NO T F O R P UBLI CATI O N

UNI T E D S T A T E S COURT OF A P P E A L S

F OR T H E NI NT H CI RCUI T

J OH N B L A CK

B URN;

DI A NE B L A CK

B URN,

P l ai n ti f f s

- A ppel l an ts

,

v

.

WA L M A RT I NC. ; DOE S

, 1- 10, i n cl u si v e,

Def en dan ts

- A ppel l ees

. No. 19- 56064

D. C. No. 5: 18- cv

- 02487- DOC- S P

M E M O RA

NDUM *

A ppeal f r om th e Un i ted S tates Di s tr i ct Cou r t f or th e Cen

tr al Di s tr i ct of Cal i f

or n i a Dav i d O. Car t er , Di s tr i ct J u dg e, P r es i di n g

S u bm i tted A u g u s t 12, 2020 * *

P as aden a, Cal i f

or n i a

B ef or e: WA RDL A W an d CL I F T ON, Ci r cu i t J u dg es , an d H I L L M A N, * ** Di s tr i ct
J u dg e. 

# FI L E D

A UG 21 2020

M O LLY C. DW Y E R, CLERK U. S. COURT OF APPEAL S

* T h i s di s pos i ti on

i s n ot appr opr i ate f

o r p u bl i cati on an d i s n o t pr eceden t

ex cept as pr ov i ded by Ni n th Ci r cu i t Ru l e 36- 3.

* * T h e pan el u

n an i m ou s l y con cl u des th i s cas e i s s u i t abl e f o r d eci s i on wi t h ou t or al ar g u m en t. See F ed. R. A

pp. P

. 34( a) ( 2 )

.

* * * T h e H on or abl e T i m oth y H i l l m an , Un i ted S tates Di str i ct J u d g e f or th e Di str i ct of M as s ach

u s etts

, s i tti n g by des i g n ati on

.A

ppel l an ts Joh n an d Di an e B l ackbu

r n appeal th e d i str i ct cou

r t’ s g r an t of

s u m m ar y ju dg m en t t o Wal m ar

t on th ei r g en er al n eg l i g en ce, pr em i s es l i abi l i t

y , an d

l os s of con s or ti u m cl ai m s. We h av e ju

r i s di cti on p u

r s u an t to 28 U. S

. C. § 1291. We

af f i r m

.

T h e di s tr i ct cou

r t d i d n o t er

r i n g r an ti n g su m m ar y j u dg m en t on al l cl ai m s

.

F i r s t

, th e B l ackbu

r n s f ai l ed t o dem

on s t r ate th e ex i s ten ce of a g en u i n e i s su e of

m ater i al f act as t o wh eth er a d an g er ou s con di ti on ex i s t ed. See Ols en v. I

daho State

B d. o f M ed.

, 363 F

. 3d 9 16, 922 ( 9th Ci r

. 2 004) ( d es cr i b i n g th e s t an d ar d of r ev i ew

f or a g r an t of s u m m ar y ju dg m en

t) ; s ee als o Or tega v. Kmar t Cor p. , 26 Cal

. 4th

1200, 1 205 ( 2001) ( l ay i n g o u t th e r equ i r em en

ts f or a n eg l i g en ce cl ai m u

n der

Cal i f or n i a l aw)

. A s su

m i n g ar g uendo t h at th e can t

h at s t r u ck J oh n B l ackbu

r n f el l

f r om th e top s h el f

, th e B l ackbu

r n s h av e n ot pr es en

ted an y ev i den ce th at th e can

was s tocked i n a dan g er ou s m an n er

. A n i m ag e taken s h or

tl y af ter th e i n ci den

t

s h ows a n eatl y s tacked ai s l e wi th

, at m os t, two can s s tacked on e on top of th e

oth er

. T h e f

act th at a can di d s t

r i ke J oh n B l ackbu

r n does n ot o n i t s own

dem on s tr ate th at th e can s wer e s tocked i n a dan g er ou s m

an n er pr i or to th e i m ag e

bei n g taken

.

