Cynthia Murray v. Chick-Fil-A, Incorporated

626 F. App'x 515
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
DecidedSeptember 28, 2015
Docket15-40058
StatusUnpublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 626 F. App'x 515 (Cynthia Murray v. Chick-Fil-A, Incorporated) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Cynthia Murray v. Chick-Fil-A, Incorporated, 626 F. App'x 515 (5th Cir. 2015).

Opinion

PER CURIAM: *

Cynthia Murray appeals the district court’s grant of summary judgment dismissing her premises liability claim for personal injuries suffered in a slip-and-fall accident at a Chick-fil-A restaurant. We AFFIRM.

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

Cynthia Murray and two of her co-workers visited a Chick-fil-A restaurant in Nacogdoches, Texas, on the morning of May 9, 2012. Murray .claims that while in the restroom she slipped on liquid on the floor and fell, causing extensive injuries.

Murray brought suit against Chick-fil-A, Inc., a Georgia corporation, which Murray sued as the owner or operator of the restaurant where she fell. She filed her action in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. She asserted claims for premises liability, negligence, and gross negligence. Chick-fil-A moved for summary judgment on all claims, which the district court granted. Murray timely appealed only on her premises liability claim. She now argues that the district court erroneously applied a “hardline temporal requirement” and determined Murray had not shown a genuine issue of material fact as to Chick-fil-A’s constructive notice.

DISCUSSION

We review a district court’s grant of summary judgment de novo. Rogers v. Bromac Title Servs., L.L.C., 755 F.3d 347, 350 (5th Cir.2014). Summary judgment is granted if “there is no genuine dispute as to any material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(a). There is a sufficient dispute “if the evidence is such that a reasonable jury could return a verdict for the nonmoving party.” Rogers, 755 F.3d at 350 (citation and quotation marks omitted). We “construe[ ] all facts and inferences in the light most favorable to the nonmoving party.” Id. (citation and quotation marks omitted). Nonetheless, a non-movant cannot survive summary judgment by offering “[conclusory] allegations, unsupported assertions, or [by] presenting] [ ] only a scintilla of evidence.” Id. (citation and quotation marks omitted).

I. The Temporal Evidence Requirement

Murray argues that the district court erred by applying a “hardline temporal requirement” for evidence of constructive notice. Murray contends the temporal requirement is “neither dispositive nor the sole standard to establish constructive notice” for premises liability.

Under Texas law, a premises liability plaintiff must show, among other things, *517 that the premises owner or occupier had actual or constructive knowledge of a condition on the premises. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. v. Gonzalez, 968 S.W.2d 934, 936 (Tex.1998). To prove such knowledge, the plaintiff can establish: (1) the defendant caused the condition; (2) the defendant actually knew of the condition; or (3) “it is more likely than not that the condition existed long enough to give the premises owner a reasonable opportunity to discover it.” Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. v. Reece, 81 S.W.3d 812, 814 (Tex.2002). Murray attempts to show constructive knowledge only with evidence.it was more likely than not that the liquid was on the floor long enough to give Chick-fil-A a reasonable opportunity to discover it.

In Reece, the Texas Supreme Court emphasized that “[without some temporal evidence, there is no basis upon which the factfinder can reasonably assess the opportunity the premises owner had to discover the dangerous condition.” Id. at 816. The Reece decision expressly disapproved of those Texas appellate court decisions allowing an employee’s proximity to a dangerous condition to show constructive notice. Id. at 815, 816 & n. 1. An employee’s proximity or a condition’s conspicuity would often be “relevant” to the analysis of how long a condition could exist before a premises owner should reasonably have discovered it. Id. at 816. Proximity or conspicuity on their own, however, are insufficient to show constructive notice under Reece. Id.

Following Reece, Texas courts have granted summary judgment motions when the plaintiff did not offer sufficient temporal evidence to establish constructive notice. See Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. v. Spates, 186 S.W.3d 566 (Tex.2006); Gillespie v. Kroger Texas, L.P., 415 S.W.3d 589 (Tex. App.—Dallas 2013, no pet.); Mendoza v. Fiesta Mart, Inc., 276 S.W.3d 653 (Tex. App.—Houston [14th Dist.] 2008, no pet.).

Murray cites a few decisions that she argues support relaxing the temporal evidence rule. In one, the Texas Supreme Court recognized constructive notice existed when a premises owner knew the design and maintenance of a grape display made it unreasonably dangerous at all times. Corbin v. Safeway Stores, Inc., 648 S.W.2d 292, 296 (Tex.1983). In the other, an intermediate appellate court held that under Corbin, a mat buckled so frequently as to make it dangerous from the moment it was placed on the floor. Crosby v. Minyard Food Stores, Inc., 122 S.W.3d 899, 901-02 (Tex.App.—Dallas 2003, no pet.). These decisions are inapposite. Even if a restroom is an area likely to have hazardous spills, we see no basis to eliminate the temporal requirement. Corbin applies only to conditions that are dangerous from the inception of their use in contrast to conditions that become dangerous over time, even if they frequently do become dangerous. See CMH Homes, Inc. v. Daenen, 15 S.W.3d 97, 101 (Tex.2000); see also Crosby, 122 S.W.3d at 901-02. For conditions that become dangerous over time, a premises owner has to have actual or constructive knowledge of the particular danger that has arisen. See CMH Homes, 15 S.W.3d at 101. Here, Chick-fil-A’s restroom is not a dangerous condition from the inception of its use; it only becomes dangerous over time if not properly maintained.

Thus, Murray must show that Chick-fil-A had constructive notice of this particular hazardous condition, not just a general awareness that hazards could arise. To show constructive notice, evidence must make it more likely than not that this hazardous condition existed long enough that Chick-fil-A should have discovered it. See id. at 102-03.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
626 F. App'x 515, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/cynthia-murray-v-chick-fil-a-incorporated-ca5-2015.