Justin Leonard v. Grubb & Ellis Equity Advisors

CourtCourt of Appeals of Washington
DecidedAugust 19, 2013
Docket67343-2
StatusUnpublished

This text of Justin Leonard v. Grubb & Ellis Equity Advisors (Justin Leonard v. Grubb & Ellis Equity Advisors) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Washington primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Justin Leonard v. Grubb & Ellis Equity Advisors, (Wash. Ct. App. 2013).

Opinion

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IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON

JUSTIN LEONARD, No. 67343-2-1

Appellant, DIVISION ONE

v.

GRUBB & ELLIS EQUITY ADVISORS, UNPUBLISHED PROPERTY MANAGEMENT, INC., a Delaware corporation doing business in FILED: August 19, 2013 the state of Washington; KONE, INC., a Delaware corporation doing business in the state of Washington; OTIS ELEVATOR CO., a New Jersey corporation doing business in the state of Washington; MICROSOFT CORP., a Washington corporation; PUGET SOUND ENERGY, INC., a Washington corporation,

Respondents.

Cox, J. — The elements of a negligence claim that a plaintiff must prove

are duty, breach, causation, and injury.1 Duty is a question of law for the courts to decide.2

1 Xiao Ping Chen v. City of Seattle, 153 Wn. App. 890, 899, 223 P.3d 1230 (2009) (quoting Keller v. City of Spokane, 146Wn.2d 237, 242, 44 P.3d 845 (2002)).

2 Michaels V.CH2M Hill. Inc., 171 Wn.2d 587, 597, 257 P.3d 532 (2011). No. 67343-2-1/2

Here, Justin Leonard fails to show that Grubb & Ellis Advisors, Inc. owed

him a duty. Accordingly, there are no genuine issues of material fact for trial.

The trial court properly granted summary judgment dismissing this action. We

affirm.

The facts are largely undisputed. On July 25, 2007, there was a power

fluctuation at the Microsoft campus in Redmond. This power interruption caused

three "chiller plants," which housed part of the campus's air regulation system, to

shut down briefly. When the power was restored, all three plants started up at

the same time. The large increase in current overloaded the electrical system on

the campus and blew a fuse. This blown fuse caused power outages to several

buildings on the Microsoft campus including building 26.

Before the power outage, Leonard, an employee of Microsoft, entered an

elevator in building 26. When the power went out, the elevator's emergency

breaks activated. Leonard claims to have been injured when the elevator

stopped suddenly.

Leonard sued five defendants for negligence: Grubb & Ellis; Microsoft

Corp.; Otis Elevator, Co.; Puget Sound Energy, Inc.; and Kone, Inc. It appears

that Leonard voluntarily dismissed his claims against Microsoft and Otis. The

trial court granted Kone's and Puget Sound Energy's motions for summary

judgment.

The remaining defendant, Grubb & Ellis, the property managers for the

Microsoft Redmond campus at the time of power disruption, moved for summary

judgment. The trial court granted the motion. No. 67343-2-1/3

Leonard appeals.

DUTY

Leonard argues that there are genuine issues of material fact for trial on

his negligence claim against Grubb & Ellis. Specifically, he argues that as a

Microsoft employee, it was foreseeable that he would be harmed or injured when

Grubb & Ellis allegedly failed to adequately operate, maintain, and manage

electrical equipment in their control. We hold that Leonard's failure to

demonstrate that Grubb & Ellis owed him any duty supports the grant of its

motion for summary judgment.

In a motion for summary judgment, "the moving party bears the initial

burden of showing the absence of an issue of material fact."3 The moving party may meet this initial burden "by 'showing—that is, pointing out to the [trial]

court—that there is an absence of evidence to support the nonmoving party's

case.'"4 "If the moving party is a defendant and meets this initial showing, then the inquiry shifts to the party with the burden of proof at trial, the plaintiff."5 The plaintiff must then "'make a showing sufficient to establish the existence of an

element essential to that party's case, and on which that party will bear the

burden of proof at trial....'"6

3Youngv.KevPharm., Inc.. 112 Wn.2d 216, 225, 770 P.2d 182(1989).

4]p\ at 225 n.1 (quoting Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 325, 106 S. Ct. 2548, 91 L. Ed. 2d 265 (1986)).

5 Id at 225 (footnote omitted). 6]p\ (quoting Celotex. 477 U.S. at 322). No. 67343-2-1/4

This court reviews de novo a trial court's order granting a party's motion

for summary judgment.7 "Summary judgment should be upheld if the pleadings, affidavits, depositions, and admissions on file demonstrate that there is no

genuine issue as to any material fact and the moving party is entitled to judgment

as a matter of law."8

"The elements of negligence are duty, breach, causation, and injury.'"9 Duty is a question of law for the court to decide.10 An "'actor ordinarily has a duty to exercise reasonable care when the actor's conduct creates a risk of physical

harm.'"11

To determine whether a duty is owed to a plaintiff, a court must:

not only decide who owes the duty, but also to whom the duty is owed, and what is the nature of the duty owed. The answer to the second question defines the class protected by the duty and the answer to the third question defines the standard of care.[12]

7Sheikh v. Choe. 156 Wn.2d 441, 447, 128 P.3d 574 (2006) (quoting Jones v. Allstate Ins. Co.. 146 Wn.2d 291, 300, 45 P.3d 1068 (2002)).

8 Hutchins v. 1001 Fourth Ave. Assocs.. 116 Wn.2d 217, 220, 802 P.2d 1360(1991).

9Xiao Ping Chen, 153 Wn. App. at 899 (quoting Keller, 146 Wn.2d at 242).

10 Michaels. 171 Wn.2d at 597.

11 Id. at 608 (quoting Restatement (Third) of Torts: Liability for Physical and Emotional Harm § 7(a) (2010)).

12 Keller. 146 Wn.2d at 243 (citing Wick v. Clark County. 86 Wn. App. 376, 385-86, 936 P.2d 1201 (1997) (Morgan, J., concurring)). No. 67343-2-1/5

"When a duty is found to exist from the defendant to the plaintiff then

concepts offoreseeability serve to define the scope of the duty owed."13 Here, as the supreme court's opinion in Schoolev v. Pinch's Deli Market,

Inc. makes clear, the threshold question is whether Grubb & Ellis owed a duty to

Leonard.14 In its motion for summary judgment, Grubb &Ellis argued that it "does not have a duty to provide a steady flow of electricity to the Microsoft

Campus, or to prevent power fluctuations and/or power surges which originate

from PSE."15 Based on this assertion, the burden then shifted to Leonard to

demonstrate that Grubb &Ellis did owe him a duty, and what that duty was.16 He failed to do so.

Leonard argues that "Grubb &Ellis clearly owed [him] a duty . . . .17 But, nowhere in his briefing either here or before the trial court does he clarify what

duty he asserts is so "clear." Likewise, he fails to cite pertinent authority to show

the existence of any duty. Accordingly, the trial court properly dismissed

Leonard's negligence claim.18

13 Schoolev v. Pinch's Deli Mkt. Inc.. 134 Wn.2d 468, 475, 951 P.2d 749 (1998).

14 jd, at 474-75.

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