Opinion ID: 2164444
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Negligence Instruction

Text: Defendant's negligence is treated in a similar way. It is a question of fact, normally determined by the jury. Where contributory negligence is also at issue, the court will submit the negligence claim to the jury under proper instruction, unless the case for contributory negligence is so clear that reasonable minds could not possibly differ. In addition, because this case concerns the negligence of retail store owners in failing to maintain aisleways safe from defect or obstruction, the duration of the condition is significant: It is the duty of a storekeeper to provide reasonably safe aisles for the customers. The proprietor is liable for injury resulting from an unsafe condition caused by the active negligence of himself and his employees; and he is liable when the unsafe condition, otherwise caused, is known to the storekeeper or is of such a character or has existed a sufficient length of time that he should have knowledge of it. (Citations omitted.) Carpenter v Herpolsheimer's Co, 278 Mich 697, 698; 271 NW 575 (1937). In the instant case, the trial court gave the following instruction regarding defendant's duty of care to provide safe aisleways in its stores: Now, it is the duty of every storekeeper to provide a reasonably safe aisle or aisles for customers and a storekeeper is liable for injuries resulting from an unsafe condition either caused by an act of negligence by himself or his employees or if otherwise caused where known to the storekeeper or is of such a character or has existed such a sufficient length of time that the storekeeper should have had knowledge of it. On the basis of these instructions, the jury returned a verdict of no cause of action in defendant's favor. II A review of the record indicates sufficient evidence to justify the court's decision to instruct on contributory negligence. During discovery, testimony was taken from Mr. Frank Balester, apparently the only person to actually witness the plaintiff's slip and fall. Witness Balester, who was unloading a cart of milk only a few feet from where plaintiff fell, gave the following information in his deposition: Well, just as I hollered `cleanup', this other woman [the plaintiff], which I thought she had seen it, she slipped on the cottage cheese and fell. And I had no chance of getting to her to warn her or anything else. (Emphasis added.) Later, during the trial, plaintiff's own testimony was replete with evidence indicating her inattention to the surroundings and that she was not in the store that day to display shop:  Q. [Plaintiff's Attorney]: You had picked up several items in that far aisle, do you recall specifically what you picked up?