Golia-Huffman v. Smith's Food & Drug Centers, Inc.

District Court, D. Nevada·Decided July 29, 2024·No. 2:21-cv-01260·Unknown

Opinion

SIERRA GOLIA-HUFFMAN, Case No.: 2:21-cv-01260-APG-EJY

Plaintiff Order Granting in Part Smith’s Motions in Limine v. [ECF Nos. 78, 79, 80, 83, 85, 86] INC., Defendant Defendant Smith’s Food & Drug Centers, Inc. moves in limine to exclude: (1) the testimony and opinions of plaintiff Sierra Golia-Huffman’s forensic engineering and safety expert, Dr. Perez; (2) evidence of a recommendation for Golia-Huffman’s future lumbar surgery; (3) evidence of two prior slip and fall incidents in Smith’s floral department; (4) the testimony and opinions of Golia-Huffman’s medical expert, Dr. Muir; (5) various items from Golia-Huffman’s supplemental Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 26 disclosures; and (6) damages related to Golia-Huffman’s past and future wage loss. The parties are familiar with the facts of this case so I repeat there here only where necessary to decide the motions. I grant Smith’s motions in part as set forth below. I. Analysis “A motion in limine is a procedural mechanism to limit in advance testimony or evidence in a particular area.” United States v. Heller, 551 F.3d 1108, 1111 (9th Cir. 2009). Motions in limine “are useful tools to resolve issues which would otherwise clutter up the trial.” City of Pomona v. SQM N. Am. Corp., 866 F.3d 1060, 1070 (9th Cir. 2017) (quotation omitted). “Motions in limine should not be used to resolve factual disputes or to weigh evidence, and evidence should not be excluded prior to trial unless the evidence is inadmissible on all potential grounds.” United States v. Whittemore, 944 F. Supp. 2d 1003, 1006 (D. Nev. 2013) (simplified).

a. Testimony and Opinions of Dr. Perez (ECF No. 78) Smith’s moves to exclude the testimony and opinions of Golia-Huffman’s retained forensic engineering and safety expert, Dr. Frank Perez, for a variety of reasons. In the alternative, it seeks to limit the testimony and opinions he can present at trial. 1. Unhelpful to the Trier of Fact Smith’s argues that Perez’s opinions on the conditions of the Smith’s floral department floor should be excluded as unhelpful to the trier of fact because Perez tested and inspected the floor two years after Golia-Huffman’s incident, and because it is “common knowledge that water causes a floor to become slippery.” ECF No. 78 at 9. Golia-Huffman responds that during discovery, Smith’s indicated that it had not made any changes to its floral area since the incident,

making the opinions Perez developed through his testing and inspection helpful to the trier of fact. See ECF Nos. 96-8 at 6; 96-9 at 3. “Expert opinion testimony is relevant if the knowledge underlying it has a valid connection to the pertinent inquiry.” Primiano v. Cook, 598 F.3d 558, 565 (9th Cir. 2010), as amended (Apr. 27, 2010) (quotation omitted). Golia-Huffman sues Smith’s for negligence, based on the floral department floor being wet. So, Perez’s opinions regarding the slipperiness of the floral department floor when wet are pertinent to the negligence inquiry and helpful to the trier of fact. And because Smith’s does not contend that anything changed in its floral department between Golia-Huffman’s incident and Perez’s examination, there is no reason to preclude Perez’s testimony solely due to the time between the fall and Perez’s tests. I deny Smith’s request to preclude Perez’s testimony as unhelpful to the trier of fact. 2. Based on Speculation and Omitting Key Details Smith’s argues that I should preclude Perez’s opinions because they are based on

speculation, not objective evidence, and because Perez omits important details from his analysis. Smith’s lists a variety of Perez’s opinions that it argues “are not actually based on evidence” as well as several issues it claims Perez omits. ECF No. 78 at 10. Golia-Huffman responds that Perez’s initial report “sets forth the foundational evidence he reviewed to generate his opinions.” ECF No. 96 at 2. The alleged problems with Perez’s report that Smith’s raises are more properly addressed during cross-examination. They are not sufficient to justify excluding Perez from testifying as an expert. “Shaky but admissible evidence is to be attacked by cross examination, contrary evidence, and attention to the burden of proof, not exclusion. . . . The judge is supposed to screen the jury from unreliable nonsense opinions, but not exclude opinions merely because they

are impeachable.” City of Pomona, 750 F.3d at 1044 (simplified). I do not exclude Perez’s testimony on these grounds. 3. Retail Standard of Care Smith’s argues that “Dr. Perez is not qualified to discuss any type of retail standard of care that should have been exercised by [Smith’s] or its employees or agents” because he does not have any qualifications “regarding retail safety standards or standards regarding inspections of retail establishments, physical sweeping of stores, or experience with floral departments.” ECF No. 78 at 11. Golia-Huffman responds that Perez “use[d] his education, training, skills, and experience to render” his opinions, as well as his review of the “one-hour video of the location and fall,” 58 digital photographs, and extensive discovery documents produced by Smith’s. ECF No. 96 at 2. Federal Rule of Evidence 702 requires “that a testifying expert be qualified as an expert by knowledge, skill, experience, training, or education,” and the Rule “contemplates a broad

conception of expert qualifications.” Hangarter v. Provident Life and Acc. Ins. Co., 373 F.3d 998, 1015, 1018 (9th Cir. 2004) (simplified). “Disputes as to the strength of an expert’s credentials . . . go to the weight, not the admissibility, of his testimony.” Kennedy v. Collagen Corp., 161 F.3d 1226, 1231 (9th Cir. 1998) (simplified). Perez’s extensive experience in premises liability cases, as well as his review of the evidence in this case, qualify him to testify as to his opinions on the retail standard of care Smith’s should have used. Smith’s may cross- examine Perez about his ability to opine on these issues. I do not exclude Perez’s testimony on retail standards of care. 4. Improper Rebuttal Testimony Smith’s argues that in his third supplemental report,1 Perez includes opinions that are not

proper rebuttal testimony and must be excluded because Perez should have included them in his initial report. These are Perez’s opinions on “the manner in which the water may have fallen on the ground” and his “opinions as to where the water came from that [Golia-Huffman] slipped on.” ECF No. 78 at 13 (emphasis omitted). Smith’s argues that these facts relate to “the actual method of how the incident occurred,” so they should have been “presented by an initial or

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Golia-Huffman v. Smith's Food & Drug Centers, Inc., (D. Nev. 2024).

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