Sinclair-Lewis v. Smith's Food & Drug Centers, Inc.

CourtDistrict Court, D. Nevada
DecidedMay 16, 2023
Docket2:20-cv-02063
StatusUnknown

This text of Sinclair-Lewis v. Smith's Food & Drug Centers, Inc. (Sinclair-Lewis v. Smith's Food & Drug Centers, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Nevada primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Sinclair-Lewis v. Smith's Food & Drug Centers, Inc., (D. Nev. 2023).

Opinion

Nevada Bar #001107 2 ANDRE T. MARQUES Nevada Bar #014737 3 COOPER LEVENSON, P.A. 3016 West Charleston Boulevard - #195 4 Las Vegas, Nevada 89102 (702)366-1125 5 FAX: (702) 366-1857 jbusby@cooperlevenson.com 6 amarques@cooperlevenson.com 7 Attorneys for Defendant SMITH’S FOOD & DRUG CENTERS, INC. 8 9 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 10 DISTRICT OF NEVADA 11 SANDY ALECIA SINCLAIR-LEWIS, Case No. 2:20-cv-02063-JCM-VCF individually; 12 Plaintiffs, 13 vs. AMENDED 14 SMITH’S FOOD & DRUG CENTERS, INC. JOINT PRE-TRIAL ORDER 15 an Ohio Corporation; DOES I - X, and ROE CORPORATIONS I - X, inclusive, 16 Defendants. 17 18 After pretrial proceedings in this case, 19 IT IS ORDERED: 20 I. 21 NATURE OF THE ACTION 22 PARTIES: 23 Plaintiff: SANDY SINCLAIR-LEWIS 24 Defendant: SMITH’S FOOD & DRUG CENTERS, INC. 25 RELIEF SOUGHT: 26 Plaintiff seeks general damages for pain, suffering, and special damages for medical expenses 27 incurred and to be incurred in the future. 28 / / / 2 This case involves an alleged slip and fall accident that occurred at a Las Vegas SMITH’S 3 grocery store on May 25, 2019. The parties dispute how the incident occurred. Defendant maintains 4 that Plaintiff slipped and fell after she lost her balance while walking in the back aisle of the subject 5 store. A single photograph taken after the incident by Plaintiff’s husband appears to show a small 6 amount of liquid on the floor in the area of Plaintiff’s fall. Defendant contends that there is no 7 evidence of how the liquid came to be on the floor, but Defendant alleges it was likely caused by 8 another customer a short time prior to Plaintiff’s fall. Defendant further contends the subject aisle 9 was reasonably maintained on the date of Plaintiff’s accident, and that the subject store did not have 10 notice of the alleged foreign substance prior to the fall. 11 Plaintiff, on the other hand, contends that SMITH’S was negligent in that it created, owned, 12 controlled, inspected, and/or maintained the premises in an unstable and dangerous manner so as to 13 allow a hazardous condition, to exist on the Subject Premises. Specifically, Plaintiff alleges that a 14 nearby freezer unit malfunctioned, causing water to leak onto the sales floor, which made it 15 unreasonably slippery, and without proper warning of the hazard, caused Plaintiff, Sandy Alecia 16 Sinclair-Lewis, to slip and fall. Plaintiff further contends, prior to the subject incident, SMITH’S was 17 aware of issues with its freezer units leaking onto the sales floor, and failed to remedy the problem. 18 As a proximate result thereof, Plaintiff was seriously injured. 19 II. 20 STATEMENT OF JURISDICTION 21 This action was originated by the filing of a Complaint in the District Court, Clark County, 22 Nevada on September 11, 2020. Defendant removed the case from State Court to Federal Court on 23 November 9, 2020, citing diversity between the parties and that this Court has jurisdiction of the 24 matter under 28 U.S.C. § 1332 and 28 U.S.C § 1441(b). This Court has subject matter jurisdiction 25 over this case pursuant to 28 U.S.C.§ 1346(b)(1), part of the FTCA. 26 / / / 27 / / / 28 / / / 2 FACTS ADMITTED BY THE PARTIES AND REQUIRE NO PROOF 3 1. Venue is proper in the United States District Court for the District of Nevada in Las Vegas, Nevada. 4 2. Plaintiff slipped and fell on May 25, 2019, at a SMITH’S grocery store in Las Vegas, Nevada. 5 6 IV. 7 FACTS, THOUGH NOT ADMITTED, WILL NOT BE CONTESTED AT TRIAL BY EVIDENCE TO THE CONTRARY 8 1. Plaintiff was shopping at Smith’s Store No. 376, located at 2385 East Windmill 9 Lane, in Las Vegas, Nevada on May 25, 2019. 