Rigney v. Howard Bros. Discount Stores, Inc.

387 So. 2d 38, 1980 La. App. LEXIS 4213
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedJuly 30, 1980
DocketNo. 7715
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 387 So. 2d 38 (Rigney v. Howard Bros. Discount Stores, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Rigney v. Howard Bros. Discount Stores, Inc., 387 So. 2d 38, 1980 La. App. LEXIS 4213 (La. Ct. App. 1980).

Opinion

DOMENGEAUX, Judge.

Loiva Rigney slipped and fell on an “Icee” in a Howard Brothers Discount Store in Pineville, Louisiana, on Saturday, September 16, 1978. She later sued Howard Brothers and its insurer, North-West Insurance Company, for damages, and a jury trial was held. On October 23, 1979, the twelve member jury made certain findings of fact by responding only to the first two of the six following interrogatories submitted to it, as follows:

INTERROGATORIES
1.Do you find that the plaintiff, Loiva Rigney slipped on a foreign object?
YES X NO _
If your answer is NO, then fill out the verdict sheets for both defendants. If your answer is YES, proceed to the next question.
2. Do you find that the plaintiff, Loiva Rigney received injuries as a result of this accident?
YES_ NO X
If your answer is NO, then fill out the verdict sheets for both defendants. If your answer is YES, proceed to the next question.
3. Do you find the defendant, Howard Bros. Discount Store, Inc. negligent?
YES_ NO _
If your answer is NO then fill out the verdict sheet for Howard Bros. Discount Store, Inc. If your answer is YES, proceed to the next question.
4. Do you find that the negligence of defendant, Howard Bros. Discount Store was the cause of plaintiff’s injuries?
YES_ NO _
If your answer is NO, then fill out the verdict sheet for Howard Bros. Discount Store, Inc. If your answer is YES, proceed to the next question.
5. Do you find the Plaintiff, Loiva Rigney, Contribu-torily negligent and that her negligence was the cause of her accident?
YES _ NO_
If your answer is NO, then fill out the verdict sheet for plaintiff, Loiva Rigney. If your answer is YES, then fill out verdict sheets for both defendants.
6. In terms of money, what is the amount of damages do you fix that the plaintiff, Miss Rigney, sustained as a result of her injuries?
A. Special Damages
(1) Past Medical _
(2) Future Medical and hospital expenses _
B. General Damages
(1) Physical pain, Suffering and discomfort, past and future _
(2) Mental anguish, pain and suffering, both past and future _
TOTAL _
DATED: 10-23-79 s/ Robert P. Smith
[Jury Foreman]

The judgment was signed in Howard Brothers’ favor in accordance with the jury’s findings. From this judgment plaintiff appeals arguing that while other issues, such as negligence, could have been decided either way, the jury was clearly wrong in finding that plaintiff sustained no injuries as a result of her fall. We affirm the judgment because we find that Howard Brothers was not negligent. This was an [40]*40issue not considered by the jury because of its finding that plaintiff received no injuries as a result of the fall. Since we find that the defendant was not negligent, Miss Rigney could not recover from the defendant even if she did suffer the injuries of which she complained.

Without dispute, the following facts were established by the evidence: Loiva Rigney had just purchased several small items at checkout register # 2 or #3 from cashier Trudy Broussard; as she walked through the checkout aisle toward the exit with her purchases she looked back to ascertain whether her 3-year old daughter was following her; at this point she slipped on a partially melted strawberry Icee; she did not spill the Icee nor did she see the spill before the mishap. With these facts proven, the burden of proof shifted to the defendant to go forward with the evidence and rebut the inference of negligence on its part. Gonzales v. Winn-Dixie Louisiana, Inc., 326 So.2d 486 (La.1976); Kavlich v. Kramer, 315 So.2d 282 (La.1975); Cline v. Kroger Company, Inc., 379 So.2d 1184 (La.App. 3rd Cir. 1980).

A store is not the insurer of its patrons’ safety, but it does owe a duty of reasonable care under the circumstances to protect its customers from substances on its floors. “Reasonable protective measures, including periodic inspection, must be taken to keep the aisles and floors free of substances or objects that may cause customers to fall. [Emphasis added and citations omitted.]” Gonzales v. Winn-Dixie, La., 326 So.2d at 488. Determination of whether a store’s protective measures have been reasonable is largely dependent on each case’s circumstances. Gonzales v. Winn-Dixie, supra; Givens v. National Tea Company, 347 So.2d 1194 (La.App. 1st Cir. 1977). Under the facts and evidence here, we conclude that Howard Brothers has successfully rebutted the inference of negligence on its part.

According to the testimony of O. D. Gray, who was the General Manager of this Howard Brothers store when the incident occurred, every Howard employee is trained to observe the “Golden Rule”. This rule requires that whenever an employee observes a spill or overturned carton or other aisle obstruction, he cannot leave; he must call for assistance from another employee who brings equipment necessary to clean up the hazardous area. In observance of this rule, every employee was expected to be constantly on the lookout for spills.

In addition to the on-going inspections necessitated by the Golden Rule Mr. Gray testified that he conducted a thorough store-wide inspection every morning and that the entire store was routinely cleaned every evening between 4 P. M. and 9 P. M. by an employee hired for that purpose only. Also, Mr. Gray testified that he had fallen into the habit of reinspecting the entire store every Saturday afternoon between 1 P. M. and 2 P. M.1 As part of this Saturday afternoon routine, Mr. Gray stated that he walked through every checkout aisle in search of spills or other hazards. This testimony is important because it shows that on a Saturday, a day on which the plaintiff slipped, the floor in the checkout area had been inspected by the manager of the store twice — in the early morning and again at about 2 P. M.

More crucial to our decision is the testimony of Ralph Stutson, who was the supervisor of the checkout area at the time of the fall. He emphatically testified that he passed by Trudy Broussard’s counter no more than two minutes before the accident occurred. He inspected the floor area as he passed and did not see anything on the floor. If anything, such as an Icee, had been on the floor, he would have seen it. Instead, he saw nothing.

Mr. Stutson’s testimony is partly corroborated by a fact established by the testimony of the plaintiff. Miss Rigney testified that [41]*41she slipped on a partially frozen Icee. Mr.

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Bluebook (online)
387 So. 2d 38, 1980 La. App. LEXIS 4213, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/rigney-v-howard-bros-discount-stores-inc-lactapp-1980.