Opinion ID: 1643662
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Motions for Directed Verdict and Judgment N.O.V.:

Text: Lakeland moved for directed verdict at the close of Stover's case and again after submission of all the evidence on the ground that Stover had not presented sufficient evidence to generate a jury question on Lakeland's liability. The court denied these motions, and later denied defendant's motion on similar grounds for judgment n.o.v. See Iowa R.Civ.P. 243. Time-honored rules govern our review of a court's ruling on such motions. The primary standard is that of substantial evidence; where no substantial evidence exists to support each element of a plaintiff's claim, directed verdict or judgment n.o.v. is proper. Woodruff Const. Co. v. Mains, 406 N.W.2d 787, 789 (Iowa 1987). Substantial evidence is that which a reasonable mind would accept as adequate to reach a conclusion. In re Foster, 426 N.W.2d 374, 376 (Iowa 1988). Where reasonable minds could differ on an issue, directed verdict is improper and the case must go to the jury. Rippel v. J.H.M. of Waterloo, Inc., 328 N.W.2d 499, 500 (Iowa 1983). The trial court must consider the evidence in a light most favorable to the nonmoving party. Meeker v. City of Clinton, 259 N.W.2d 822, 828 (Iowa 1977). On appeal, we consider the evidence in a way most favorable to upholding the verdict. See Moyers v. Sears-Roebuck & Co., 242 Iowa 1038, 1041, 48 N.W.2d 881, 883 (1951). Applying these rules to the case before us, we are struck by what a close case the evidence demonstrates. We cannot, however, say the court committed reversible error in refusing to grant a directed verdict or judgment n.o.v. Stover's allegations of negligence were three-fold: that Lakeland's stoop was in a defective and unreasonably dangerous condition; that Lakeland created an unreasonable risk of harm by failing to provide handrails near the stoop; and, that Lakeland breached its duty of ordinary care by failing to warn the public of the condition of the stoop. As noted previously, a landowner is liable to invitees for injury from a condition on the property if the landowner: (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 an invitee, and (b) should suspect that an invitee will not discover or realize the danger, or will fail to protect himself from it. Byers, 419 N.W.2d at 397. The contractor who designed the stoop testified at trial that the distance between the top of the stoop and the surface of the sidewalk remained the same while the sidewalk settled. Mrs. Stover, however, testified that she thought the front of the stoop was getting higher and that the stoop was beginning to slant toward the building. Given this conflicting testimony on the condition of the stoop, combined with evidence that the ground around the condominium was settling, a reasonable mind could conclude that the settling of the ground was causing the stoop to tilt. Whether this condition caused an unreasonable risk of harm to Lakeland's invitees, particularly the many elderly ones, remained a question for the jury. We thus believe there was sufficient evidence to generate a jury question on Lakeland's exercise of due care and proximate cause. Likewise, we cannot say that there was no substantial evidence supporting the jury's verdict which apportioned eighty percent of the fault to Lakeland and twenty percent to Stover. We therefore hold that the trial court did not commit reversible error in refusing to grant a directed verdict or judgment n.o.v.