Slip-and-Fall Accidents

January 3, 2017

Summary Judgment in Virginia Personal Injury Cases

Thousands of personal injury cases are filed each year across the State of Virginia. While many of these cases have merit, the reality is that some do not. To help deal with this reality, and to alleviate the burden on the court system, courts have enacted a strict set of procedures to help ensure that only meritorious cases make it in front of a jury. Perhaps the most common of these procedures is a motion for summary judgment.

In Virginia, summary judgment is a way for one party to obtain judgment in their favor very early in the process. Essentially, if summary judgment is appropriate, the judge will enter judgment in favor of that party, and the case is over without the need to submit the case to a jury and engage in additional fact-finding. However, summary judgment is only proper when there “is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that the moving party is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law.”

The burden rests with the moving party, meaning the party that is asking the court for judgment in its favor. This party must establish that – taking the evidence on its face and without assessing credibility – they are entitled to judgment in their favor. If conflicting evidence exists, or a credibility determination must be made between competing sources, summary judgment is not appropriate. A recent case illustrates each party’s burdens in a summary judgment motion filed by the defense in a personal injury case.

November 16, 2016

Proving a Virginia Premises Liability Claim

by Sidney Schupak, Esq.

Whenever someone is injured on another party’s property, the property owner may be legally liable for the injuries suffered by the injured party under the theory of premises liability. Premises liability cases are based on the legal theory that landowners owe a duty of care to keep those whom they invite onto their land safe. The level of duty owed to the guest depends on the relationship between the landowner and the guest.

In Virginia, plaintiffs must prove that the defendant property owner owed a duty of care to the injured party that was violated by some action or inaction. Most often, these cases are brought after a property owner fails to take some kind of action to remedy a hazard on their property. For example, an unshoveled walkway or puddle of water can very easily result in a guest slipping and falling.

Virginia premises liability plaintiffs must also prove that the property owner was negligent in their failure to remedy the hazard. This often entails showing that the property owner knew or should have known of the dangerous condition. If a plaintiff cannot prove that the landowner had the requisite level of knowledge, it is unlikely that their claim will be successful.

August 11, 2016

Premises Liability Case against Government Entities May Require Additional Proof

by Sidney Schupak, Esq.

The United States was founded on certain principles that have remained with the country through the state and federal constitutions, common law decisions, and legislatively enacted statutes. One of these principles is the idea that a government entity should not be held liable for any injuries caused as a function of the government carrying out its governmental business. This is called government immunity.

However, to say that a government is immune from all lawsuits that may arise while carrying out government business would grossly overstate the principle. In fact, governments can – and often are – held liable for their negligent and reckless actions, as long as there is evidence to overcome the immunity. Generally speaking, a negligent act will not rise to the level of culpability necessary to overcome immunity. Instead, there must be some “willful” or “wanton” conduct. While an intentional action certainly would satisfy this requirement, it is not required. Courts are willing to infer this level of culpability if a plaintiff can show, for example, that a government entity knew about a dangerous defect but failed to do anything about it. This is exactly what happened in a recent case involving a woman who tripped and fell on an uneven sidewalk.

Bernardoni v. City of Saginaw: The Facts

In this case, a woman tripped and fell on two uneven slabs of concrete that made up the sidewalk. She filed a lawsuit against the City of Saginaw, claiming that it should be held liable for her injuries because the city was negligent in failing to repair the sidewalk. In a pre-trial deposition, she claimed that she did not know how long the sidewalk had been in that condition, but she believed it to have been like that for at least 30 days. In addition to her testimony, she provided photographs taken 30 days after her fall, showing the uneven surface.

June 29, 2016

State Supreme Court Orders New Trial in Slip and Fall Case

by Sidney Schupak, Esq.

The Supreme Court of Iowa recently released a decision to vacate a jury verdict in favor of the plaintiff in a premises liability case filed by a woman who fell on a patch of ice on the defendant’s property. The appellate court found that the district court improperly instructed the jury and ordered a new trial on the plaintiff’s claim. Although the plaintiff will not receive the damages she was awarded at the first trial, she may still receive compensation for her loss based on the recent appellate ruling.

