Not So Open and Obvious - The Case of the Laundry Obstacle Course

Posted on September 7, 2012 by David Melancon

Billie Warren was a medical assistant of Dr. Robert Kenny. One of the perks of her employment was the rent free use of a residential apartment on the second floor of Dr. Kenny’s office building. Ms. Warren’s apartment did not have a washing machine or dryer, but she was allowed to use a washer and dryer located on the balcony of another apartment in the building. However, the balcony could only be accessed through the other apartment or, alternatively, by climbing an unopened, A-frame (carpenter) ladder with a cable lock attached to the iron work on the exterior wall under the balcony. In using this alternate route, Ms. Warren would have to climb either over or under the balcony railings to get from the top of the ladder onto the balcony and vice versa.   

On the day of the accident, Ms. Warren successfully ascended the ladder, navigated the balcony railings and started her laundry. Allegedly unknown to Ms. Warren, the balcony railings were only secured to the structure with “screen door hooks” to allow for easy removal of the railings when a tenant had to move large pieces of furniture into and out of the apartment. As Ms. Warren began to exit the balcony, she put her feet on the ladder and her hand on the top railing. At that time, the railing came loose and Ms. Warren fell to the ground and broke her femur. She subsequently sued Dr. Kenny and his insurer for her injuries.

After initial discovery, Dr. Kenny sought summary dismissal of the case on the basis that he could not be held responsible for Ms. Warren’s injuries because the ladder rig was an open and obvious danger and he owed no duty to warn Ms. Warren about such a condition. Ms. Warren, in turn, argued that although the ladder set-up was an open and obvious danger, the condition of the balcony railings only being secured with “screen door hooks” was neither open nor obvious. The court ruled in favor of Dr. Kenny, and Ms. Warren then filed an appeal, Warren v. Kenny (pdf).

The appellate court acknowledged the general rule that a landowner owes a duty to a plaintiff to discover any unreasonably dangerous conditions and to either eliminate them or warn of their existence. But, the court also recognized that a property owner generally does not owe a duty to protect against open and obvious hazards. The court agreed with the trial court’s finding that the property owner did not owe a duty to Ms. Warren to warn her about using the ladder to access the balcony to do laundry, because it was an open and obvious danger. However, the court concluded that the determination of whether the condition of the balcony railings being secured by “screen door hooks” was an open and obvious danger was more appropriately decided at trial. The court added that even if the property owner was found to be at fault, a plaintiff typically will be assigned a significant amount of comparative fault in cases where it is debatable whether the condition was open and obvious.  

Take-Away:  In order to have a case dismissed prior to trial, a property owner must establish that all conditions of the property that led to plaintiff’s accident and injuries were open and obvious. Otherwise, the case will proceed to trial, though the comparative fault of the plaintiff will be considered along with any potential fault on the part of the property owner.

This article was co-authored by Chris Irwin, an associate at Irwin Fritchie Urquhart & Moore LLC.

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For All the World to See: Open and Obvious Conditions Preclude Liability

Posted on August 5, 2010 by Ed Trapolin

Eighty-two year old Mildred Watts was a regular patron at The Country Place Restaurant in Minden, Louisiana. She often entered the restaurant by walking on two circular stones in a flower bed positioned in between the parking lot and the restaurant entrance. On October 1, 2006, she became the first person to trip on a metal strip bordering the flower bed.  When she fell she sustained serious injuries to her mouth and teeth.

Ms. Watts filed suit against the restaurant and its insurer, Scottsdale Insurance Company, arguing that the metal strip posed an unreasonable risk of harm and that defendants were liable for her injuries. The trial and appellate courts disagreed and found that the condition was not unreasonably dangerous because it was open and obvious. The courts found that the restaurant did not owe a duty to Ms. Watts due to the open and obvious nature of the strip.

Both courts considered that the metal strip was about four inches tall and clearly visible to the naked eye. The restaurant manager testified that no one had tripped over or complained of the metal strip in the nine years that he worked there. The manager further stated that the stones in the flower bed were decorative, not stepping stones, and patrons were not encouraged to use it to enter the restaurant. Ms. Watts even admitted that she saw the strip on her previous visits to the restaurant, but never tripped over it. Importantly, on the day of her accident, nothing obstructed her vision of the strip.

Both courts disagreed with Ms. Watts’ argument that the sole purpose of the metal strip was to trip pedestrians and that it was difficult to see because it was a dark brown/green color among dirt and plants. Rather, the strip clearly bordered the flower bed, and the area was not a designated walkway for patrons.  The courts found that the metal strip was open and obvious and did not present an unreasonable risk of harm. Accordingly, the restaurant owed no legal duty to Ms. Watts and her claims were dismissed.

Nevertheless, Ms. Watts was not completely without a remedy. Ms. Watts recovered $5,000.00 policy limits, plus interest, from Scottsdale Insurance Company under a no-fault medical payments provision of its policy, for her medical expenses incurred as a result of her injuries.

Take-Away: A property owner does not have a duty to warn about or remove conditions that are open and obvious and, thus, do not pose an unreasonable risk of harm.

This article was co-authored by Laura Beth Graham, a 2010 summer associate at Irwin Fritchie Urquhart & Moore LLC.

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