# U ni te d S ta te s Co ur t of A pp ea ls For the Eig hth Circu it

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__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ _ Est el la M. Cara di ne
ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll l Pla in ti

ff - App el la nt

v.
Fred ’s Sto res of Ten ne ss ee, In c.
ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll l Defe nd

an t - Ap pe ll ee

__ __ __ __ __ __ App eal fro m

Uni te d S ta te s Di st ric t Co ur t fo r th e Eas te rn Dis tri ct of Ark an sa s - Li tt le Ro ck

__ __ __ __ __ __ Su bm it te d: Octo be r 31 , 20 12 Fi le d: Jan ua ry

9, 2 01 3 [Un pu bl is he d]

__ __ __ __ __ __ Befo re WOL LMAN, MELLOY, and SHEPHERD, Circ ui t J ud ge s.

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PER CURI AM.

In th is di ve rs it y act io n, Est e l l a Cara di ne ap pe al s th e di st ric t co ur t’s gr an t of

su m m ary jud gm en t in fav or of de fen da nt Fred ’s St or es of Ten ne ss ee, In c. (FST). Afte r care fu l co ns id erat io n, se e Est at e of Mo rg an v. Co o k , 6 8 6 F.3 d 49 4, 49 6 (8 th Ci r. 20 12 ) (d e n ov o re vi ew), we rev ers e an d re m an d fo r fu rth er p ro ceed in gs

.The on ly ev id en ce pr es en te d to th e d i st ric t co ur t was Cara di ne ’s de po si ti on

te st im on y , to th e fo ll owi ng effe ct

. In Mar ch 20 10 , Cara di ne arri ve d at a Fred ’s St or e in Nor th Lit tl e Ro ck , Ark an sa s, to he lp a fri en d sh op

. W he n walk in g do wn an ai sl e, sh e sp ot te d two bo xe s of Pi ne -So l on th e gr ou nd in fro nt of he r, an d a sm al l am ou nt of y el lo w l iq ui d t o t he si de of on e bo x. To av oi d th e sp il l, sh e walk ed be twee n th e two bo xe s, as sh e di d no t se e an y li qu id on th at po rti on of th e flo or

. Sh e th en sl ip pe d

an d fel l on he r ba ck , res ul ti ng in in jur i es

. No si gn s warn ed he r ab ou t th e sp il l. Cara di ne te st ifi ed th at al th ou gh sh e di d no t se e an y li qu id whe re sh e walk ed ei th er be fo re or aft er he r fal l, sh e be li ev ed sh e sl ip pe d in Pi ne -So l be cau se sh e sm el le d li ke Pi ne
- S o l a f

t e r fal li ng , an d th e m an ne r in whi ch sh e fel l-- la nd in g on he r ba ck

-- in di cat ed th at sh e sl ip pe d o n a su bs ta nc e.

W e co nc lu de th at th e un di sp ut ed ev id en ce pr es en te d qu es ti on s of m at eri al fact pr ecl ud in g su m

m ary jud gm en t. Fi rs t, ba se d on Cara di ne ’s te st im on y , a reas on ab le fact fin de r co ul d fi nd th at Cara di ne sl ip pe d i n P in e-So l res id ue , a nd th at th e res id ue

crea te d an un sa fe co nd it io n. See W al -Ma rt St or es , In c. v. Reg io ns Ban k Trus t Dep ’t, 69 S.W .3d 20 , 2 3 (Ark . 2 00 2) ( st or e own er “ ha s a du ty t o ex erci se or di na ry care to

m ai nt ai n th e pr em is es in a reas on ab ly sa fe co nd it io n fo r th e be ne fi t of in vi te es ”); Kell ey v. Nat’l Uni on Fi re In s. Co ., 93 7 S.W .2d 66 0, 66 2 (Ark

. 19 97 ) (in sl ip -an d- fal l

cas e, ho ld in g th at qu es ti on of fact ex is te d as to whe th er fo rei gn su bs ta nc e was pr es en t

on flo or , ev en th ou gh pl ai nt iff di d no t se e wha t cau se d he r fal l, ba se d in pa rt on du st sh e sa w on bysta nd er’s h an d wh o h el pe d h er u p)

.

