Dotson v. Brookshire Grocery Co.

872 So. 2d 1283, 4 La.App. 3 Cir. 83, 2004 La. App. LEXIS 1200, 2004 WL 1064819
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedMay 12, 2004
DocketNo. 04-83
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 872 So. 2d 1283 (Dotson v. Brookshire Grocery Co.) 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
Dotson v. Brookshire Grocery Co., 872 So. 2d 1283, 4 La.App. 3 Cir. 83, 2004 La. App. LEXIS 1200, 2004 WL 1064819 (La. Ct. App. 2004).

Opinion

h GREMILLION, Judge.

The defendant, Brookshire Grocery Company, appeals the judgment of the city court finding that the plaintiff, Bridget J. Dotson, satisfied her burden of proving its liability for her slip and fall. We affirm.

FACTS

On August 19, 2001, at 8:30 a.m., Dotson had just finished her shift as an LPN at the Veteran’s Administration Hospital and was shopping at the Super One Foods in Pineville, Louisiana. The Super One Foods store is owned by Brookshire. She was in the produce department and tripped when her foot caught under a rug lining the front of a produce bin. Dotson injured her right knee as a result of this fall and was forced to seek medical care and missed a day of work.

Dotson filed suit in Pineville City Court against Brookshire seeking damages for her injury. Following a trial on the merits, the trial court took the matter under advisement and then rendered judgment in Dotson’s favor, awarding her $3,188.95 in general and special damages. This appeal by Brookshire followed.

ISSUE

On appeal, Brookshire argues that the trial court erred in finding that Dotson [1285]*1285satisfied her burden of proof pursuant to La.R.S. 9:2800.6(B).

MERCHANT LIABILITY

In order to prove merchant liability in a slip and fall case, the plaintiff must prove, in addition to the usual negligence requirements (duty, breach, cause in fact, and damages), those elements found in La.R.S. 9:2800.6(B):

(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, pri- or 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.

Constructive notice is defined in La.R.S. 9:2800.6(C)(1) as meaning:

[T]he 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.

The burden of proof remains with the plaintiff and her failure to prove any of the three above stated elements defeats her cause of action. White v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., 97-0893 (La.9/9/97), 699 So.2d 1081.

The reasonable care required of a merchant was discussed by the second circuit in Jones v. Brookshire Grocery Co., 37,117, pp. 8-9 (La.App. 2 Cir. 5/14/03), 847 So.2d 43, 49-50:

Merchants are required to exercise reasonable care to protect those who enter the store, keep the premises safe from unreasonable risks of harm and warn persons of known dangers. Turner v. Brookshire Grocery Co., 34,562 (La.App. 2 Cir. 4/4/01), 785 So.2d 161; Ward v. ITT Specialty Risk Services, Inc., 31,990 (La.App.2d Cir. 6/16/99), 739 So.2d 251, unit denied, 99-2690 (La.11/24/99), 750 So.2d 987; Leonard v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., 97-2154 (La. App. 1st Cir.11/6/98), 721 So.2d 1059. Although the owner of a commercial establishment has an affirmative duty to keep the premises in a safe condition, he is not the insurer of the safety of his patrons. Turner, supra; Ward, supra; Tanner v. Brookshire Grocery Company, 29,276 (La.App.2d Cir. 4/2/97), 691 So.2d 871. A store owner is not liable every time an accident happens. Turner, supra; Ward, supra; Leonard, supra.
The merchant’s duty of care requires that reasonable protective measures, including periodic inspections, are undertaken to ensure that lathe premises are kept free from substances or conditions that might cause a customer to fall. See Hardman v. The Kroger Company, 34,-250 (La.App.2d Cir. 12/6/00), 775 So.2d 1093; Ward, supra; Stevens v. Winn Dixie of Louisiana, 95-0435 (La.App. 1st Cir.11/9/95), 664 So.2d 1207. Whether measures taken are reasonable must be determined in light of the circumstances of each case. Hardman, supra; Ward, supra. As noted by the court in Stockwell v. Great Atlantic & Pacific [1286]*1286Tea Co., 583 So.2d 1186 (La.App. 1st Cir.1991) (citations omitted), the degree of vigilance must be commensurate with the risk involved, as determined by the overall volume of business, the time of day, the section of the store and other relevant considerations.

The court further stated in regards to a trial court’s finding of facts:

A trial court’s findings regarding liability for damages caused by a slip and fall accident at the defendant’s place of business, as well as the presence of comparative fault, are factual determinations that will not be disturbed absent manifest error or unless clearly wrong. Barton v. Wal-Mart Stores, 97-801 (La. App. 3d Cir.12/10/97), 704 So.2d 361; Myles v. Brookshires Grocery Co., 29,-100 (La.App.2d Cir. 1/22/97), 687 So.2d 668. In addition, whether a condition existed for a sufficient period of time that a merchant should have discovered the condition is a fact question; however, there remains the prerequisite showing of some time period. Kennedy[ v. Wal-Mart Stores, 98-C-1939 (La.1999), 733 So.2d 1188] supra.

Id.

After reviewing the record in its entirety, we find no manifest error in the trial court’s finding that Brookshire had constructive notice of the problems caused by these rugs and that it failed to use reasonable care to ensure that this unsafe condition did not continue.

Dotson testified that she often shops at the store in question and was aware that the rugs were maintained in front of the produce bins to prevent the floors from becoming slippery. She stated that she did not see the wrinkled rug prior to her fall, nor did she know how the rug became wrinkled or how long the wrinkle was present.

|4Billy Scarbrock, a produce stacker for Brookshire, testified that he was working at the Pineville store on the morning of August 19, 2001. He stated that his duties include stocking produce and maintaining the floors in his department. He stated that the produce department floors are cleaned every night and then are supervised by that department’s employees during the day. He stated that Brookshire has long green, rubber-backed rugs in front of the produce bins which use sprinklers on the produce. Scarbrock testified that water from the sprinklers falls on the rugs, rather than the floors; thus the rugs provide a safe walkway for the customers.

When he begins work in the morning, Scarbrock testified that he places the rugs back on the floor and then begins stocking the display area. Once he reaches the end of a rack of produce, he stated that he cleans and straightens the rugs located in front of that rack. During the day, he testified that he is in and out of the storage area behind the produce section and that he regularly sweeps and straightens the rugs. He further stated that the rugs are problematic due to their thinness.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
872 So. 2d 1283, 4 La.App. 3 Cir. 83, 2004 La. App. LEXIS 1200, 2004 WL 1064819, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/dotson-v-brookshire-grocery-co-lactapp-2004.