Trujillo v. Wal-Mart Stores Inc.

356 F. Supp. 3d 1068
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Washington
DecidedDecember 19, 2018
DocketCASE NO. C17-5909 BHS
StatusPublished

This text of 356 F. Supp. 3d 1068 (Trujillo v. Wal-Mart Stores Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Washington primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Trujillo v. Wal-Mart Stores Inc., 356 F. Supp. 3d 1068 (W.D. Wash. 2018).

Opinion

BENJAMIN H. SETTLE, United States District Judge

This matter comes before the Court on Defendant Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.'s ("Wal-Mart")

*1070Motion for Summary Judgment. Dkt. 23. The Court has considered the pleadings filed in support of and in opposition to the motion and the remainder of the file and hereby grants in part and denies in part the motion for the reasons stated herein.

I. PROCEDURAL HISTORY

This slip and fall negligence action arises out of an injury sustained by Plaintiff Jennifer Trujillo ("Ms. Trujillo") while at a Wal-Mart store in Puyallup, Washington.

On October 6, 2017, Ms. Trujillo filed a complaint in the Pierce County Superior Court for the State of Washington. Dkt. 1-2. Ms. Trujillo asserts a negligence action as a business invitee of Wal-Mart. Id . On November 2, 2017, Wal-Mart removed the action to this Court. Dkt. 1. On September 12, 2018, Wal-Mart moved for summary judgment. Dkt. 23. On October 15, 2018, Ms. Trujillo responded. Dkt. 27. On October 18, 2018, Wal-Mart replied. Dkt. 28.

II. FACTUAL BACKGROUND

On September 6, 2015, Ms. Trujillo was at the Wal-Mart store shopping for groceries with her family when she slipped and fell in the soup aisle. Dkt. 27 at 3-4. Ms. Trujillo testified that while shopping in the soup aisle, she walked around an abandoned shopping cart that was in her way. Dkt. 27-1, Declaration of John Acken ("Acken Decl."), Ex. 13 (Deposition of Jennifer Trujillo ("Trujillo Depo.") at 43).1 She testified that the cart contained merchandise, but that she could not identify the items. Id. After walking around the cart, she slipped and fell in water. Id. She did not see the water on the floor before falling in it. Id. at 46. Ms. Trujillo testified that she knew she fell in water because it was clear and on her clothes, her feet, and the floor. Id. Wal-Mart's incident report confirms the presence of water on the floor. Acken Decl., Ex. 1.

Wal-Mart surveillance video leading up to Ms. Trujillo's fall shows six Wal-Mart employees walking past the shopping cart, and a customer moving the shopping cart a short distance down the aisle. Acken Decl., Ex. 12 at 43-44. Ms. Trujillo also observed a young male employee in the area stocking shelves. Dkt. 25, Declaration of Colin J. Troy ("Troy Decl."), Ex. 1, Trujillo Depo. at 43. After she fell, this employee came and cleaned up the water with paper towels. Id. at 55-57. Micah Roth ("Mr. Roth"), Store Manager on the day of the incident, submitted a declaration informing the Court that this Wal-Mart did not "stock, store, or sell water" in the canned soup aisle. Dkt. 26, Declaration of Micah Roth ("Roth Decl.") at 1. Mr. Roth declared that this Wal-Mart has many policies and procedures focused on prevention of slip and fall accidents, and that "Wal-Mart employees at Store #2403 visually inspect the floor constantly while they are working for the purpose of identifying and remediating potential hazards, including spilled items."Id. at 1-2. Mr. Roth also declared that at this Wal-Mart, if an employee notices a foreign substance or hazard on the floor, "the employee remains by the substance until a cone is placed or until the substance is cleaned up," and affirms that these policies were in place on September 6. Id. Wal-Mart's Safety Toolkit instructs employees that they should "return empty shopping carts to the front" and not "leave carts unattended on the salesfloor." Acken Decl., Ex. 6. Mr. Roth testified at his deposition that this cart *1071policy is to "keep the store neat and clean ... to keep it neat and clean and free of hazards, I guess." Acken Decl., Ex. 11 at 37. Mr. Roth also declared that the store employs maintenance associates specifically tasked with store cleanliness, including floor maintenance, and affirmed that a maintenance associate was working on September 6. Roth Decl. at 2. Finally, Mr. Roth declared that the canned soup aisle "was not in the direct vicinity of the produce department, self-checkout stations, or any other areas that may create a heightened risk of spilled items." Roth Decl. at 2.

Ms. Trujillo was seventeen weeks pregnant at the time of her fall, and sought medical attention for left knee pain which radiated to her hip and lower leg. Dkt. 27 at 5.

III. DISCUSSION

A. Summary Judgment Standard

Summary judgment is proper only if the pleadings, the discovery and disclosure materials on file, and any affidavits show that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(c). The moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law when the nonmoving party fails to make a sufficient showing on an essential element of a claim in the case on which the nonmoving party has the burden of proof. Celotex Corp. v. Catrett , 477 U.S. 317, 323, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986). There is no genuine issue of fact for trial where the record, taken as a whole, could not lead a rational trier of fact to find for the nonmoving party. Matsushita Elec. Indus. Co. v. Zenith Radio Corp. , 475 U.S. 574, 586, 106 S.Ct. 1348, 89 L.Ed.2d 538 (1986) (nonmoving party must present specific, significant probative evidence, not simply "some metaphysical doubt"). See also Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(e). Conversely, a genuine dispute over a material fact exists if there is sufficient evidence supporting the claimed factual dispute, requiring a judge or jury to resolve the differing versions of the truth. Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc. , 477 U.S. 242, 253, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986) ; T.W. Elec. Serv., Inc. v. Pac. Elec. Contractors Ass'n ,

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356 F. Supp. 3d 1068, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/trujillo-v-wal-mart-stores-inc-wawd-2018.