Santiago v. Virgin Islands Housing Authority

57 V.I. 256, 2012 WL 3191360, 2012 V.I. Supreme LEXIS 57
CourtSupreme Court of The Virgin Islands
DecidedJuly 31, 2012
DocketS. Ct. Civil No. 2010-0010
StatusPublished
Cited by30 cases

This text of 57 V.I. 256 (Santiago v. Virgin Islands Housing Authority) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of The Virgin Islands primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Santiago v. Virgin Islands Housing Authority, 57 V.I. 256, 2012 WL 3191360, 2012 V.I. Supreme LEXIS 57 (virginislands 2012).

Opinions

OPINION OF THE COURT

(July 31,2012)

Hodge, Chief Justice.

Appellant Edna Santiago seeks reversal and remand of the Superior Court’s November 3, 2007 Order granting [261]*261summary judgment in favor of Appellee ABC Compounding Company, Inc. (ABC Compounding), and its June 11, 2008 Order granting the motion to dismiss filed by Appellee ABC Janitors of St. Croix, Inc. (ABC Janitors). For the reasons that follow, this Court affirms the Superior Court’s order granting ABC Janitor’s motion to dismiss and reverses and remands its order granting ABC Compounding’s motion for summary judgment.

I. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

This case arises out of two incidents that occurred on October 22 and 23, 2001, allegedly resulting in injuries to Santiago. Santiago alleges that on October 22, 2001, she slipped and fell in the bathroom of her Frederiksted, St. Croix apartment. The apartment is a part of a housing community operated and managed by Virgin Islands Housing Authority (VIHA). Santiago claims that she fell because sewage water drained into her apartment. Santiago contacted the management of the housing community the next day to report the incident. On October 23, 2001, VIHA sent Norman Stanley, a maintenance worker, to Santiago’s residence to assist with the cleanup of the sewage and to unclog the sewer line. In order to unclog the sewer line, Stanley used a product that was later identified as “Red Hot Sewer Solvent.” He poured some of the sewer solvent down the main sewer line, which was located outside of Santiago’s back door. Upon contact with the water in the sewer pipes, the sewer solvent foamed and emitted a foul odor. Santiago stated that she closed the door, but the fumes had already permeated the apartment and had begun to irritate and burn Santiago’s eyes, throat, nose, and face. As a result, Santiago alleges that she has suffered physical injuries, medical expenses, and pain and suffering.

On August 26, 2002, Santiago filed suit in the Superior Court alleging claims against VIHA and Taylor Labs, Inc. for the injuries she allegedly sustained on October 22 and 23, 2001. On January 30, 2003, VIHA responded to a request for interrogatories from Taylor Labs, which revealed that ABC Compounding, not Taylor Labs, was the manufacturer of the sewer solvent, and that ABC Janitors was the seller and distributor of the sewer solvent. This response was also served on Santiago. Based on this information, Santiago moved to amend her original complaint and substitute ABC Compounding for Taylor Labs. Santiago’s motion to amend her complaint was granted on April 22, 2003, and ABC [262]*262Compounding became a party to the action while Taylor Labs was dismissed as a defendant. On June 13, 2003, VIHA filed a motion for leave to file a third party complaint against BC Engineering Supplies, Inc. (BC Supplies) because its records indicated that BC Supplies distributed the sewer solvent and was one company that had sold the sewer solvent to VIHA around the time of the incident involving Santiago. In response, Santiago moved to amend the first amended complaint and add BC Supplies as a defendant. The Superior Court granted both motions on August 18,2003. On August 4, 2004, VIHA filed another motion for leave to file a third party complaint against ABC Janitors on the basis that ABC Janitors also sold the sewer solvent to VIHA. Santiago subsequently sought leave to file a third amended complaint adding ABC Janitors as a defendant on August 23, 2004. The Superior Court granted both motions on September 23, 2004.

On November 29, 2004, ABC Janitors moved to dismiss the claims against it, asserting that the two-year statute of limitations applicable to Santiago’s claims, as imposed by title 5, section 31(5)(A) of the Virgin Islands Code, had expired before it was served with the third amended complaint. Santiago filed an opposition to the motion, arguing that the discovery rule applied and that the statute of limitations accrued in January 2003, when Santiago first learned that ABC Janitors may have contributed to the causation of her injuries. Alternatively, Santiago contended that the complaint against ABC Janitors related back to the filing date of the complaint against BC Supplies such that the applicable two year statute of limitation did not bar Santiago’s claims against ABC Janitors. VIHA moved for partial summary judgment against Santiago on February 4, 2005, seeking to preclude any claims or judgments against VIHA in excess of the statutory mandatory limit of fifty thousand dollars ($50,000.00) pursuant to 29 V.I.C. § 87. BC Supplies also moved for summary judgment, claiming that it had never sold the sewer solvent. Santiago did not oppose BC Supplies’ motion, and also moved to dismiss BC Supplies as a defendant. On September 7, 2005, ABC Compounding filed a motion for summary judgment arguing the claims against it were preempted by the Federal Hazardous Substances Act (FHSA). On September 22, 2005, ABC Janitors filed a motion for relief from the Superior Court’s September 23, 2004 Order granting Santiago’s motion for leave to file the second amended complaint. The relief requested by [263]*263ABC Janitors was essentially the same relief sought by its prior motion to dismiss.

The Superior Court held oral arguments on all pending motions on October 17, 2007. On November 3, 2007, the Superior Court entered a Memorandum Opinion and Order: 1) granting in part VIHA’s motion for partial summary judgment; 2) finding that Santiago’s claims against ABC Compounding were preempted by the FHSA, and granting ABC Compounding’s motion for summary judgment; and 3) granting in part ABC Janitors’ motion to dismiss as it related to the discovery rule, but allowing Santiago the opportunity to conduct discovery to determine whether Santiago’s attempts to join ABC Janitors related back to the date of her filing against BC Supplies under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 15(c)(1)(C). Santiago filed a motion for Rule 54(b) certification of the Superior Court’s November 3, 2007 Memorandum Opinion and Order, and on March 13, 2008, ABC Janitors renewed its motion to dismiss. On June 11, 2008, the Superior Court granted ABC Janitors’ motion to dismiss and denied Santiago’s motion for Rule 54(b) certification.

Santiago settled her remaining claims against VIHA, and stipulated to its dismissal from the action on October 2, 2009. The Superior Court granted the dismissal of VIHA on January 4, 2010. Santiago filed her timely notice of appeal on January 21, 2010.

II. DISCUSSION

A. Jurisdiction and Standard of Review

Title 4, section 32(a) of the Virgin Islands Code gives this Court “jurisdiction over all appeals arising from final judgments, final decrees or final orders of the Superior Court, or as otherwise provided by law.” 4 V.I.C. § 32(a). This matter involved multiple defendants and several orders of dismissal and summary judgment. However, the final order disposing of all claims occurred when the Superior Court granted the stipulated dismissal of Santiago’s claims against VIHA on January 4, 2010. Accordingly, this Court possesses jurisdiction over Santiago’s appeal. See V.I.S.Ct.R. 5(a)(1).

Our standard of review in examining the Superior Court’s application of law is plenary, while findings of fact are reviewed only for clear error. St. Thomas-St. John Bd. of Elections v. Daniel, 49 V.I. 322, 329 (V.I. 2007).

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Bluebook (online)
57 V.I. 256, 2012 WL 3191360, 2012 V.I. Supreme LEXIS 57, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/santiago-v-virgin-islands-housing-authority-virginislands-2012.