10 V. 11 ISSUES OF FACT TO BE TRIED AND DETERMINED UPON TRIAL 12 The following are the issues of fact to be tried and determined at trial: 13 1. Whether Smith’s acted negligently; 14 2. Whether Defendant was negligent in maintaining their premises specifically, the flooring where Plaintiff fell; 15 3. Whether Smith’s had notice of the liquid; 16 4. Whether Plaintiff was comparatively negligent; 17 5. Whether Smith’s breached any duty of care owed to Plaintiff; 18 6. Whether the medical care and treatment received by Plaintiff was reasonable and 19 necessary and proximately caused by the subject incident; 20 7. Whether the medical care and treatment received by Plaintiff was causally related to the incident concerned in this litigation; 21 8. Whether the medical damages incurred are customary and reasonable for the medical 22 services provided; 23 9. Whether Plaintiff’s damage claims are recoverable pursuant to the requirements of the law; 24 10. Whether Plaintiff failed to mitigate her damages; 25 11. Whether Plaintiff has sustained her burden of proving negligence and damages 26 pursuant to the requirement of the law. 27 / / / 28 / / / 2 ISSUES OF LAW TO BE TRIED AND DETERMINED UPON TRIAL 3 1. Whether Smith’s acted negligently; 4 2. Whether Smith’s had notice of the liquid; 5 3. Whether Plaintiff acted negligently; 6 4. Whether Smith’s breached any duty of care owed to Plaintiff; 7 5. Whether Plaintiff’s damage claims are recoverable pursuant to the requirements of the law; 8 6. Whether Plaintiff has sustained her burden of proving negligence and damages 9 pursuant to the requirement of the law. 10 VII. 11 Exhibits 12 (a) The following exhibits are stipulated into evidence in this case and may be so 13 marked by the clerk: 14 • (DEF-0000001 – DEF-0000004) - Incident Report (redacted); 15 • (DEF-0000005) - Evidence Report; 16 • (DEF-0000006 – DEF-0000007) - Sweeps/Floor Inspection Report; 17 • (DEF-0000008) - One (1) color copy of a photograph from the date of the subject incident; and 18 • One (1) compilation DVD from the date of the incident: 30192710559 – Sandy 19 Sinclair-Lewis – Date of Loss: 05/25/19 – Store 376 – DXA Files (1 of 1). 20 Counsel for the parties have stipulated to the authenticity of medical records timely produced 21 in this litigation so that neither party will need to call a Custodian of Records to authenticate medical 22 records that may be offered into evidence. 23 (b) As to the following exhibits, the party against whom the same will be offered 24 objects to their admission on the grounds stated: 25 (1) Plaintiff’s exhibits and Defendant’s objections: 26 Exhibit Bate No Description Defendant’s objection 27 28 1. ER 000001 Medical Bill from Community Fed R. Evid. 401, 402, 403, Ambulance, dated 5/25/2019 and 901. 2 2. ER000002- Medical Bill and Records from St. Rose Fed R. Evid. 401, 402, 403, ER000114 Dominican Hospital- Siena Campus, and 901. 3 dated 5/25/2019 4 3. ER000115 Medical Bill from Vituity Partners, Fed R. Evid. 401, 402, 403, dated 5/25/2019 and 901. 5 4. ER000116- Medical Bill from Radiology Associates Fed R. Evid. 401, 402, 403, ER000117 of Nevada, dated 5/25/2019 and 901. 6 5. ER000118- Medical Bill and Records from Fed R. Evid. 401, 402, 403, 7 ER000166 Steinberg Diagnostic Medical Imaging, and 901. dated 5/25/2019 – 12/9/2020 8 6. ER000167- Medical Bill and Records from Khavkin Fed R. Evid. 401, 402, 403, ER000370 Clinic, dated 6/3/2019 – 12/1/2020; and 901. 9 ER2750- 3/16/2021 – 3/23/2021 ER2754 10 7. ER000371- Medical Bill and Records from Desert Fed R. Evid. 401, 402, 403, 11 ER000395 Orthopedic Center, dated 6/5/2019 – and 901. 12/21/2020 12 8. ER000396- Medical Bill and Records from Total Fed R. Evid. 401, 402, 403, ER000446 Wellness Family Medicine, dated and 901. 13 6/6/2019 – 10/30/2019 14 9. ER000447- Medical Bill and Records from Rapid Fed R. Evid. 401, 402, 403, ER000597 Rehab and Wellness Center, dated and 901. 15 7/9/2019 – 3/17/2020 10. ER000598- Medical Bill and Records from Desert Fed R. Evid.

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Bluebook (online)
Sinclair-Lewis v. Smith's Food & Drug Centers, Inc., Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/sinclair-lewis-v-smiths-food-drug-centers-inc-nvd-2023.