S econ d, th e B l ackbu

r n s f ai l ed to d em on s tr ate th e ex i sten ce of a g en u i n e

i s s u e of m ater i al f

act as to wh eth er

Wal m ar t h ad n oti ce or

con s tr u cti v e n oti ce of

2th e al l eg ed dan g er ou s con di ti on

. See id

. at 1206. No ev i d en ce su g g es ts th at

Wal m ar t kn ew of a m

i s- s tocked can

. A ddi ti on al l y , n o ev i den ce was pr es en ted wi t h

r eg ar ds to w h en th e al l eg ed dan g er ou s con d i t i o n ar os e. A s a r es u l t, i t can n o t be

i n f er r ed th at th e s u

bject can was i m

pr oper l y s t ocked f

or a per i od of

ti m e s u f f i ci en t

to ch ar g e Wal m ar

t wi th con s tr

u cti v e n oti ce. See P

er ez v. Ow

, 200 Cal

. A

pp. 2d

559, 563 ( Ct. A

pp. 1962)

.

T h i r d, th e B l ackbu

r n s f ai l ed to d em o n s tr ate th e ex i s t en ce of a g en u i n e i s s u e

of m ater i al

f act wi th r eg ar d s to wh eth er Wal m ar t ’ s con du ct was th e cau se of J oh n

B l ackbu r n ’ s i n j u r y

. See Or tega
, 26 Cal

. 4th at 1205. “ A m er e pos s i bi l i ty of s u ch

cau s ati o n i s n ot en ou g h ; an d wh en th e m atter r em ai n s on e of p u

r e s pecu l ati on or

con jectu r e, or th e pr obabi l i ti es ar e at bes t ev en l y bal an ced, i t becom es th e du ty of

th e cou r t to di r ect a v er di ct f

or t h e def en dan t

. ” I d. at 1205–06 ( qu oti n g

P r os s er &

K eeton

, T or ts § 41 ( 5 th ed. 1984) )

. T h e B l ackbu r n s h av e n o t pr ov i ded ev i den ce

th at th e su

bject can was i m

pr o p er l y s tocked or th at Wal m ar t kn ew or s h ou l d h av e

kn o wn th at th e can was i m pr oper l y s tocked. A s a r es u l t

, on l y s pecu l ati on s u ppor ts

th e ar g u m en t th at Wal m ar

t was th e cau se of Joh

n B l ackbu

r n ’ s i n j u r y

.

T h e di s tr i ct cou

r t al s o di d n ot er

r i n con cl u di n g th at th e doctr i n e of r es ips a

loquitor does n ot appl y i n th i s cas e. T h e B l ackbu

r n s h av e n ot dem

on s tr ated th at th e

s u bject can was i n th e ex cl u s i v e con tr o l of Wal m ar

t. See B row

n v. P o w ay Unified

3Sch. Dis t.
, 4 Cal

. 4th 820, 825–26 ( 1993) ( s t ati n g th at f o r r es i ps a l oquitor to appl y

th e acci den

t m u s t h av e been cau s ed “ by an ag en cy o r i n s tr

u m en tal i ty wi th i n th e

ex cl u s i v e con

tr ol o f th e def en dan t”)

. A s s u m i n g ar guendo th at th e can th at str u ck

J oh n B l ackbu r n was stocked on th e top s h el f

, th e ev i d en ce d oes n o t s u ppor t th e

cl ai m th at th e can was i n

Wal m ar t’ s ex cl u s i v e con

tr ol

. S i g n s r equ es t i n g

th at

patr on s “ as k f

or as s i s tan ce wi th i tem s on t h e t op sh el f

, ” do n ot dem

on str ate th at

cu s t om er s actu al l y do so. W i th ou t s om e f or m of bar r i er o r addi ti on al r es tr i cti on i t

s eem s equ al l y l i kel y th at a cu s tom er or an em

pl oy ee was th e l as t t o h an dl e th e can

th at s tr u ck J oh n B l ackbu

r n

. A s a r es u l t, r es ips a loquitor i s i n appl i cabl e.

AF F I RM ED.

4