Hart v. Lowe's Home Centers, LLC

CourtDistrict Court, D. Nevada
DecidedAugust 15, 2023
Docket2:20-cv-00773
StatusUnknown

This text of Hart v. Lowe's Home Centers, LLC (Hart v. Lowe's Home Centers, LLC) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Nevada primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hart v. Lowe's Home Centers, LLC, (D. Nev. 2023).

Opinion

1 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 2 DISTRICT OF NEVADA 3 DANNY JACK HART, ) 4 ) Plaintiff, ) Case No.: 2:20-cv-00773-GMN-DJA 5 vs. ) ) ORDER 6 LOWE’S HOME CENTERS, LLC, et al., ) 7 ) Defendants. ) 8 ) ) 9 10 Pending before the Court is the Motion for Summary Judgment, (ECF No. 57), filed by 11 Defendant Lowe’s Home Centers, LLC, (“Lowe’s” or “Defendant”). Plaintiff Danny Jack Hart 12 (“Hart” or “Plaintiff”) filed a Response, (ECF No. 63), to which Defendant filed a Reply, (ECF 13 No. 66). For the reasons discussed below, the Court GRANTS Defendant’s Motion for 14 Summary Judgment. 15 I. BACKGROUND 16 On April 3, 2018, Hart entered the Lowe’s store on Boulder Highway in Las Vegas, NV. 17 (Mot. Summary Judg. (“MSJ”) 2:22–24, ECF No. 57 (citing Hart Resp. First Set of 18 Interrogatories 2:19, Ex. A to MSJ, ECF No. 57-1)). Hart explained to an employee that he 19 was a disabled veteran and would need assistance with grabbing larger items, notably 6’ x 8’ 20 wooden panels. (Id. 2:25–27 (citing Hart Resp. First Set of Interrogatories 2:20–28, Ex. A to 21 MSJ)). Plaintiff was assisted by an employee, John Buchanan, in retrieving two wooden panels 22 from an area of the store that was cordoned off with a safety cable. (Id. 2:27–3:3 (citing Hart 23 Resp. First Set of Interrogatories 2:26–28, Ex. A to MSJ)). While loading the wooden panels 24 onto a shopping cart, Plaintiff’s friend, Irene Lindsay, noted that one of the panels was warped, 25 and Plaintiff requested a replacement. (Id. (citing Hart Resp. First Set of Interrogatories 3:4–6, 1 Ex. A to MSJ)). Buchanan pulled a third panel from the shelves, and Hart again noted that the 2 third panel was also warped and requested another replacement. (Id. 3:5–9 (citing Hart Resp. 3 First Set of Interrogatories 3:7–10, Ex. A to MSJ)). Buchanan then stated he “only ha[d] so 4 much time for each customer” and directed Hart to “get in there and find what you want, and I 5 [the employee] will be back.” (Hart Resp. First Set of Interrogatories 3:10–15, Ex. A to MSJ). 6 Buchanan left the aisle and Hart began inspecting different wooden panels. Shortly thereafter, 7 panels began falling onto Hart, hitting him in various areas. (MSJ 3:9–11). Although Hart 8 testified that he didn’t remember how many panels he moved, he admitted to moving at least 9 one panel while inspecting them. (Id. 4:19–28). 10 On March 25, 2020, Hart filed his lawsuit in the Eighth Judicial District Court of Clark 11 County, Nevada. (MSJ 10:9–11). Lowe’s removed to this Court on the basis of diversity 12 jurisdiction; the Court thereafter denied Hart’s Motion to Remand in which Hart alleged that 13 complete diversity no longer existed because Hart’s First Amended Complaint defeated 14 diversity by adding two defendants with the same citizenship as Hart. (See Mot. Remand 2:6– 15 11, ECF No. 42). The Court rejected this argument, finding that the operative complaint was 16 still Hart’s initial complaint because (1) the First Amended Complaint was filed without leave 17 of court, thereby making it invalid, and (2) even after receiving leave to file the First Amended 18 Complaint, Hart failed to do so. (See Order 6:4–15, ECF No. 61). Although the Court provided 19 Hart an opportunity to re-file his First Amended Complaint, Hart chose not to.1 Accordingly,

