Luther v. Carnival Corp.

99 F. Supp. 3d 1368, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 51875, 2015 WL 1727697
District Court, S.D. Florida·Decided April 1, 2015·No. Case No. 14-CV-20132·Published·Cited by 5 cases

Opinion

ORDER

KATHLEEN M. WILLIAMS, District Judge.

THIS MATTER is before the Court on Defendant’s motion for summary judgment. (DE 27). For the reasons stated below, the Defendant’s motion is GRANTED.

I. Background1

This case arises from Plaintiff Gail Luther’s injuries from a slip-and-fall accident while she was a passenger aboard Defendant’s cruise ship, the Carnival Sensation. (DE 27 Undisputed Material Facts (“UMF”) ¶ 1). The single count of the complaint alleges that Defendant’s negligence makes it hable for Luther’s “traumatic hip injury” sustained when she slipped and fell on the deck of the ship following a period of rainy weather. (DE 1 ¶¶ 11-15,17(a); DE 28 at 2).

After boarding the ship, Luther and her traveling companions attended a muster meeting, which took place indoors. (UMF ¶¶ 3-4). At the suggestion of her companions, Luther went outside to view the lifeboats after the meeting.2 Luther noticed [1370] that the deck both “looked wet from raining earlier” and was in fact wet with rain water. (UMF ¶¶ 9-10).3 Luther then injured her hip when she slipped and fell on the deck. (UMF ¶ 13). There is no allegation that the deck was negligently designed or constructed. Similarly, although the pleading and Luther’s response to the motion for summary judgment are replete with references to the “slippery” deck, there is no allegation that the wood deck was unreasonably slippery or constructed of a defective material that was extraordinarily slippery when wet. (See, e.g., DE 28 at 6).

II. Summary Judgment Standard

Summary judgment is appropriate “if the movant shows that there is no genuine dispute as to any material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.” Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(a). Under this standard, “[o]nly disputes over facts that might affect the outcome of the suit under the governing [substantive] law will properly preclude the entry of summary judgment.” Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 248, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986). And any such dispute is “genuine” only “if the evidence is such that a reasonable- jury could return a verdict for the nonmoving party.” Id.

In evaluating a motion for summary judgment, the Court considers the evidence in the record, “including depositions, documents, electronically stored information, affidavits or declarations, stipulations ..., admissions, interrogatory answers, or others materials ...” Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(c)(1)(A). The Court “must view all the evidence and all factual inferences reasonably drawn from the evidence in the light most favorable to the nonmoving party, and must resolve all reasonable doubts about the facts in favor of the non-movant.” Rioux v. City of Atlanta, 520 F.3d 1269, 1274 (11th Cir.2008) (quotation marks and citations omitted).

III. Analysis

Claims arising from alleged tort actions aboard ships sailing in navigable waters are governed by general maritime law. Keefe v. Bahama Cruise Line, Inc., 867 F.2d 1318, 1320 (11th Cir.1989). Under maritime law, a shipowner has a duty to exercise reasonable care to those aboard the vessel who are not members of the crew. Kermarec v. Compagnie Generale Transatlantique, 358 U.S. 625, 630, 79 S.Ct. 406, 3 L.Ed.2d 550 (1959). However, a shipowner “is not liable to passengers as an insurer, but only for its negligence.” Keefe, 867 F.2d at 1322. To prove negligence, Plaintiff must show: (1) that Defendant had a duty to protect Plaintiff from a particular injury; (2) that Defendant breached the duty; (3) that the breach was the actual and proximate cause of Plaintiffs injury; and (4) that Plaintiff suffered damages. Chaparro v. Carnival Corp., 693 F.3d 1333, 1336 (11th Cir.2012). In maritime claims against a vessel owner, a plaintiff must show that a shipowner had “actual or constructive notice of the risk-creating condition” before negligence liability can be imposed. Keefe, 867 F.2d at 1322. While carriers have a duty to warn passengers of dangers, this duty extends only to those dangers “which are not apparent and obvious to the passenger.” Luby v. Carnival Cruise Lines, Inc., 633 F.Supp. 40, 41 n. 1 (S.D.Fla.1986) (citing N.V. Stoomvaart Maatschappij ‘Nederland’ v. Throner, 345 F.2d 472 (5th Cir.1965)). The “mere fact that one slips and [1371] falls on a floor does not constitute evidence of negligence, nor does the fact that a floor was slick make the owner liable.” Wish v. MSC Crociere S.A., Case No. 07-60980-CIV, 2008 WL 5187149, at *3 (S.D.Fla. Nov. 24, 2008).

In this case, Luther’s theory of liability is that “defendant had a duty to act as to the wet deck and wholly failed to do so.” (DE 28 at 6). It is not clear what Plaintiff contends Defendant ought to have done, but Luther vaguely suggests that “Defendant should have inspected and prepared the Lido deck for its fare-paying passengers after the meeting.” (DE 28 at 5). Defendant casts the issue differently; in its view, the danger at issue is the everyday risk of walking on a wet outdoor surface after a period of rain. Defendant argues that this danger is so apparent and obvious that it absolves Defendant of any liability.

Luther does not claim that the deck was more slippery than could ordinarily be expected and courts have found that the slickness of a rain soaked deck does not, by itself, establish negligence. See, e.g., Wish, 2008 WL 5137149 at *3. Luther’s testimony demonstrates that she recognized and appreciated the risk of slipping when walking on the deck (UMF ¶ 11); she testified that she noticed the wetness of the deck and stepped “prudently,” further indication that she appreciated the everyday risk that comes with walking on a wet surface. (DE 28 at 2). Thus, her testimony makes clear that she was aware of the wet deck, and that the danger was apparent and obvious.

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Luther v. Carnival Corp., 99 F. Supp. 3d 1368, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 51875, 2015 WL 1727697 (S.D. Fla. 2015).

99 F. Supp. 3d 1368 (Luther v. Carnival Corp.) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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