado Plaza Hotel, filed its opposition to plaintiffs motion and filed a cross-motion for summary judgment on September 22, 1995. (Docket 13) On October 31, 1995, plaintiff filed its opposition to defendant’s cross motion for summary judgment and reply to defendant’s opposition to plaintiffs motion for summary judgment. (Docket 14) For the reasons explicated hereinbelow, having carefully pondered the parties’ allegations, and in light' of the fact that the same stand in blatant conflict with one another, the court shall and hereby does deny the parties’ respective motions for summary judgment.'

This is an action for the recovery of damages allegedly caused to the plaintiff on May 21,1993, when a piece of cement fell from the roof hitting her head, while she waited for her brunch order to arrive. The incident took place at the restaurant in front of the swimming pool of the Condado Plaza Hotel located in Condado, San Juan, Puerto Rico. The impact received from the cement block threw plaintiff to the ground where she laid unconscious for about five minutes.

The sequence and nature of events portrayed by the defendant in this case somewhat vary in that, shortly after the food arrived, plaintiff was struck on the head and arm with a piece of cement which had become dislodged, when a lightning bolt suddenly struck a tower on the west side of the roof of the hotel’s main building, causing pieces of concrete to fall through the canvass canopy of the outdoor restaurant, where plaintiff awaited to have her brunch. Defendant further alleges that as a result of the blow, plaintiff fell to the floor but was not rendered unconscious.1

Whether it was the force of lightning striking the building that in fact, caused the cement block to dislodge, remains an issue in [18]*18dispute. In this regard plaintiff asserts that photographs taken by defendant do not show any black discoloration or signs of impact by a lightning bolt on the surface of the building. (See photographs produced by defendant, Exhibit. 1, docket 14) Further adding to the incongruity of the parties’ versions is the fact that plaintiff states that no severe thunderstorm, or lightning strike was recorded to have occurred on the day in which Ms. Larrinaga was allegedly injured. Hence, plaintiff argues that 'the dislodging of the cement block resulted from the hotel’s negligence and poor maintenance of the building, and not from lighting. (See adjuster report pp. 1 and 7, exhibit 2, docket 14) Plaintiff states that even if the dislodging were to have been caused by lighting, the safety equipment installed to by the hotel to ground electric charges was so inadequate and defective, that its ability to deter a lightning strike to' the buildings was inevitably compromised.

THE SUMMARY JUDGMENT STANDARD

Summary judgment is appropriate if “there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and ... the moving party is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law.” F.R.Civ.P. Rule No. 56(c). The party moving for summary judgment bears the initial responsibility of demonstrating the absence of a genuine issue of material fact. Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 323, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 2552, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986). The opposing party must then designate specific facts that show that there is a genuine triable issue. Celotex 477 U.S. at 324, 106 S.Ct. at 2553.

A fact is material if, under applicable substantive law, it may affect the result of the case. Ortega-Rosario v. Alvarado-Ortiz, 917 F.2d 71 (1st Cir.1990). A dispute is genuine only if there is conflicting evidence that requires a trial to resolve the discrepancy. Ortega-Rosario 917 F.2d at 71. A court should deny a motion for summary judgment if the dispute about a material fact is genuine when, based on the evidence, a reasonable jury could return a verdict for the nonmoving party. Woods v. Friction Materials, Inc., 30 F.3d 255, 259 (1st Cir.1994). See also Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 248, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 2510, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986).

In determining whether summary judgment is warranted, the court views the facts alleged in the light most favorable to the nonmoving party and must indulge all inferences in favor of that party. See Le Blanc v. Great American Insurance, 6 F.3d 836, 841 (1st Cir.1993) cert. denied — U.S.-, 114 S.Ct. 1398, 128 L.Ed.2d 72 (1994); Richard A. Mottolo and Service Pumping and Drain Co., Inc. v. Fireman’s Fund Insurance Co., et al., 43 F.3d 723 (1st Cir.1995); Lydia Libertad, et. al. v. Patrick Welch, et. al., 53 F.3d 428 (1st Cir.1995); Rossy v. Roche Products, Inc., 880 F.2d 621, 624 (1st Cir. 1989); John & Kostas Service Station, Inc. v. Cumberland Farms, Inc., 948 F.2d 821 (1st Cir.1991).

The party opposing the motion for summary judgment can not rely on “mere allegations or denials” of the pleadings. F.R.Civ.P. Rule No. 56(e). Rather, the opposing party must be able to show by affidavits, depositions, answers, and admissions in the record that there is a genuine issue for trial. Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. at 324, 106 S.Ct. at 2553. Hence, “Summary judgment may be appropriate if the nonmoving party rests merely upon conclusory allegations, improbable inferences, and unsupported speculation.” Medina-Muñoz v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., 896 F.2d 5, 8 (1st Cir.1990). Nonetheless, “[n]o credibility assessment may be resolved in favor of the party seeking summary judgment.” Woodman v. Haemonetics Corp., 51 F.3d 1087, 1091 (1st Cir.1995) (citations omitted).

In its cross-motion for summary judgment defendant presents the sworn statement under penalty of perjury of Mr. Ali Baez-Acosta, Director of Security for the Condado Plaza Hotel & Casino, who was on duty at the time of the alleged incident. According to Mr. Baez-Acosta, an investigation was conducted under his direct supervision pertaining to the alleged accident of May 21, 1993. Said investigation revealed that the fact that the upper corner of the concrete tower (from which the piece of cement had become dislodged) was scoured black, is evidence that the upper comer of [19]*19the concrete tower was hit by a lightning bolt. (See docket 13, p.

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Bluebook (online)
941 F. Supp. 16, 1996 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 15024, 1996 WL 585579, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/collazo-v-condado-plaza-hotel-prd-1996.