Sanders v. Riverboat Corp.

913 So. 2d 351, 2005 WL 894852
CourtCourt of Appeals of Mississippi
DecidedApril 19, 2005
Docket2003-CA-00645-COA
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 913 So. 2d 351 (Sanders v. Riverboat Corp.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Mississippi primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Sanders v. Riverboat Corp., 913 So. 2d 351, 2005 WL 894852 (Mich. Ct. App. 2005).

Opinion

913 So.2d 351 (2005)

Sherri SANDERS, A Wrongful Death Heir and Beneficiary on behalf of Joshua Sanders, A Minor, and The Estate of Joshua Sanders, Deceased, Appellant
v.
RIVERBOAT CORPORATION OF MISSISSIPPI-VICKSBURG d/b/a Isle of Capri Casino and The City of Vicksburg, Mississippi, Appellees.

No. 2003-CA-00645-COA.

Court of Appeals of Mississippi.

April 19, 2005.

*352 Carroll Rhodes, Hazlehurst, attorney for appellant.

Victoria Hardy Rundlett, B. Stevens Hazard, Jackson, Gerald E. Braddock, Vicksburg, attorneys for appellees.

Before BRIDGES, P.J., GRIFFIS and ISHEE, JJ.

*353 GRIFFIS, J., for the Court.

¶ 1. Sherri Sanders, a wrongful death heir and beneficiary on behalf of Joshua Sanders, a minor, and the estate of Joshua Sanders, deceased filed this wrongful death action against the Riverboat Corporation of Mississippi-Vicksburg d/b/a Isle of Capri Casino (hereinafter "Isle of Capri") and the City of Vicksburg. At the end of the plaintiff's case-in-chief, the Warren County Circuit Court granted the Rule 41(b) motion to dismiss of the City of Vicksburg and the Isle of Capri. Finding no reversible error, we affirm the trial court's judgment.

FACTS

¶ 2. On June 29, 2001, Sherry Sanders was employed by the Isle of Capri Casino and was pregnant. Throughout that morning, Sanders experienced some minor pains. Sanders reported to work at 1:00 p.m. She was employed as a guest services representative. At approximately 5:05 p.m., while sitting at a computer, Sanders noticed blood on her shoes. At 5:15 p.m., Sanders told her co-worker Tracy Franklin to call her mother.

¶ 3. Sanders went into the restroom where her supervisors, Chandra Winters and Missy Lawrence, accompanied her. Lawrence told Sanders to lay on the floor. Sanders remained on the floor where she allegedly began "gushing" so much blood that Winters removed her pants and wrapped towels around her legs. Sanders remained in the restroom while a security officer called 911 at 5:59 p.m.

¶ 4. At approximately 6:05 p.m., the City of Vicksburg's emergency medical technician Willie Holt and paramedic Goodwin arrived at the Isle of Capri. The EMT and paramedic examined Sanders but did not see any bleeding. Sanders was placed on a stretcher and taken to the elevator. The elevator malfunctioned while Sanders was inside stopping between two floors. Sanders testified that she was trapped in the elevator for ten minutes before reaching the lower floor. She was taken immediately to the ambulance for further assessment. After another ten minutes, the ambulance departed the casino at 6:32 p.m.

¶ 5. At 6:44 p.m., Sanders arrived at the hospital complaining of severe vaginal bleeding and abdominal pain. Sanders was diagnosed to have had a placental abruption. Forty-one minutes after arriving at the hospital, Joshua was born at 7:25 p.m. Five weeks later, on August 7, 2001, Joshua died from complications due to the placental abruption.

¶ 6. A bench trial was held on October 14, 2002, in the Warren County Circuit Court. At the close of Sanders' case-in-chief, the City of Vicksburg moved for a directed verdict based upon Sanders' failure to show a breach in the standard of care owed her by the City. The Isle of Capri also moved for a directed verdict based upon Sanders' failure to prove causation between Joshua's death and the actions or inactions of the Isle of Capri. The trial court ruled that a directed verdict was not proper, but rather treated the motions as Rule 41(b) motions to dismiss. Finding neither a breach in the standard of care nor causation, the court granted the motions.

