Title: Walker v. Williams
Citation: 384 S.W.2d 447
Docket Number: N/A
State: Tennessee
Issuer: Tennessee Supreme Court
Date: November 12, 1964

384 S.W.2d 447 (1964) D.E. WALKER, Administrator of the Estate of Katherine Walker, Deceased, v. Russell S. WILLIAMS and wife, Maude V. Williams. Supreme Court of Tennessee. November 12, 1964. Rehearing Denied December 11, 1964. H.H. Gearinger, Chattanooga, of counsel, Moore, Gearinger &amp; Swafford, Chattanooga, for petitioner. Noone, Moseley &amp; Bell, Chattanooga, for respondents. PER CURIAM. We granted certiorari, heard argument and carefully considered the very comprehensive briefs and supplemental briefs filed by both parties. No question of fact or law, which was not presented to the Court of Appeals, is presented to us. Our conclusion, after hearing argument and studying the record, is that the Court of Appeals has fully answered all the questions presented and correctly decided the case. What they say makes sense to us. To rewrite the opinion on the same assignments would serve no useful purpose and we, therefore, adopt the opinion of the Court of Appeals as prepared for the court by Judge Robert Cooper, which is: and in Sec. 32e, p. 489: In addition to the main authorities cited in the opinion of the Court of Appeals a host of others may be found in the annotation 25 A.L.R.2d 598, which is quoted from by Judge Cooper, and then by following the A.L.R. Supplement down to date. We in particular like the reasoning of the Massachusetts court in one of the cases cited by Judge Cooper of Comeau v. Comeau, 285 Mass. 578, 189 N.E. 588, 92 A.L.R. 1002, which is to the effect that a social guest for the time being becomes a member of the host family, and must be presumed to accept his or her entertainment with an understanding that he accommodates himself to the condition of his host, the latter being under no duty to make improvements or reconstructions because thereby his home may be more convenient or more safe for those accepting his gratuitous hospitality. And thus the Massachusetts court arrived at the conclusion that where the evidence establishes no more than ordinary negligence on the host's part there is no liability. Mr. Prosser in his Law of Torts, 2nd Ed., at page 445, § 77, makes two or three rather pertinent observations which are applicable to the instant case. He says: *451 And then under the same section at page 447, he says this: It is argued very forcefully by the petitioner that under the facts here a "trap" was created by these conditions and thus it was the duty of the respondents to warn their guests of such condition. Ordinarily the word "trap" as used with reference to liability therefor in tort designates a device or condition created with intent to injure, but, of course, we no longer follow such strict use of the word, and "trap" as now used in this type of lawsuit generally means any kind of a hidden dangerous condition and there need not be any intent to injure. Under such a factual situation as presented in this case the hosts would be liable for injury to this guest only if the injury was caused by their gross negligence. None is here shown. Under the circumstances of this case it would be unreasonable to expect the host to anticipate that their guest would not exercise ordinary care for his own safety. We all know that in all houses, or homes, today there is certain shrinkage and settling, etc., where doors may become stuck one day and later unstuck, and minor things of this kind in which there certainly would be no obligation for the host to warn their guests that these changes come about. When the factual situation develops, as herein, a small spring on a door that made it close became broken which would cause the door to open more easily, there is certainly no degree of negligence shown on the part of the host which could go to a jury as to whether or not the host had created a "trap". After thus very carefully considering this case, we must affirm the courts below with costs as adjudged by the Court of Appeals. Counsel has filed herein a sincere, dignified and forceful petition to rehear. After carefully reading this petition we find that it is merely an additional argument to the argument as made in the supplemental briefs filed prior to our considering the matter on the petition for certiorari, and in oral argument made in this Court on petition for certiorari. It is true that counsel have attached to this petition certain articles and statements of Professor Prosser taken from 26 Minnesota Law Review, 573, and of March in The History and Comparative Law of Invitees, Licensees and Trespassers, 69 L.Q. Review Rev., 182 and 359. The principal basis of these articles and of this petition is that we should now change the rules of law as stated in the original opinion and make them applicable to all situations of invitees. We do not think it necessary to do so because if such were done it would certainly be dicta as not applying to the particular facts of the instant case. Under the facts as shown in this lawsuit we think the applicable principles of the law as set forth in the original opinion are applicable herein. *452 Many years ago Chief Justice John Marshall in Cohens v. Virginia, 6 Wheat. 264, 19 U.S. 264, 399, 5 L. Ed. 257, 290, said: After a careful consideration of the petition to rehear and the motion filed therewith for a reargument we must deny the petition and deny the request for reargument.