Spear ex rel. Spear v. Heine Meine, Inc.

343 S.W.2d 1, 1961 Mo. LEXIS 736
CourtSupreme Court of Missouri
DecidedJanuary 9, 1961
DocketNo. 47832
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 343 S.W.2d 1 (Spear ex rel. Spear v. Heine Meine, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Missouri primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Spear ex rel. Spear v. Heine Meine, Inc., 343 S.W.2d 1, 1961 Mo. LEXIS 736 (Mo. 1961).

Opinion

DALTON, Judge.

This is an action for damages for personal injuries sustained by plaintiff, a spectator at a baseball game, when she was struck and severely injured by a foul ball, resulting in the loss of sight in her left eye. The action was instituted against defendant, Heine Meine, Inc., a corporation, the owner of the baseball field and against its lessee, Lemay Baseball Association, a corporation, under whose sponsorship the baseball game was being played. At the close of all the evidence the court directed a verdict in favor of the latter corporation (a charitable, nonprofit corporation incorporated by pro forma decree), hereinafter referred to as Association. The cause was submitted against Heine Meine, Inc. (hereinafter referred to as defendant) on the theory that plaintiff, at the time she was injured, was a business invitee of said defendant to whom defendant owed the duty of exercising ordinary care and prudence to maintain the premises in a reasonably safe condition for her use. Plaintiff’s verdict-directing instruction submitted a finding that defendant was in possession and control of the premises where plaintiff was injured; that defendant negligently failed “to provide a reasonably safe means, immediately next to and adjacent to the screened seats, for its patrons and customers to enter and to exit from the said seats or stands behind the screened backstop”; and that such negligence of defendant caused plaintiff’s injuries. Verdict and judgment were for plaintiff for $40,000. Defendant has appealed and here contends that plaintiff failed to make a submissible case for the jury and that the court erred (1) in overruling its motion for a directed verdict in its favor at the close of all the evidence and (2) in overruling its motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict for plaintiff.

Plaintiff in her petition alleged that the defendant, Heine Meine, Inc., a corporation, “did at all times hereinafter mentioned own, maintain and operate a baseball field at or near 155 Lemay Ferry Road, Lemay, Missouri, and which said baseball field, and stands, and all parts thereof were owned, operated and maintained by said defendants for the purpose of providing entertainment for the customers of the defendants * * * that said defendants did invite into said baseball field, its customers and members of the general public for the purpose of selling to said persons the various merchandise sold from said defendants’ tavern, liquor store and outside pavilion * * *.

“That defendant Lemay Baseball Association, a corporation, did at all times hereinafter mentioned, lease and rent from the defendant Heine Meine, Inc., a corporation, the said baseball field owned by said defendant and located at or near 155 Lemay Ferry Road, Lemay, Missouri, and further, that the defendant, Lemay Baseball Association, a corporation, was at all times hereinafter mentioned in charge of and did conduct baseball games held at said baseball field wherein the members of the general public were invited to attend said baseball games * * * that on or about the 27th day of July, -1957, * * * while plaintiff was on said premises of the defendants and as a direct result of the joint and concurrent negligence of the defendants * * * she was caused to be struck in her head and face by a baseball and injured as hereinafter described.”

While plaintiff did not offer the lease in evidence she did submit a finding in her verdict-directing instruction as to certain [3]*3terms of the lease, to wit: “ * * * and if you further find that in accordance with the written terms of the lease mentioned in the evidence, that the defendant, Heine Meine, Inc., had the duty to maintain the Meine Baseball Field mentioned in the evidence * * Plaintiff also relies upon other specific provisions of the mentioned lease to support her contention (1) that defendant, Heine Meine, Inc., by the lease did not relinquish or release to the lessee Association its right to control the particular premises where she was injured; and (2) that at no time did defendant lessor ever “deliver to the lessee the exclusive right and control of said premises owned by the said defendant.” In view of plaintiff’s pleadings, the submission in her instruction and her contentions on this appeal, we shall consider the existence of the mentioned lease, as offered in evidence by defendant, to be a conceded fact.

The lease dated, executed and acknowledged on September IS, 1956 designated Heine Meine, Inc., party of the first part and Lemay Baseball Association party of the second part. The lease recites that first party is the owner of a tract of land “known as Meine’s Baseball Field” and provides: (1) that in consideration of $1 paid to first party by second party “the Party of the First Part does herewith lease to the Party of the Second Part the aforesaid described land known as Meine’s Baseball Field for a period of three (3) years from January 1, 1957 to December 31, 1960 for the rental of One Dollar ($1.00) per year, payable in advance on the following terms and conditions : (2) The Party of the ‘First Part retains all concessionary rights for the sale of food and refreshments. (3) The Party of the First Part also reserves the right to retain one night per week for the use of said baseball field for the Heine Meine Senior Baseball League and the Party of the First Part shall be responsible for the electricity charge or costs thereof for that night. (4) The Party of the First Part shall be responsible for the upkeep of the baseball field at all times and shall keep it in reasonably fair condition.” The lessee was further given the right to install and to remove a lighting system and was granted “an option to purchase the aforesaid baseball field and fieldhouse at a sum not to exceed Fifty Thousand ($50,000.00) Dollars.”

At the time plaintiff was injured there was a 7\y¿ foot screened backstop some 35 feet behind home plate. Behind the screened backstop there were four tiers of seats. The ends of these seats extended five or six feet beyond the backstop at each end. No exit ways or aisles to and from these seats, were provided behind the backstop. The only access was at the exposed ends of the seats. A row or two of exposed seats, referred to as bleachers, were located on each side of the baseball field, in addition to players’ benches. While plaintiff's evidence showed that the backstop screen was built by defendant in 1943, plaintiff offered no evidence tending to show the existence of any seats or other improvements on.the area immediately surrounding the baseball diamond, except the backstop, at the time of the execution of the mentioned lease.

Also, at the time plaintiff was injured the defendant owned and operated two taverns in the immediate vicinity of the ball field, one referred to as the 5% beer tavern at 155 Lemay Ferry Road, adjacent to said road, and the other at 153 Lemay Ferry Road, referred to as the 3.2 beer tavern, located to the side away from the other tavern and back from the road. This latter tavern is situated parallel to the third-base side of the baseball diamond. Generally speaking, this tavern extended lengthwise in a northwardly and south-wardly direction. The west side of the tavern opened in the direction of the baseball field. Plaintiff said, “This is the one by the field.” The east side of the tavern faced the parking lot with an entranceway from Lemay Ferry Road. There was a sign erected on Lemay Ferry Road, stating: “Heine Meine Baseball Field — Entrance”, with an arrow pointing to the entrance. On the east side of the 3.2 tavern the sign stated: “Meine Field, Home of Lemay [4]

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Bluebook (online)
343 S.W.2d 1, 1961 Mo. LEXIS 736, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/spear-ex-rel-spear-v-heine-meine-inc-mo-1961.