20 the initial Complaint remains operative, and the Court disregards the additional causes of action 21 asserted by Hart in the First Amended Complaint. 22 /// 23 24 1 In his First Amended Complaint, Plaintiff sought to add Jack Buchanan and Stan Gardenhire as defendants, thereby defeating diversity. Plaintiff additionally sought to add two additional causes of action: a negligent 25 hiring, training, supervision and retention claim, and a negligent inspection/maintenance claim. (See Mot. Leave, ECF No. 35). 1 The Complaint asserts three causes of action: (1) negligence; (2) strict liability; and (3) 2 loss of consortium. (See generally Compl., ECF No. 1-2). Lowe’s moved for Judgment on the 3 Pleadings on Hart’s second and third causes of action, and Hart did not file a response to 4 Lowe’s Motion. (See generally Mot. Judg. Pleadings, ECF No. 20). Noting Hart’s lack of 5 response, the Court granted judgment in favor of Lowe’s on the strict liability and loss of 6 consortium claims. Thus, the only remaining cause of action is Hart’s negligence claim. 7 Lowe’s now moves for summary judgment. 8 II. LEGAL STANDARD 9 The Federal Rules of Civil Procedure provide for summary adjudication when the 10 pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions on file, together with the 11 affidavits, if any, show that “there is no genuine dispute as to any material fact and the movant 12 is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(a). Material facts are those that 13 may affect the outcome of the case. See Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 248 14 (1986). A dispute as to a material fact is genuine if there is a sufficient evidentiary basis on 15 which a reasonable fact-finder could rely to find for the nonmoving party. See id. “The amount 16 of evidence necessary to raise a genuine issue of material fact is enough ‘to require a jury or 17 judge to resolve the parties’ differing versions of the truth at trial.’” Aydin Corp. v. Loral Corp., 18 718 F.2d 897, 902 (9th Cir. 1983) (quoting First Nat’l Bank v. Cities Serv. Co., 391 U.S. 253, 19 288–89 (1968)). “Summary judgment is inappropriate if reasonable jurors, drawing all

20 inferences in favor of the nonmoving party, could return a verdict in the nonmoving party’s 21 favor.” Diaz v. Eagle Produce Ltd. P’ship, 521 F.3d 1201, 1207 (9th Cir. 2008). A principal 22 purpose of summary judgment is “to isolate and dispose of factually unsupported claims.” 23 Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 323–24 (1986). 24 In determining summary judgment, a court applies a burden-shifting analysis. “When 25 the party moving for summary judgment would bear the burden of proof at trial, it must come 1 forward with evidence which would entitle it to a directed verdict if the evidence went 2 uncontroverted at trial. In such a case, the moving party has the initial burden of establishing 3 the absence of a genuine issue of fact on each issue material to its case.” C.A.R. Transp. 4 Brokerage Co. v. Darden Rests., Inc., 213 F.3d 474, 480 (9th Cir. 2000) (quotation marks and 5 citation omitted). In contrast, when the nonmoving party bears the burden of proving the claim 6 or defense, the moving party can meet its burden in two ways: (1) by presenting evidence to 7 negate an essential element of the nonmoving party’s case; or (2) by demonstrating that the 8 nonmoving party failed to make a showing sufficient to establish an element essential to that 9 party’s case on which that party will bear the burden of proof at trial. See Celotex Corp., 477 10 U.S. at 323–24. If the moving party fails to meet its initial burden, summary judgment must be 11 denied and the court need not consider the nonmoving party’s evidence. See Adickes v. S.H. 12 Kress & Co., 398 U.S. 144, 159–60 (1970).

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Hart v. Lowe's Home Centers, LLC, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hart-v-lowes-home-centers-llc-nvd-2023.