The Mooty Blues: Plaintiff's failure to identify what caused tripping injury leaves premises owner singing!
After shopping for a gift for her great-granddaughter’s wedding, 93-year-old Emelda Mooty tripped and fell in the parking lot of a shopping center in Harvey, Louisiana. Mrs. Mooty subsequently filed a lawsuit against the shopping center—Mooty, et al. v. Centre at Westbank LLC,. In the suit, Mrs. Mooty alleged that she tripped over an unpainted tire stop that was located in the handicapped parking portion of the parking lot, asserting that the tire stop was a “tripping hazard.”
After the plaintiffs’ depositions had been taken, the defendants filed a motion for summary judgment, claiming that there was no genuine issue of material fact, and asserting that, as a matter of law, defendants were entitled to judgment in their favor. Specifically, the defendants argued that, although Mrs. Mooty speculated that she tripped on the tire stop, she actually had no idea what caused her fall. The plaintiffs opposed the motion, arguing that defendants breached their duty to Mrs. Mooty and that issues of material fact remained unresolved. Furthermore, the plaintiffs supported their opposition with a report from an engineering and safety expert who opined that the tire stop did not conform to the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). After a hearing on the motion, the trial court granted summary judgment in favor of the defendants.
On appeal, the plaintiffs argued not only that there was sufficient evidence to conclude that the defendants were liable for Mrs. Mooty’s injuries, but also that the trial court committed error by disregarding the ADA. The appellate court noted that, under Louisiana law, the potential liability of a defendant under these circumstances must be determined by a “duty-risk analysis” and that the essential first element of this analysis is causation. The court further noted that the deposition testimony of Mrs. Mooty failed to show that the tire stop was related to her fall. It pointed to specific statements in Mrs. Mooty’s deposition, such as, “I tripped on something, but I don’t know what it is.” The court concluded that because plaintiffs failed to prove the element of causation, the issue of whether the tire stop complied with the ADA requirements was irrelevant. The court ultimately affirmed the trial court’s grant of summary judgment and dismissed the plaintiffs’ case.
Take-Away: Even if a potential plaintiff falls and is injured on a landowner’s premises, the plaintiff must be able to establish what exactly caused the fall in order to succeed on a claim against the landowner. If the plaintiff cannot prove that element of the claim, the landowner will be entitled to judgment as a matter of law.
This article was co-authored by Kelly Brilleaux, an associate at Irwin Fritchie Urquhart & Moore LLC.
