Title: Gardner v. Pepper Tree Apartments

State: alabama

Issuer: Alabama Supreme Court

Document:

413 So. 2d 1077 (1982)
Jackie L. GARDNER
v.
PEPPER TREE APARTMENTS; Pepper Tree, Ltd.
80-663.

Supreme Court of Alabama.
April 23, 1982.
J. Donald Banks and Ralph Loveless, Mobile, for appellant.
Carl Robert Gottlieb, Jr., Mobile, for appellees.
TORBERT, Chief Justice.
Jackie L. Gardner, lessee, brought this action for personal injury against Pepper Tree Apartments, and Pepper Tree, Ltd., a limited partnership d/b/a Pepper Tree Apartments. (Both are hereinafter referred to as Pepper Tree). Gardner signed a lease for Pepper Tree apartment number 398, located at 701 University Blvd., in Mobile on June 16, 1980. On July 6, 1980, while going down the common stairway leading from her apartment, Gardner allegedly tripped and fell when the heel of her shoe caught on an upraised portion of the second step. This fall resulted in injuries to appellant's neck and shoulders.
*1078 Prior to Gardner's lease, the next door tenant, Robin Grissinger, had fallen after stepping on the same step. The manager of Pepper Tree was notified of Mrs. Grissinger's fall. A former maintenance man was also aware of problems with the stairway prior to Gardner's fall.
Gardner, through her amended complaint, alleged negligent and wanton conduct by Pepper Tree because of its failure to correct, remove or repair the defective condition of the stairway or its failure to warn appellant of the defective condition of the stairway.
Pepper Tree moved for a summary judgment on the grounds that there was no genuine issue as to any material fact and that it was entitled to a judgment as a matter of law. The trial court granted the motion, and Gardner appeals.
Appellees submit that an exculpatory clause in the lease signed by Gardner releases appellees from liability. The pertinent clause reads as follows:
We reverse and remand this summary judgment, relying upon our decision in Taylor v. Leedy & Co., 412 So. 2d 763 (Ala. 1982).
In Taylor v. Leedy & Co., we said:
412 So. 2d  at 763.
In this case, Gardner was injured when she fell down the steps of the common stairway leading to her apartment. There is evidence in the record of at least one previous fall on the same stairway and even the same step prior to Gardner's leasing apartment number 398 and evidence that the manager of the apartment was told of this fall. There is also evidence that a former employee of appellees knew that the stairway was in less than adequate condition. We believe that the issues of notice and liability are questions for the factfinder. If the factfinder decides that appellees had notice of a defect and thus a duty to disclose this alleged latent defect, the exculpatory clause in this lease will not protect them from liability due to Gardner's fall. Therefore, the granting of summary judgment in this case was inappropriate. As was stated in Fountain v. Phillips, 404 So. 2d 614 (Ala.1981):
This summary judgment is reversed and the cause remanded.
REVERSED AND REMANDED.
MADDOX, JONES, SHORES and BEATTY, JJ., concur.