pa premises liability presentation
TRANSCRIPT
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PATLA Premises Liability April 13, 2007
Philadelphia Lawyer Philadelphia Lawyer - - Joel D. FeldmanJoel D. Feldman
Anapol, Schwartz, Weiss, Cohan, Anapol, Schwartz, Weiss, Cohan,
Feldman & Smalley, P.C.Feldman & Smalley, P.C.
1900 Delancey Place1900 Delancey Place
Philadelphia, PA 19103Philadelphia, PA 19103
(215) 735-3716(215) 735-3716
[email protected]@anapolschwartz.com
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Types of Premises Accident Cases
Slips, Trips, Falls and ElevatorsSlips, Trips, Falls and Elevators
Recreation CasesRecreation Cases
Security IssuesSecurity Issues
Liquor Liability/Dram ShopLiquor Liability/Dram Shop
Work Place SafetyWork Place Safety
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Investigation
Plaintiff's interviewPlaintiff's interview
Preservation of evidence Preservation of evidence
SurveillanceSurveillance
On-site inspectionOn-site inspection
ExpertExpert
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Potential Defendants
Property owner Property owner
Facilities managerFacilities manager
Independent contractorIndependent contractor/service contractor/service contractor
Manufacturer and installerManufacturer and installer
elevator caseselevator cases
General and sub-contractorsGeneral and sub-contractors
work place safety caseswork place safety cases
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Depositions
Corporate designeeCorporate designee
Videotape deposition of defendantsVideotape deposition of defendants
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Law and Practice Pointers
Outdoor CasesOutdoor Cases
snow and icesnow and ice
defective walking surfacesdefective walking surfaces
miscellaneousmiscellaneous
Indoor CasesIndoor Cases
Governmental EntitiesGovernmental Entities
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Plaintiff's "Burden"
Beyond Breach and CausationBeyond Breach and Causation
Plaintiff's Description of ConditionPlaintiff's Description of Condition
NoticeNotice
Mechanism of FallMechanism of Fall
Is Injury Medically Consistent?Is Injury Medically Consistent?
Plaintiff's ConductPlaintiff's Conduct
Consistency of "Factual Scenarios"Consistency of "Factual Scenarios"
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Status of Injured Person
TrespasserTrespasser
LicenseeLicensee
Invitee - Business or SocialInvitee - Business or Social
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Licensee
Does possessor know or have reason to Does possessor know or have reason to know of condition? know of condition?
Does condition involve an unreasonable Does condition involve an unreasonable risk of harm to those who will not risk of harm to those who will not discover condition?discover condition?
Fails to exercise reasonable care to cure Fails to exercise reasonable care to cure or warnor warn
Restatement (Second) of Torts §342Restatement (Second) of Torts §342
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Ziack v. Inez Conocchia, Court
of Common Pleas of Allegheny County, July 2006
Plaintiff admitted knew of change in Plaintiff admitted knew of change in elevationelevation
Plaintiff saw change in elevation before Plaintiff saw change in elevation before stepped over it stepped over it
Appreciation of what?Appreciation of what? Defect or seriousness of potential Defect or seriousness of potential
injury?injury? Was status of plaintiff really Was status of plaintiff really
determinative?determinative?
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Snow and Ice Cases
Hills and Ridges ApplicableHills and Ridges Applicable
Hills and Ridges Not ApplicableHills and Ridges Not Applicable
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Hills and Ridges Doctrine
Snow/Ice accumulated in ridges or Snow/Ice accumulated in ridges or elevationselevations
Size and character to unreasonably Size and character to unreasonably obstruct travel and pose dangerobstruct travel and pose danger
Actual or constructive noticeActual or constructive notice
CausationCausation
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What are Generally Slippery Conditions? Surrounding areas also icy?Surrounding areas also icy?
Other sidewalks, parking lots free of Other sidewalks, parking lots free of ice and snowice and snow
Roads and driving conditionsRoads and driving conditions
Isolated patches Isolated patches
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Rozelle v. Becker Associates, Court of Common Pleas Columbia Cnty, June 2005
How to establish generally slippery How to establish generally slippery conditions conditions
Presence of defendant's snow crews Presence of defendant's snow crews working at time of accident working at time of accident (Restatement (Second) of Torts §323(Restatement (Second) of Torts §323
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Herbst v. Inven Associates, Court of Common Pleas of Dauphin County, 1998
Where did the sheet of ice come Where did the sheet of ice come from? from?
Overnight sudden formation or Overnight sudden formation or continual conditioncontinual condition
Generally slippery condition is fact Generally slippery condition is fact issueissue
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Oliveri v. Kavanagh, Court of
Common Pleas of Northampton County, 2005
Plaintiff's testimony - snow storm Plaintiff's testimony - snow storm that day, no snow visible or any that day, no snow visible or any accumulation of snow and ice on accumulation of snow and ice on sidewalk where fell sidewalk where fell
Black iceBlack ice
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Hills and Ridges
What's a plaintiff to say?What's a plaintiff to say?
Hills and ridgesHills and ridges
Ridges and elevationsRidges and elevations
Peaks and valleysPeaks and valleys
Humps and hillocksHumps and hillocks
Size and characterSize and character
What worksWhat works
What doesn'tWhat doesn't
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Isolated Patches of Ice
Once establish isolated patch of ice - Once establish isolated patch of ice - are you there? are you there?
Peachey v. WalmartPeachey v. Walmart, Court of , Court of Common Please of Cumberland Common Please of Cumberland County, 2005 County, 2005
Where did the ice come from? Where did the ice come from?
