Opinion ID: 2110659
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: General Principles of Premises Liability Law.

Text: The general rule applicable to the liability of possessors of land for injuries caused by conditions on the land is found in the Restatement (Second) of Torts: A possessor of land is subject to liability for physical harm caused to his invitees by a condition on the land if, but only if, he (a) knows or by the exercise of reasonable care would discover the condition, and should realize that it involves an unreasonable risk of harm to such invitees, and (b) should expect that they will not discover or realize the danger, or will fail to protect themselves against it, and (c) fails to exercise reasonable care to protect them against the danger. Restatement (Second) of Torts § 343, at 215-16 (1965); accord Mundy v. Warren, 268 N.W.2d 213, 217 (Iowa 1978) (relying on section 343 of the Restatement for the general rule of landowner's liability). The parties do not dispute Richardson's status as an invitee nor the defendants' status as possessors of the land. The dispute in this case centers on the requirement that the defendants know of the dangerous condition or by the exercise of reasonable care should have known of the condition. [1] Although Richardson does not contend that the defendants had actual knowledge of the condition of the plaster ceiling, he argues that this knowledge should be imputed to them because the defendants created the dangerous condition by installing the drop ceiling. Alternatively, he claims that if the defendants had exercised reasonable care in inspecting the plaster ceiling, they would have discovered the condition of the ceiling. We discuss these issues separately. [2]