Opinion ID: 1621628
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: the gibraltar defendants

Text: At the trial on the merits, Mike Hilferty, the property manager of the Galleria at the time of the incident, outlined the Galleria's security plan. Hilferty testified that on Club West's busy nights, the Galleria had at least two security officers from NOPPS, as well as at least two additional armed deputies from the Jefferson Parish Sheriffs Office. On the night in question, there were three NOPPS guards assigned to the parking garage. One guard patrolled the garage on foot; one guard patrolled in a truck with flashing lights on top; and the third guard was assigned to the security hut located on the first level of the garage. Additional NOPPS guards, as well as two Jefferson Parish deputies, were stationed inside of the Galleria. [5] Hilferty also testified that the parking garage contained security cameras in the elevator lobbies, with monitors in the security hut. There was a security guard in the hut at all times to watch the monitors. He further stated that, although the original design of the parking garage included control access booths, the booths had never been serviceable and were subsequently removed. The court of appeal concluded that the Gibraltar defendants were negligent because their security plan was substandard. That conclusion primarily stemmed from the testimony of plaintiffs witness, John Lombardi, an expert in criminology and security who testified that the garage's security plan was inadequate and/or substandard. One of the reasons Lombardi gave for his conclusion that the plan was inadequate was that the plan was not in writing. Hilferty's testimony outlining the Galleria's security plan contradicts Lombardi's testimony that a written security plan was necessary in order for the security to be deemed adequate. The security measures adopted by the Gibraltar defendants, written or unwritten, demonstrate that a comprehensive security plan was in effect. The fact that the plan was not in writing is of no moment. There is no legal requirement that an effective security plan must be in writing. Lombardi also testified that security at the Galleria was substandard because the parking garage did not have controlled access and the guards were not visible. Richard Condon, an expert in the fields of security and criminology, testified for the defense and directly contradicted Lombardi's testimony. Condon testified that it is not feasible for an establishment such as the Galleria to have an access control gate to the parking garage. Inside the Galleria was an eight-screen movie theater, a game room, a food court, and a nightclub. Two floors of the structure contained businesses. Condon stated that the nature of the Galleria mandates that the garage be open to promote the free flow of traffic. Condon further stated that the purpose of a controlled access is not to provide security, but to raise revenue. In fact, even Lombardi admitted that the Protection of Assets Manual (POA), the widely accepted reference for those in the security industry, states that vehicular access controls have limited security value. According to the POA, such controls are not feasible for public places like shopping malls and movie theaters. The POA further states that, although access controls may deter casual or random vandalism, they do not deter serious criminals. Lombardi's assertion that the guards were not visible was also contradicted. Testimony revealed that three uniformed security guards were on duty in the parking garage on the night in question. One of the guards drove through the garage in a red truck with flashing lights on top. One guard remained in the security hut which was located on the first level of the garage. The third guard patrolled the garage on foot. Lombardi further testified that from January 1, 1988 and May 20, 1988, there were 87 calls for emergency assistance from the area surrounding the Galleria, and these incidents should have alerted Galleria's management that the security plan needed to be re-formatted. After analyzing the calls for emergency assistance referred to by Lombardi, Condon testified that none of the incidents were of a violent nature. [6] Lombardi admitted that he did not know whether the incidents included in the statistics occurred inside of the Galleria, in the parking garage, on the street in front of the Galleria, or at the apartment complex next door to the Galleria. The only serious incident included in the statistics did not occur at the Galleria nor in the parking garage. It involved an aggravated assault in which a resident of the nearby apartment complex came out on his balcony with a gun in his hand after a janitor had made noise by dumping trash in a dumpster. To support his assertion that the attack against him was foreseeable, plaintiff cites Romaguera v. Piccadilly Cafeterias, Inc., 94-374 (La.App. 5 Cir. 12/14/94), 648 So.2d 1000. In Romaguera, a restaurant patron was shot by an unknown assailant in the parking lot of the restaurant. The appellate court held that the harm to the plaintiff was foreseeable because there had been a previous armed robbery attempt inside of the restaurant. Therefore, the restaurant should have realized that a robbery attempt would occur outside the restaurant in the parking area where there were fewer people around. After reviewing all of the 9-1-1 calls from the area surrounding the Galleria, the record does not support a finding that the Galleria knew or should have known that the garage posed an unreasonable risk of harm to anyone using it. There was no way that the Galleria could have foreseen that a violent crime, such as an abduction at gunpoint, would occur on its premises. The only prior incidents consisted of vandalism and theft. There had been no history of crimes against persons either inside of the Galleria or outside in the parking garage. After reviewing the record in its entirety, we cannot say that the jury's determination that the Gibraltar defendants did not breach their duty to plaintiff was an unreasonable one. The jury was presented with two permissible views of whether or not Gibraltar's security plan was reasonable. Apparently the jury was not persuaded that the lack of access controls was the cause of plaintiff's abduction, or that the abduction was foreseeable. The court of appeal misapplied the manifest error standard of review by re-weighing the evidence and substituting its judgment for that of the jury. Therefore, we hold that the court of appeal erred in reversing the jury's verdict and rendering judgment in favor of plaintiff.