First National Bank of Mobile v. Ambrose

119 So. 2d 18, 270 Ala. 371, 1960 Ala. LEXIS 318
CourtSupreme Court of Alabama
DecidedMarch 17, 1960
Docket1 Div. 784
StatusPublished
Cited by23 cases

This text of 119 So. 2d 18 (First National Bank of Mobile v. Ambrose) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Alabama primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
First National Bank of Mobile v. Ambrose, 119 So. 2d 18, 270 Ala. 371, 1960 Ala. LEXIS 318 (Ala. 1960).

Opinion

GOODWYN, Justice.

Appellee sued appellant in the circuit court of Mobile County to recover damages for personal injuries alleged to have been proximately caused by appellant’s negligence in failing to use due care to keep its branch bank premises reasonably safe for persons visiting there by its invitation, express or implied. The jury returned a verdict in favor of plaintiff, on which verdict judgment was duly rendered. This appeal is from that judgment. Defendant’s motion for a new trial was overruled.

Of the sixteen assignments of error, only assignments 1, 2 and 4 and 9 through 14 are argued in brief. The others, therefore, must be considered as waived. Supreme Court Rule 9, Code 1940, Tit. 7 Appendix, 261 Ala. XIX, XXII; *373 Lewis v. Haynes, 266 Ala. 564, 98 So.2d 52; Talbot v. Braswell, 266 Ala. 578, 98 So.2d 7; Epperson v. Stacey, 266 Ala. 396, 96 So.2d 750.

Assignments 1, 2 and 4 charge error in giving plaintiff’s requested charges 3, 4 and 7, respectively. Assignments 9 through 13 charge error in refusing to give defendant’s requested charges 1, 2, 7, 11 and 12, respectively. Assignment 14 charges error in denying defendant’s motion for a new trial. The ground of the motion insisted on is that “the verdict was against the great preponderance of the evidence.”

We find no reversible error in any of these assignments.

Assignments 1 and 2.

It is insisted that plaintiff’s charges Nos. 3 and 4 impose too high a duty on the defendant. These charges are as follows-:

“3. I charge you gentlemen of the Jury, that there are three essential elements to the existence of actionable negligence: First, the existence of a duty on the part of the defendant to protect the plaintiff from injury; Second, failure of the defendant to perform this duty; and Third, injury to the plaintiff from such failure of the defendant. If you are reasonably satisfied from the evidence that all these elements are present and true, then you can find the defendant guilty of negligence.”
“4. I charge you gentlemen of the Jury, that an occupier of business premises is required to exercise reasonable care before its invitee comes to its premises and to have premises reasonably free from danger to the invitee when he arrives, and to so keep the premises reasonably safe, where the invitee might be expected or invited to go.”

Charge 3 is essentially, the same .as charge E which was approved in Sprinkle v. St. Louis & S. F. R. Co., 215 Ala. 191, 195, 110 So. 137, 140. As there said:

“Charge E, given for defendant, is a correct statement of the elements of actionable negligence. Tennessee Coal, Iron & R. Co. v. Smith, 171 Ala. [251] 255, 55 So. 170. It could not have been misleading, but, if so regarded, an explanatory charge should have been requested.”

It should be noted that charge 3 states only the essential elements of actionable negligence. If defendant considered it misleading because of its failure to define the duty owing to plaintiff, the remedy was to request an explanatory charge. Moreover, the nature and extent of such duty was adequately covered by the oral charge. See: Code 1940, Tit. 7, § 273, providing, in pertinent part, as follows:

“§ 273. Charges moved for by the parties. — * * * The refusal of a charge, though a correct statement of the law, shall not be cause for a reversal on appeal if it appears that the same rule of law was substantially and fairly given to the jury in the court’s general charge or in charges given at the request of parties. * * * ”

As to charge 4, the contention is that it imposes an absolute duty on the proprietor without regard to the invitee’s duty to exercise reasonable care for his own safety. The charge correctly states the law with respect to the duty owed an invitee. As said in Kittrell v. Alabama Power Co., 258 Ala. 381, 383, 63 So.2d 363 :

“Regardless of what the rule may be elsewhere, the applicable legal principles have been settled in this state.
“The duty of defendant was to use ordináry or reasonable care to keep its premises in a reasonably safe condition. It was not an insurer of the safety of its guests or invitees. The principle of res ipsa loquitur does not *374 apply. F. W. Woolworth Co. v. Ney, 239 Ala. 233, 194 So. 667; Ten Ball Novelty & Mfg. Co. v. Allen, 255 Ala. 418, 51 So.2d 690; Britling Cafeteria Co. v. Naylor, 254 Ala. 84, 47 So.2d 187, and cases cited.
“Defendant is required to exercise reasonable care before its invitee comes to his premises to have the premises reasonably free from danger to the invitee when he arrives and to so keep the premises while the invitee is on the premises where he may be expected or was invited to go. Britling Cafeteria Co. v. Naylor, supra.”

While charge 4 might have gone further and defined an invitee’s duty to exercise reasonable care for his own safety, the failure to do so does not rendar it defective. If the charge was thought to be misleading or not a full statement of the law the remedy was to request an explanatory or additional charge. Also, had defendant desired that the jury be instructed on the issue of plaintiff’s contributory negligence the proper course to that end was by requested charge.

Assignment 4.

The insistence is that plaintiff’s given charge No. 7 “is an incorrect statement of law, and it imposes a duty on the proprietor of a store to warn an invitee of obvious dangers, as well as latent or hidden defects.” Charge 7 is as follows:

“I charge you gentlemen of the. Jury that it is the duty of a proprietor to warn an invitee of dangers of which the proprietor knows or should be informed of and of which the invitee is not aware.”

The giving of charge 7 was not error. As said in Farmers’ & Merchants’ Warehouse Co. v. Perry, 218 Ala. 223, 226, 118 So. 406, 408:

“ * * * It is well understood that the 'duty to an invitee is not to injure him either negligently or willfully or wantonly. * * *
“This extends to negligence in failing to warn an invitee of danger, of which he knows or ought to know, and of which the invitee is ignorant. i}c

See, also: Lamson & Sessions Bolt Co. v. McCarty, 234 Ala. 60, 63(2), 173 So. 388; Alabama Baptist Hospital Board v. Carter, 226 Ala. 109, 112, 145 So. 443; Sloss Iron & Steel Co. v. Tilson, 141 Ala. 152, 161, 37 So. 427, 429. In the last cited case approval was given to the principle that an owner who “invites others to come upon his premises, assumes to all such who accept the invitation, the duty of warning them of any danger in coming, which he knows of, or ought to know of, and of which they are not aware.”

If defendant considered charge 7 to be misleading or not a full statement of the applicable law the .remedy was to request explanatory or additional charges.

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Bluebook (online)
119 So. 2d 18, 270 Ala. 371, 1960 Ala. LEXIS 318, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/first-national-bank-of-mobile-v-ambrose-ala-1960.