Poe v. IMC PHOSPHATES MP, INC.

885 So. 2d 397, 2004 WL 2308995
CourtDistrict Court of Appeal of Florida
DecidedOctober 15, 2004
Docket2D03-4405
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 885 So. 2d 397 (Poe v. IMC PHOSPHATES MP, INC.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court of Appeal of Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Poe v. IMC PHOSPHATES MP, INC., 885 So. 2d 397, 2004 WL 2308995 (Fla. Ct. App. 2004).

Opinion

885 So.2d 397 (2004)

Scotty Lamar POE, individually, and Jessica Diane Poe, his wife; and Scotty Lamar Poe and Jessica Diane Poe, as the natural parents and next friends of Nicholas Scott Poe, Megan Diane Poe, and Jordan David Poe, minor children, Appellants,
v.
IMC PHOSPHATES MP, INC., a Florida corporation; Hillsborough County, a municipal corporation; and Brainard Hunting Harris, Appellees.

No. 2D03-4405.

District Court of Appeal of Florida, Second District.

October 15, 2004.

*398 Paul B. Catania and Paul S. Reed of Catania & Catania, P.A., Tampa, for Appellants.

Richard R. Garland of Dickinson & Gibbons, P.A., Sarasota, for Appellee IMC Phosphates MP, Inc.

No appearance for Appellees Hillsborough County and Brainard Hunting Harris.

WALLACE, Judge.

This is a premises liability case. Scotty Lamar Poe and Jessica Diane Poe, his wife, individually and on behalf of their minor children, challenge a final summary judgment that dismissed their personal injury action against IMC Phosphates MP, Inc. (IMC). Mr. Poe drove his vehicle at night from the public highway onto an abandoned entrance to an old phosphate mine owned by IMC, where Mr. Poe's vehicle crashed into a large metal pipe that IMC had positioned about twenty feet inside the entrance to its property as a barrier to vehicles. Upon a review of the record, we conclude that IMC failed to meet its burden on summary judgment of showing the absence of any genuine issue of material fact and that it was entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Accordingly, we reverse the summary judgment, and we remand this case to the circuit court for further proceedings.

THE FACTS

The accident occurred in a rural area of southeastern Hillsborough County.[1] On *399 the night of August 27, 1999, Mr. Poe, who had limited experience driving in the area, was traveling east on Welcome Road toward Keysville Road East, where he intended to turn. Welcome ends at Keysville, forming a "T" intersection. IMC's property lies east of Keysville, directly across from the intersection with Welcome. A stop sign at the corner of Welcome and Keysville controlled the traffic traveling east on Welcome, which is required to turn at Keysville. The intersection was not illuminated, nor was the entrance to IMC's property. Deposition testimony in the record was in sharp conflict as to whether, at the time of the accident, the stop sign was in its intended position or was bent out of place so that it would not be clearly visible to a driver approaching Keysville on Welcome. Deposition testimony from some area residents also indicated that displacement of the sign was not an unusual occurrence. One local resident testified that he had just reinserted the sign the day before the accident, but the morning after the accident, it was again out of position.[2]

IMC's property had a paved driveway providing an apparent entrance to the property from Keysville. The entrance, which was not illuminated, had the appearance of a continuation of Welcome. The paved portion of the entrance was formerly part of a road that extended into IMC's property, and motorists continued to use the paved portion of the entrance as a turnaround. However, about twenty feet back from the eastern edge of Keysville, a large pipe barrier lay horizontally across the entrance at a point where the pavement ended and where the area turned into a grassy pass. IMC had placed the pipe across the entrance to block access to all-terrain vehicles. Riders on such vehicles occasionally used IMC's old phosphate mine to ride for recreational purposes. The pipe was a rusty brown color and was neither reflective nor painted a bright color so as to be visible at night. Welcome slopes downward approaching Keysville, leveling at Keysville. Because of Welcome's slope — according to a long-time area resident-the lights of a vehicle on Welcome approaching Keysville at night would not illuminate Keysville or the pipe on IMC's property until the vehicle reached the intersection of Keysville and Welcome. There was no sign or other warning at the entrance to IMC's property of the large pipe just beyond the entrance.

Without stopping at Keysville, Mr. Poe drove through the "T" intersection onto the pavement at the entrance to IMC's property and collided head-on with the pipe. The force of the collision caused serious physical injuries to Mr. Poe and to his three young children who accompanied him in the vehicle. Mr. Poe testified at his deposition that he did not see a stop sign at Welcome and Keysville and that he thought the pavement on IMC's property to the east of Keysville was a continuation of Welcome. Mr. Poe testified further that he did not see a sign restricting access to IMC's property and did not see the pipe at the end of the paved portion of IMC's property.

In opposition to IMC's motion for summary judgment, Mr. and Mrs. Poe submitted the affidavit of an expert witness, Denny V. Kunak, who held a Doctorate of Science degree in human factors engineering and a Ph.D. in management. Dr. Kunak visited the accident site and reviewed the deposition testimony, the accident reports, *400 a videotape, and photographs of the scene. Dr. Kunak opined, in substance, that the design of IMC's entrance — coupled with the use of a nonreflective "heavy and unforgiving industrial pipe" as a vehicle stop — contributed significantly to the accident and failed to minimize possible collision damage. Dr. Kunak also observed that IMC could have achieved its purpose by using a different type of fencing together with the easily visible lightweight barricades used in road construction projects and a sign with the words "Road Closed."

THE CIRCUIT COURT PROCEEDINGS

In the circuit court, the parties focused their arguments on whether Mr. Poe was an invitee, a licensee, or a trespasser on IMC's property and on the resulting duty of care owed by IMC to Mr. Poe.[3] IMC argued that Mr. Poe was a trespasser on its property, not an invitee. On appeal, IMC argues that Mr. Poe was either a trespasser or, at best, an uninvited licensee. Thus IMC's duty to Mr. Poe was only "to avoid willful and wanton harm to him, and to warn him of a defect or condition known by the landowner to be dangerous when such danger is not open to ordinary observation by the licensee or trespasser." Morris v. Florentes, Inc., 421 So.2d 582, 583 (Fla. 5th DCA 1982). According to IMC, the large pipe was open and obvious to motorists, and it was not foreseeable that Mr. Poe would drive past the stop sign at Welcome, cross Keysville onto IMC's paved road segment, and crash into the pipe. IMC contended that it had not breached any duty that it may have owed to Mr. Poe.

On the other hand, Mr. and Mrs. Poe argued that Mr. Poe was on IMC's property by an implied invitation to enter because IMC's paved road at the top of the "T" intersection appeared to be a continuation of Welcome. If Mr. Poe was an invitee on IMC's property, as Mr. and Mrs. Poe contended, then IMC owed him a duty to keep the property reasonably safe and to protect him from dangers of which IMC was, or should have been, aware. Post v. Lunney, 261 So.2d 146, 147 (Fla.1972). In the alternative, Mr. and Mrs. Poe argued that even if Mr. Poe was an uninvited licensee or a trespasser as IMC contended, the placement of an unmarked, nonreflective rigid pipe at the end of IMC's pavement that appeared to be a continuation of Welcome constituted willful and wanton misconduct. The circuit court entered final summary judgment in favor of IMC.

THE STANDARD OF REVIEW

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Bluebook (online)
885 So. 2d 397, 2004 WL 2308995, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/poe-v-imc-phosphates-mp-inc-fladistctapp-2004.