Plaintiff's burdenPlaintiff's burden
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Restatement (Second) of Torts §323 Landowner undertakes to clear away ice Landowner undertakes to clear away ice
and snow and snow Ferencz v. MilieFerencz v. Milie, (Pa. 1987) , (Pa. 1987) Snow plowed, refroze, causing plaintiff's Snow plowed, refroze, causing plaintiff's
fall fall Harvey v. Rouse ChamberlainHarvey v. Rouse Chamberlain, (Pa. Super. , (Pa. Super.
2006)2006) Defendants plowed the road and Defendants plowed the road and
subsequent thereto black ice formed subsequent thereto black ice formed Were conditions the result of an entirely Were conditions the result of an entirely
natural accumulation?natural accumulation?
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Ice and Snow ~ Practice Pointers
Plaintiff should not admit generally Plaintiff should not admit generally slippery conditions existedslippery conditions existed
Plaintiff prepared to establish Plaintiff prepared to establish isolated patch of iceisolated patch of ice
Source of ice, i.e., from natural or Source of ice, i.e., from natural or artificial condition artificial condition
§323 Restatement (Second) of Torts §323 Restatement (Second) of Torts
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Natural Accumulation v. Man-Made Condition
Topography, depressions, gutters Topography, depressions, gutters and and
Downspouts and outdoor structuresDownspouts and outdoor structures
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Non-Ice Slips, Trips, & Falls
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Steps and Ramps
Irregular risers or treads Irregular risers or treads
Unexpected single stepUnexpected single step
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Commercial Properties
Source - defendant or third party?Source - defendant or third party?
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Conditions Created by Defendant - Notice is Presumed
Faulty freezersFaulty freezers
Vegetable misters Vegetable misters
Leaking roof Leaking roof
Poor cleanupPoor cleanup
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Conditions not Created by Defendant
Source of foreign substance - Source of foreign substance - unknown?unknown?
How does one prove notice?How does one prove notice?
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Time
Shopping cartsShopping carts
Footprints Footprints
Drying around edges Drying around edges
Plaintiff's experience with mopped Plaintiff's experience with mopped floors - drying ratesfloors - drying rates
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Campizi v. Acme Markets (Pa. Super. 2006)
Blind Acme employee's caneBlind Acme employee's cane
Rounding corner of parallel aisles Rounding corner of parallel aisles
Duty to warn invitees of risk posed Duty to warn invitees of risk posed by disabled employee with caneby disabled employee with cane
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Restatement (Second) of Torts §343A
Known and Obvious Dangers Known and Obvious Dangers
Plaintiff's Duty v. Defendant's Duty Plaintiff's Duty v. Defendant's Duty
Control of Employee?Control of Employee?
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Campbell v. Etiak (Pa. Super. 2006)
Chicken teriyaki lodged in throat Chicken teriyaki lodged in throat
No restaurant employee trained in No restaurant employee trained in Heimlich maneuverHeimlich maneuver
What duty of care owed?What duty of care owed?
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Governmental Entities
CommonwealthCommonwealth
Local AgenciesLocal Agencies
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Sidewalks – Dangerous Conditions Of
42 Pa. C.S.A. §852242 Pa. C.S.A. §8522
42 Pa. C.S.A. §854242 Pa. C.S.A. §8542
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Jones v. SEPTA
Dangerous condition must have Dangerous condition must have "derived, originated or had as its "derived, originated or had as its source the realty itself"source the realty itself"
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Real Property
Commonwealth Agencies - Commonwealth Agencies - "Dangerous Condition Of“"Dangerous Condition Of“
Local Agencies - "Care, Custody or Local Agencies - "Care, Custody or Control"Control"
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City-Owned Sidewalks
Reid v. CityReid v. City
Sidewalk Under "Care, Custody, Sidewalk Under "Care, Custody, Control and Possession"Control and Possession"
Primary v. Secondary LiabilityPrimary v. Secondary Liability
No Actual Defect in SidewalkNo Actual Defect in Sidewalk
Sidewalk v. Real Property ExceptionSidewalk v. Real Property Exception
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Real Property/Fixture
LoFurnoLoFurno (Pa. Cmwlth. 2006) (Pa. Cmwlth. 2006)
Sander bolted to floor and connected Sander bolted to floor and connected to dust collection systemto dust collection system
Moved occasionally for cleaningMoved occasionally for cleaning
IntentIntent
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Daubenspeck (Pa. Cmwlth. 2006)
Multiple accidents on interstate as a Multiple accidents on interstate as a result of iceresult of ice
State police presence State police presence
State police v. PennDOTState police v. PennDOT
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Elevator Cases
Misleveling Misleveling
Door strikesDoor strikes
Yo-yo effectYo-yo effect
Stuck between floorsStuck between floors
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Misleveling - Trips & Falls
Doors start to open before floor level Doors start to open before floor level reachedreached
Elevator stopsElevator stops
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Door Strikes
Door reopening devicesDoor reopening devices
Mechanical optical - visible or Mechanical optical - visible or infraredinfrared
Fail safe"Fail safe"
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Legal Considerations
Duty of careDuty of care
InviteeInvitee
Strict liabilityStrict liability
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Res Ipsa Loquitor
Restatement (Second) of Torts Restatement (Second) of Torts §328(d)§328(d)
Ruling out other responsible causesRuling out other responsible causes
Plaintiff's conduct - manual override Plaintiff's conduct - manual override or abuse of sensor elementsor abuse of sensor elements
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Statute of Repose
42 Pa. C.S.A. §5536 - 12 years42 Pa. C.S.A. §5536 - 12 years