¶ 7. On appeal, Sanders claims that the trial court (1) applied an erroneous legal standard in ruling on the City of Vicksburg's motion to dismiss, (2) erred in its determination of whether the City of Vicksburg performed a discretionary function and was thereby immune under Mississippi Tort Claims Act, (3) erred in granting a dismissal to the Isle of Capri, and (4) erred in failing to consider the alleged combined negligence of the City of Vicksburg and the Isle of Capri.

*354 ANALYSIS

I. Whether the trial court applied an erroneous legal standard in ruling on the City of Vicksburg's Motion to Dismiss.

¶ 8. In clarifying the correct standard of review for a Rule 41(b) motion to dismiss, the Mississippi Supreme Court in Stewart v. Merchants Nat. Bank, 700 So.2d 255 (Miss.1997), stated:

The standard of review applicable on motion to dismiss under Rule 41(b) is different tha[n that] applicable to a motion for a directed verdict. Century 21 Deep S. Properties, Ltd. v. Corson, 612 So.2d 359 (Miss.1992); Real Estate Comm'n v. Geico Fin. Serv., 602 So.2d 1155 (Miss.1992); Mitchell v. Rawls, 493 So.2d 361, 362-63 (Miss.1986); Davis v. Clement, 468 So.2d 58, 61-62 (Miss. 1985). In considering a motion to dismiss, the judge should consider "the evidence fairly, as distinguished from in the light most favorable to the plaintiff," and the judge should dismiss the case if it would find for the defendant. Corson, 612 So.2d at 369. "The court must deny a motion to dismiss only if the judge would be obliged to find for the plaintiff if the plaintiff's evidence were all the evidence offered in the case." Id. "This Court applies the substantial evidence/manifest error standards to an appeal of a grant or denial of a motion to dismiss pursuant to M.R.C.P. 41(b)." Id.

Stewart, 700 So.2d at 258-59 (emphasis added).

¶ 9. Sanders argues that the trial court was obliged to find for her given that only her evidence had been presented. She contends that it was error to grant a dismissal when the City of Vicksburg had yet to present any evidence. Sanders correctly relies upon Stewart, but misinterprets the court's holding.

¶ 10. The correct standard of review required the trial court to dismiss Sanders' claim if the trial court would have found for the City of Vicksburg with only Sanders' evidence offered. Id. at 259. The trial court was required to consider the evidence "fairly" rather than "in the light most favorable to [Sanders]." Id. We find that the trial court correctly applied the standard of review. We are now faced with the question of whether there was substantial evidence to support the trial court's finding.

¶ 11. The trial court's ruling was supported by substantial evidence. The paramedic testified that the "hallmark signs" of a placental abruption, excruciating pain and excessive bleeding, were not present. When they arrived in the restroom, both Goodwin and Holt testified that they did not see blood. Blood was neither found on the stretcher nor on the sheets. Sanders testified that blood was not found because her co-workers had wiped the blood from the floor. However, the trial court found that since neither Goodwin nor Holt testified that they saw blood then it could only find such a decision to be discretionary. Therefore, given that Sanders' condition was abnormal, whether to treat the situation as a "load and go" required Goodwin and Holt to use their own judgment. The trial court correctly deemed the paramedic's decision as discretionary.

¶ 12. Accordingly, we find this issue to lack merit.

II. Whether the trial court erred by determining that the City of Vicksburg performed a discretionary function and thereby immune under the MTCA.

¶ 13. Sanders argues that the trial court erred in finding the City of Vicksburg's employees' conduct to be discretionary *355

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Bluebook (online)
913 So. 2d 351, 2005 WL 894852, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/sanders-v-riverboat-corp-missctapp-2005.