T hi s di s pos i t i on i s notappr opr i a t e f orpubl i c a t i on a nd i s notpr e c e de nt * e xc e pta s pr ovi de d by 9th C i r . R . 36- 3. NOT F OR P UB L I CAT I ON UN I TE D STATE S C OU RT OF APPE ALS FOR T HE NI NTH CI RC UI T DA E KO N K WON, P la in tif

f - A p p e lla n t, v. COST CO W HO LE SALE C OR P OR AT I ON , D ef

endant- A pp el l ee . N o. 10- 15847 D . C. N o . 1 : 0 8 - c v - 0 0 3 6 0 - J M SB MK ME MOR AN DU M *

A pp ea l fr om the U ni t ed S t at es D i stri ctC ou rt

f o rth e D is tr ic t o f

H a w a ii J . M i c ha e l S e a br i ght , D i s tr i c tJ udge , P r e s i di ng A r gue d a nd S ubm i tt e d F e brua ry 15, 2012

H o n o lu lu , H a w a ii B efo re: G O O D W IN , T R O T T , an d M U R G U IA , C i rcu i tJu d g es. D a e K o n K w o n ap p e a ls th e d e f e n s e v e r d ic t in th e b e n c h tr ia l o f h e rd iv e r s ity a c t i on f orda m a ge s i nc urr e d i n a tr i p a nd f a l l w hi l e on the pr e m i s e s of C os t c o, the d e f e n d a n t. 

# FI LED FEB 27 2 012 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U . S. C O U R T OF APPE ALS2

K w o n , a n 8 3 - y e a r - o ld w o m a n , w a s in ju r e d w h e n s h e tr ip p e d o n a n 1 8 - f o o tl ong c ha i n of

f l a tbe d c a r t s w hi l e s hoppi ng a ta C os t c o w a r e hous e . A f t e rthe i nci dent , C ost co fa i l ed t o p re se rve asurvei l l ance vi deot ape thatm ay have rec orded the i nc i de nt . T he di s tr i c tc our tf ound tha tC os t c o’ s f

a i l ur e t o pr e s e r ve the vi deot ape c on st i tut ed spol i at i on , and g ra nt ed K w on ’ s pre tri al m ot i on for a n a d v e r s e in f

e r e n c e a g a in s t C o s tc o . T he ke y di s put e d f

a c ti n thi s c ontr ove r s y w a s w he the rthe c a r t s w e r e m ovi ng o rs ta tio n a ry a t th e tim e K w o n c o llid e d w ith th e m . T h e d is tr ic t c o u r t f o u n d , a f te rit w e ig h e d th e e v id e n c e a n d m a d e c r e d ib ility f in d in g s , th a t th e c a r ts w e r e s ta tio n a ry . T he courtre l i ed on thatfi nd i ng t o con cl ud e thata s t at i on ary r ow of fi ve fl atbed ca rt s i s notan un re as on abl e haz ar d and thatK w on w as negl i gentfor f ai l i ng t o see and avo i d the ca rt s, w hi ch the courtdet erm i ned t o b e obv i ou s obstruct i on s i n h er p a th o f tr a v e l. K w o n arg u es th atth e d i stri ctco u rterred b y n o tap p l yi n g th e ad v erse i nf e r e nc e t o the que s t i on of w he the rthe c a r t s w e r e m ovi ng a tthe t i m e of the c o llis io n . T h e r e c o r d d o e s n o t s u p p o r t th is a s s e r tio n . W e rev i ew a d i stri ctco u rt ’ s fi n d i n g s o f factfo r cl ear erro r, w h eth er th o se fi nd i ng s a re base d o n i nfer ence s or di re ctevi dence. F ed. R . C i v. P . 52 (a )( 6); D arensburg v. Metro. T ransp. C om m ’n , 63 6 F . 3d 51 1, 51 9 (9t h C i r. 20 11 ). C l ea r3

e rr oroc c ur s w he n a di s tr i c tc our t ’ s f i ndi ngs of

f a c ta r e i l l ogi c a l , i m pl a us i bl e , ornot s u p p o r te d b y in f

