Gillespie, Agerain v. Kroger Texas, L.P., the Kroger Co.

415 S.W.3d 589, 2013 WL 5773290, 2013 Tex. App. LEXIS 13291
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedOctober 25, 2013
Docket05-12-00652-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 415 S.W.3d 589 (Gillespie, Agerain v. Kroger Texas, L.P., the Kroger Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Gillespie, Agerain v. Kroger Texas, L.P., the Kroger Co., 415 S.W.3d 589, 2013 WL 5773290, 2013 Tex. App. LEXIS 13291 (Tex. Ct. App. 2013).

Opinion

OPINION

Opinion by

Justice FITZGERALD.

This is a premises liability case arising out of a slip and fall in a grocery store bathroom. The trial court granted summary judgment in favor of Kroger Texas, L.P., the Kroger Co. and Kroger Store No. 488 (collectively, “Kroger”) on Agerain Gillespie’s claims. In two issues on appeal, Gillespie asserts the trial court erred in granting summary judgment on traditional and no-evidence grounds. Concluding Gillespie’s arguments are without merit, we affirm the trial court’s judgment.

BACKGROUND

While grocery shopping with her husband at a Kroger store, Gillespie asked to use the restroom. An employee directed her to a restroom located up a flight of stairs next to the manager’s office. When she reached the restroom, Gillespie was *591 unable to close the door all the way because it was swollen and sticking. The first stall that she approached was dirty, so Gillespie elected to use the other stall. As she turned to the right, she fell on the ceramic tile floor. Specifically, Gillespie fell on her left side, hitting her left hip and knee on the floor and breaking her left arm at the elbow. The Kroger manager was sitting in his office next door and asked if everything was all right. When Gillespie responded that she had fallen, the manager asked if he could come in. Gillespie responded affirmatively, and requested that the manager page her husband. Gillespie remained on the floor and noticed that it was cool and damp, and she could see footprints going toward the sinks. When Gillespie’s husband arrived in the restroom, he wiped the floor with paper towels and used the towels to clean Gillespie’s hand, which was wet and dirty. The floor was slippery as Gillespie’s husband and the manager tried to lift her up. The manager rolled an office chair into the room and braced it with his body as he and the husband lifted Gillespie into the chair and then rolled her into the office.

The manager called an ambulance. As the crew was preparing to take Gillespie down the stairs, the manager went back into the restroom to retrieve Gillespie’s purse. As he was picking it up, Gillespie saw him slip and commented, “See how slippery it is?” The manager agreed that the floor was slippery and stated that it was probably sweat or condensation from the pipes on the floor.

The manager prepared an incident report showing that the accident occurred on June 27, 2009, at 8:35 p.m. The report stated that the manager noticed there was a film on the floor and he could see where Gillespie’s legs had hit the floor and disturbed the surface. The film appeared to be around the stall doors. The description of the accident reads, “Damp film of water — not puddling,” in an area that covered an area 6 feet by 6 feet.

Gillespie subsequently filed suit against Kroger on a premises liability theory of recovery. Kroger filed a traditional and no-evidence motion for summary judgment, and Gillespie responded. In support of her response, Gillespie filed her affidavit, the affidavit of her husband, and an expert affidavit. Although Kroger objected to Gillespie’s summary judgment evidence, there is no indication that the trial court ruled on the objections. Following a hearing, the trial court entered an order granting Krogers motion and dismissing Gillespies claims with prejudice. The order did not specify the specific grounds for the trial courts ruling. This appeal followed.

ANALYSIS

Gillespie asserts the trial court erred in granting a no-evidence and traditional summary judgment in favor of Kroger. When a party files a hybrid summary judgment motion on both no-evidence and traditional grounds, we first review the trial court’s judgment under the no-evidence standard of review. Ford Motor Co. v. Ridgway, 135 S.W.3d 598, 600 (Tex.2004). If the non-movant failed to produce more than a scintilla of evidence under the no-evidence summary judgment provisions of Rule 166a(i), then there is no need to analyze whether the movant’s summary judgment proof satisfied the burden set forth for traditional summary judgment under Rule 166a(c). See Tex.R. Civ. P. 166a(c) & (d); East Hill Marine, Inc. v. Rinker Boat Co., 229 S.W.3d 813, 816 (Tex.App.-Fort Worth 2007, pet. denied).

In conducting our no-evidence summary judgment review, we review the evidence presented by the motion and response in the light most favorable to the party *592 against whom the summary judgment was rendered, credit evidence favorable to that party if reasonable jurors could, and disregard contrary evidence unless reasonable jurors could not. Mack Trucks, Inc. v. Tamez, 206 S.W.3d 572, 582 (Tex.2006). A no-evidence summary judgment motion should be denied if the nonmovant presents more than a scintilla of probative evidence to raise a genuine issue of material fact on the challenged element or elements. Forbes Inc. v. Granada Biosciences, Inc., 124 S.W.3d 167, 172 (Tex.2003). More than a scintilla of evidence exists when reasonable and fair-minded individuals could differ in their conclusions. Id. Less than a scintilla of probative evidence exists if the evidence creates no more than a mere surmise or suspicion of fact regarding a challenged element. Id.

Therefore, we begin our analysis with the no-evidence motion for summary judgment. Kroger’s no-evidence summary judgment challenged Gillespie’s premises liability claim; specifically, Kroger asserted Gillespie had no evidence that Kroger knew or should have known of the dangerous condition that caused her fall. Gillespie asserts the trial court erred in granting summary judgment because the evidence supported an inference that Kroger knew or should have known that there was a problem with moisture condensation in the women’s restroom that posed an unreasonable risk of harm.

To recover on a premises liability theory, a plaintiff must establish that the injury resulted from a condition of the premises. Keetch v. The Kroger Co., 845 S.W.2d 262, 264 (Tex.1992). A plaintiff must prove: 1) actual or constructive knowledge of some condition on the premises by the owner/operator; 2) that the condition posed an unreasonable risk of harm; 3) that the owner/operator did not exercise reasonable care to reduce or eliminate the risk; and 4) that the owner/operator’s failure to use such care proximately caused the plaintiffs injuries. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. v. Gonzalez, 968 S.W.2d 934, 936 (Tex.1998). An owner or occupier is not an insurer of injuries to its invitees. CMH Homes, Inc. v. Daenen, 15 S.W.3d 97, 101 (Tex.2000).

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415 S.W.3d 589, 2013 WL 5773290, 2013 Tex. App. LEXIS 13291, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gillespie-agerain-v-kroger-texas-lp-the-kroger-co-texapp-2013.