The Plaintiff Slips on an Ice Patch and is Injured in Front of a Hotel

The plaintiff in the case of Alcala v. Marriott International was a woman who was traveling on business and staying at a hotel that was operated by the defendant. On the morning of January 21, 2010, she slipped and fell while exiting the hotel en route to her client’s office, breaking her ankle. The plaintiff later filed a premises liability case against the defendants, presenting several theories of liability that could require judgment in her favor. After a trial in which evidence was presented concerning the weather conditions on the day of the accident, the defendant’s training of their employees, and private and non-mandatory industry standards for slip resistance and snow and ice removal, the jury returned a verdict holding the defendant 98% responsible for the plaintiff’s injuries.

The Defendant Appeals the Verdict, Alleging Improper Jury Instructions Were Given

After the verdict was reached, the defendant appealed for a new trial, arguing that the jury was given improper instructions that made the verdict legally inappropriate. Specifically, the defendant argued that the jury should not have been permitted to base their verdict upon the theory that the defendant had negligently trained their employees, since the plaintiff submitted no evidence to demonstrate what type of training would meet the standard of care. Furthermore, the defendant argued that the jury was improperly instructed as to the applicability of private industry safety standards regarding slip resistant materials.

June 22, 2016

State Court Reverses Verdict for Plaintiff Due to Incomplete Negligence Claim

by Sidney Schupak, Esq.

A West Virginia court recently released an opinion in which it reversed a jury verdict that had awarded the plaintiff nearly $70,000 in medical expenses and lost wages for injuries he suffered because of the alleged negligence of the defendant. Since the high court reversed the lower court’s decision not to award a directed verdict to the defendant in the case, the plaintiff will ultimately not be compensated for the alleged negligence of the defendant.

The Plaintiff Is Injured Falling Down a Hill after Leaning on an Unsafe Fence Post

The plaintiff in Wheeling Park Commission v. Dattoli filed a negligence lawsuit against the defendant for injuries sustained after he fell down a steep hill when he leaned on a broken fence at a park that was being operated by the defendant. The plaintiff claimed that the defendant had a duty to keep the fence in reasonable condition to prevent such accidents from occurring.

At trial, the plaintiff called the park operations director as a witness to testify that the fence failed as a result of the wood decaying, and the witness could not show any maintenance or repairs to the fence prior to the accident. After the trial, the jury awarded a verdict to the the plaintiff to compensate him for the medical expenses that he incurred treating his injuries, as well as for lost wages based on his recovery.

May 16, 2016

Slip-and-Fall Plaintiff’s Case Dismissed for Failure to Comply with Procedural Notice Requirement

by Sidney Schupak, Esq.

Earlier last month, a Maine appellate court issued a written opinion affirming the dismissal of a plaintiff’s case after it was established that the plaintiff did not comply with the notice requirement contained in a relevant statute. In the case, Deschenes v. City of Sanford, the plaintiff provided oral but not written notice of his intent to file a lawsuit. The court determined that oral notice did not count as “substantial compliance” with the rule, and it affirmed the case’s dismissal.

The Facts of the Case

The plaintiff was visiting city hall to obtain information on how he could get a copy of his daughter’s birth certificate. While he was there, he tripped on some raised tread on a step and then fell down the flight of stairs. When he reached the bottom, he slid into a glass door, exacerbating his injuries.

After the man’s fall, city employees on the scene provided him with some basic first-aid until emergency responders arrived. Afterwards, the man was taken to the hospital and treated for his injuries. Before he left, he told emergency responders that he had tripped on some raised tread on the stairs.

May 11, 2016

Workplace Accidents in Virginia

by Sidney Schupak, Esq.

When an employee is injured while on the job, the most common remedy is workers’ compensation. In fact, in most cases of Virginia workplace injuries, workers’ compensation will be the sole means by which the injured employee can recover compensation. This can, and often does, act to limit a negligent employer’s liability in the case of the serious injury or death of one of its employees.