e r e n c e s th a t m a y b e d r a w n f r o m th e f a c ts in th e r e c o r d . A nde rs on v . Ci t y o f Be s s e m e rCi t

y, N. C. , 4 7 0 U .S . 5 6 4 , 5 7 7 ( 1 9 8 5 ) ; accord U ni t ed Stat es v. Hi nk s on , 5 8 5 F .3 d 1 2 4 7 , 1 2 6 0 ( 9 th C ir . 2 0 0 9 ) ( e n b a n c ) . A f a c tf i nde rm a y dr a w a n i nf

e r e nc e a ga i ns ta ny pa r ty tha tde s tr oy s or d e s p o ils e v id e n c e , b u t th a t in f e r e n c e is p e r m is s iv e r a th e rth a n m a n d a to ry . See G l ov e rv . B ICC or

p. , 6 F . 3d 13 18 , 13 29 (9th C i r. 19 93 ) ( no t i ng thata di stri ctcourt

“ has the broad d i sc re t i on ary pow er to p e r m it a j ury t o d ra w an advers e i nfer ence fr om the destruct i on or spol i at i on agai nstthe party or w i tness re spon si bl e f or that b e h a v io r ” ( e m p h a s is a d d e d ) ) ; A ki on a v. U ni t ed Stat es , 93 8 F . 2d 15 8, 16 1 (9t h C i r. 1 9 9 1 ) ( “G e n e r a lly , a tr ie ro f f a c t m ay dr a w a n a dve r s e i nf e r e nc e f r om the d e s tru c tio n o f

e v id e n c e r e le v a n t to a c a s e .” ( e m p h a s is a d d e d ) ) . I n th is c a s e , th e d is tr ic t c o u r t c h o s e n o t to in f e rth a t th e c a r ts w e r e m o v in g . I n s te a d , it r e lie d o n C o s tc o e m p lo y e e M a d a m b a ’s c r e d ib le te s tim o n y th a t th e c a r ts w e r e s t a t i ona ry . T he f

i ndi ng tha tthe c a rt s w e r e s t a t i ona ry i s l ogi c a l , pl a us i bl e , a nd s uppor t e d by i nf

e r e nc e s tha tm a y be dr a w n f r om the r e c or d. A c c or di ngl y , the c o u r t’s f in d in g w a s n o t c le a re rr o r . K w on al so ar gu es thatthe di stri ctcourtappl i ed the w rong l egal st andard re gardi ng C ost co’ s duty t o w arn K w on . T he di stri ctcourtfoun d thatnei ther4

M a da m ba nora ny othe rC os t c o e m pl oy e e ha d not i c e tha tK w on f a i l e d t o s e e the c a r t s a nd, a c c or di ngl y , C os t c o ha d no duty t o w a rn K w on. K w on ac kn ow l edges thatthe du ty t o w arn ari se s upo n n ot i ce , bu tshe a rgues tha tthe c our t ’ s c onc l us i on “ r e qui r e s the a bs ur d r e s ul t ” tha tC os t c o i s s hi e l de d f r om a duty t o w a rn i f

a n e m pl oy e e doe s notke e p a pr ope rl ookoutf ors hoppe r s ne e di ng w arn i n g , ev en w h en th e em p l o yee h as n o t i ce th atth e h azard ex i st s o n th e p rem i ses. K w on ’ s a rgum enti s f

l aw ed, ho w ever , because i ti ncorrec t l y a ss um es that M adam ba w as no tkeepi ng a proper l oo ko ut . M adam ba w as l oo ki ng ov erher s houl de rt o de t e r m i ne w he n i tw a s s a f e t o r e s um e pus hi ng the c a r t s thr ough the cr ow d o f vi si t ors. M adam ba m ay have been keepi ng a proper l oo ko ut ; the di stri ct courtdi d n otconcl ud e thather c on du ctw as un re as on abl e. A cc ordi ng l y, the court ap p lie d th e c o rr e c t le g a l s ta n d a r d . T h e j u d g m e n ti s AF F I R ME D.