Case Name: JENKINS v. BI-LO, INC.
Court: Court of Appeals of Georgia
Jurisdiction: Georgia
Decision Date: 1996-12-03
Citations: 223 Ga. App. 735
Docket Number: A96A1681
Parties: JENKINS v. BI-LO, INC.
Judges: Beasley, C. J., Birdsong, P. J., Pope, P. J, Andrews, Johnson and Smith, JJ, concur. McMurray, P. J, and Blackburn, J., dissent.
Reporter: Georgia Appeals Reports
Volume: 223
Pages: 735–740

Head Matter:
A96A1681.
JENKINS v. BI-LO, INC.
(479 SE2d 14)

Opinion:
Ruffin, Judge.
Dorothy Jenkins slipped and fell on string beans on the floor of Bi-Lo, Inc.'s grocery store. Jenkins appeals the trial court's order granting summary judgment to Bi-Lo, and we affirm.
Summary judgment is appropriate when the court, viewing all the evidence and drawing reasonable inferences in a light most favorable to the non-movant, concludes that the evidence does not create a triable issue as to each essential element of the case. Lau's Corp. v. Haskins, 261 Ga. 491 (405 SE2d 474) (1991). Viewed in that light, the record shows the following. Jenkins was pushing a shopping cart in Bi-Lo's produce section when she slipped and fell on string beans. Jenkins was looking straight ahead as she was pushing her shopping cart toward the back of the store. According to Jenkins, the string beans looked old. Jenkins had been shopping at Bi-Lo for approximately 20 years. She admitted the lighting was adequate and that she was not distracted by anything or any person in the store. In addition, she acknowledged that no Bi-Lo employees were in the area before she fell, that she did not know how long the string beans had been on the floor, and that she did not know how long it had been since a Bi-Lo employee had been in the area where she fell.
Richard Woodard, Bi-Lo's produce clerk, testified that he inspected the floor where Jenkins fell approximately ten minutes prior to the incident. He admitted in his deposition that string beans on the floor of the produce section was a regular problem because customers drop them on the floor. However, he testified that either no string beans were on the floor during his inspection ten minutes earlier or that he picked up all the string beans he found on the floor during his inspection. In either event, it is clear that Woodard's testimony shows that no string beans were on the floor after his inspection ten minutes earlier.
"[I]n order to state a cause of action in a case where the plaintiff alleges that due to an act of negligence by the defendant [she] slipped and fell on a foreign substance on the defendant's floor, the plaintiff must show (1) that the defendant had actual or constructive knowledge of the foreign substance and (2) that the plaintiff was without knowledge of the substance or for some reason attributable to the defendant was prevented from discovering the foreign substance." Alterman Foods v. Ligon, 246 Ga. 620, 623 (272 SE2d 327) (1980). "[I]f [Jenkins] is unable to prove either element of the Alterman test, a failure of proof results. [Cit.]" Winn Dixie Stores v. Carroll, 212 Ga. App. 234 (441 SE2d 432) (1994). Jenkins has presented no evidence contradicting Bi-Lo's evidence that it had no actual knowledge that string beans were on its floor. Thus, the issue presented in this case is whether Bi-Lo had constructive knowledge of the allegedly hazardous condition.
Constructive knowledge can be established with evidence that either Bi-Lo failed to exercise reasonable care in inspecting its premises or an employee was in the immediate vicinity of the hazardous condition and could easily have noticed and corrected it. Ballard v. Southern Regional Med. Center, 216 Ga. App. 96 (1) (453 SE2d 123) (1995); Drake v. Kroger Co., 213 Ga. App. 72, 73 (1) (443 SE2d 698) (1994). "To sustain [a] cause of action under this first kind of case it is necessary that [Jenkins] prove a period of time the dangerous condition has been allowed to exist. Without such proof it would not be possible to determine whether [Bi-Lo] had been afforded a reasonable time within which to inspect and remove the hazard." (Citation and punctuation omitted.) Drake, supra at 73. In this case, Jenkins cannot establish that Bi-Lo failed to exercise reasonable care in inspecting the area because the undisputed evidence showed that Woodard inspected the floor approximately ten minutes before Jen kins' fall. See id. See also Butler v. Lanier Park Regional Hosp., 220 Ga. App. 386 (469 SE2d 475) (1996); Mazur v. Food Giant, 183 Ga. App. 453 (1) (359 SE2d 178) (1987). In addition, Jenkins failed to show constructive knowledge based on a negligent inspection of the premises because there was no evidence presented regarding the length of time the string beans were permitted to remain on the floor. See Ballard, supra.
Although we construe the evidence and all reasonable inferences in Jenkins' favor, the fact that Bi-Lo's produce manager admitted there were regular problems with string beans on the floor and that he might have picked up string beans ten minutes earlier during his inspection does not create a jury issue for reasons which follow. Woodard unequivocally and indisputably testified that he either picked up all the string beans during his inspection or there were no string beans on the floor during his inspection. Jenkins presented no evidence showing the period of time the string beans she slipped on had been allowed to exist. See Drake, supra. Neither is a jury issue created simply because old string beans caused Jenkins' fall. Again, Woodard's undisputed testimony shows there were no string beans on the floor ten minutes prior to Jenkins' fall.
In addition, Jenkins has failed to present any evidence showing that a Bi-Lo employee was in the immediate vicinity of the fall and could easily have noticed the string beans and removed them. In fact, she testified that she did not know how long the string beans had been on the floor and that she did not know when a Bi-Lo employee was last in the area. "There is nothing to show [Bi-Lo's] employees had the opportunity to see the [string beans] and remove [them] before [Jenkins] fell. Under the evidence in the case, the [string beans] could as easily have fallen to the floor mere seconds before [Jenkins] fell." Mitchell v. Food Giant, 176 Ga. App. 705, 709 (337 SE2d 353) (1985).
Since Jenkins failed to present evidence of the first prong of the Alterman test, showing Bi-Lo had actual or constructive knowledge of the allegedly hazardous condition, the trial court did not err in granting summary judgment to Bi-Lo.
Judgment affirmed.
Beasley, C. J., Birdsong, P. J., Pope, P. J, Andrews, Johnson and Smith, JJ, concur. McMurray, P. J, and Blackburn, J., dissent.