However, workers’ compensation may not be the only remedy that an accident victim can pursue. For example, if the employer has not properly set up and paid for workers’ compensation insurance, the company may not be covered under the program. Alternatively, if the negligent act resulting in the worker’s injuries was not the fault of the employer, the injured employee may be able to file a claim against the at-fault party, even if the injured party was at work at the time the injury occurred.

A Recent Example of a Nearly Non-Compliant Employer

In a recent case out of Utah brought by an employee against his employer, the lower court found that the employer was not covered by workers’ compensation. In the case, Nichols v. Jacobsen, the plaintiff was injured while disassembling some scaffolding at a work site. He filed a traditional negligence lawsuit against his employer. The employer asked the court to dismiss the lawsuit, based on the fact that workers’ compensation was the employee’s sole remedy, and the employee had failed to pursue it.

April 4, 2016

Federal Court Seeks Clarification of State Law in Premises Liability Lawsuit

by Sidney Schupak, Esq.

As a general rule, the plaintiff in a personal injury lawsuit has their choice when it comes to the forum that hears the case. One of the choices the plaintiff must make is whether to file the lawsuit in state or federal court. There are many considerations that go into forum selection, but the law that will be applied to the case is one very important factor.

Federal courts are most accustomed to applying federal law. However, in some situations, a federal court will need to apply the law of a certain state in order to resolve the case. This is exactly what happened in a recent premises liability case filed in federal court that arose out of an accident that occurred in Oregon.

Johnson v. Gibson: Is a City Employee an “Owner” of the Public Land He Maintains?

The case arose when the plaintiff stepped in a small hole while jogging in a public park. According to the court’s written opinion, the hole was dug by a city employee, who was charged with maintaining the park. The plaintiff named the city employee who dug the hole, as well as his supervisor, in the lawsuit.

February 3, 2016

The Enforceability of Liability Release Waivers in Virginia Courts

by Sidney Schupak, Esq.

When someone joins a gym or engages in any type of pay-to-play activity, such as bungee jumping, skiing, or river rafting, the company providing the service will often request that the person sign a liability release waiver before participating in the activity. These waivers most often contain fine print and are rarely read word-for-word, but they do contain important information about the rights that the person participating in the activity is giving up.

For example, most liability release waivers will absolve the provider of any liability that could normally arise from the negligent conduct of the business or any of its employees. This may act to prevent someone who is injured while engaging in the activity from seeking compensation for their injuries, even though the business may have been negligent in creating or failing to correct a hazard.

Liability waivers are not always enforceable, however. Virginia courts will normally uphold waivers only as long as they are appropriate and do not go beyond their permissible scope. For example, a company will not normally be permitted to ask a customer to release the company from liability for the reckless or intentional acts of its employees. A liability release waiver that attempts to do so will likely be determined to be invalid.

January 20, 2016

Couple Sues Auction House after Wife Injured in Slip-and-Fall Accident

by Sidney Schupak, Esq.

Businesses and organizations have a legal responsibility to maintain safe premises for members of the public who have been explicitly or implicitly invited onto the premises while they are engaging in business or the location is otherwise open to the public. Under Virginia law, a person who enters a business while it is open is known as an “invitee” to the premises when the visit is of common interest to the business owner and the visitor. In such a case, a business owner has a duty to use reasonable care to maintain the premises in a reasonably safe condition, as well as to warn the invitee of any hidden dangers that are known to the landowner. If someone is injured by a dangerous condition as an invitee, they may be entitled to compensation.

Woman Falls on a Wet Floor While Touring an Auction House

According to one local news source, a married couple recently filed a West Virginia slip-and-fall lawsuit against an auction house, alleging that the owner of the premises did not exercise due care in keeping the premises safe. According to a local news report, the woman alleges that she was injured when she slipped and fell on a wet floor, and that there was not an appropriate warning to alert her to the hazard. The lawsuit is seeking damages for bodily injuries, pain and suffering, mental anguish, loss of enjoyment of life, and medical expenses. The suit also claims the woman’s husband has suffered a loss of spousal consortium and is also entitled to additional damages.