Seco nd , a fact fin de r co ul d in fer th at FST ei th er kn ew ab ou t th e sp il l, or th at th e sp il l ha d rem ai ne d on th e flo or l o n g e n o u g h f o r FST to kn ow it was th ere. FST pr es en te d no co nt rary ev id en ce be lo w, an d ex ce rp ts of Ca ra din e’s de po si ti on th at FST in cl ud es on ap pe al (b ut om it te d be lo w) refl e c t h er te st im on y th at aft er sh e fel l an d

was he l p e d to th e fro nt of th e st or e, a cas hi er who was to ld wha t ha pp en ed sa id ,

“ ‘w el l, I ha d cal le d so m eb od y to cl ean up th at sp il l be fo re y ou ev en go t to th e st or e’”;

-2

-an d he r te st im on y st at in g, “ The re was n’t a wet flo o r s i g n ba ck th ere, no whe re. If I

ha d se en th e wet flo or si gn , th en I wou ld ha ve wen t an ot he r way an d I wou ld n’t ha ve

ne ve r fel l.” See Park er v. Perr y , 13 1 S.W .3d 33 8, 34 3 (Ark

. 20 03 ) (wh en rev ie win g gr an t o f s u mm a r y jud gm en t, co ur t de ci de s on ly if ev id en ce m ov an t pr es en te d le ft qu es ti on of m at eri al fact un an swe red ; if m ov an t di d no t of fer pro of on co nt ro ve rte d is su e, su m

m ary jud gm en t is no t ap pr op ria te , ev en if no nm ov a n t fai ls to pr es en t

co un te rv ai li ng ev id en ce); Reg io ns Ban k Trus t, 69 S.W .3d at 23 -2 4 (rec it in g el em en ts of sl ip -an d- fal l cas es un de r Ark an sa s la w); se e al so Hin tz v. JP Mo rg an Ch as e Ban k, 68 6 F.3 d 50 5, 50 8- 09 (8 th Ci r. 20 12 ) (ap pe ll at e co ur t m ay en l a r g e reco rd whe n i n te res ts of jus ti ce de m an d it ; co ur t co ns id ered tra ns cri pt fir st pr od uc ed on a p p e a l whe re n ei th er p art y

di sp ut ed it s v al id it y

an d b ot h t he ir b rie fs rel ie d o n i t).

Fi na ll y , we co nc lu de th e ob vi ou s- da ng er ru le di d no t el im in at e FST’s du ty to Cara di ne

. See You ng v. Pax to n, 87 3 S.W .2d 54 6, 55 0 (Ark

. 19 94 ) (o bv io us -d an ge r

ru le st at es th at la nd own er’s du ty to in vi te e is us ua ll y sa ti sf ie d if da ng er is kn own or ob vi ou s t o i nv it ee). A r eas on ab le fact fin de r co ul d i nf er fro m Cara di ne ’s tes ti m on y t h a t sh e di d no t kn ow of or ap pr eci at e th e da ng er of walk in g be twee n th e Pi ne
- S o l bo xe s- -an d aro un d th e po rti on of th e sp il l sh e kn ew a b o u t

- - u n t il aft er he r fal l. See Van DeVeer v. RTJ, In c ., 10 1 S.W .3d 88 1, 88 7 (Ark

. Ct

. App

. 20 03 ) (wh et he r

co nd it io n was op en an d o b v i o u s w a s a qu es ti on of fact fo r th e jury th at can no t be de ci de d on su m

m ary jud gm en t); Co le m an v. Mon so n, 52 2 N.W .2d 91 , 93 -9 4 (Io wa Ct

. App

. 19 94 ) (wh ere pl ai nt iff kn ew flo or s ha d wate r on th em fro m cl ean in g bu t di d

no t kn ow ex act ly whe re, an d sh e pr oc eed ed do wn ai sl e sh e pe rcei ve d as cl ear of
wate r, b u t s li pp ed an d fel l on wate r an y way , co ur t de te rm in ed en ou gh ev id en ce

ex is te d t o i nf

er t ha t d an ge ro us co nd it io n was no t k no wn o r ob vi ou s)

.

The refo re, we rev ers e th e di st ric t co ur t’s gr an t of su m m ary jud gm en t a nd

rem an d fo r fu rth er p ro ceed in gs

.

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