Opinion ID: 2329148
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Whether Marcoux's Statement of Material Facts Established the Essential Elements for Premises Liability

Text: [¶ 23] With respect to whether Marcoux's statement of material facts and supporting record references established the essential elements of a slip and fall premises liability action, we have explained the duty a property owner owes an invitee as follows: When a foreign substance on the floor causes a member of the public to sustain injuries, the injured party ordinarily bears the burden of proving the defendant's negligence by establishing (1) that the defendant caused the substance to be there, or (2) that the defendant had actual knowledge of the existence of the foreign substance, or (3) that the foreign substance was on the floor for such a length of time that the defendant should have known about it. Milliken v. City of Lewiston, 580 A.2d 151, 152 (Me.1990). [4] [¶ 24] Nichols argues that the summary judgment record did not establish that it had notice of the dangerous condition and failed to warn Marcoux or to take corrective measures in order to establish a breach of duty. It is undisputed, however, that one of the two people that Marcoux saw in the aisle in the vicinity of the green stain was dressed in a Nichols maintenance uniform. It is also undisputed that Marcoux saw a janitor's bucket near the stain. A reasonable fact-finder could conclude from the presence of a maintenance person and a janitor's bucket at the site of the fluid on the floor that Nichols was on notice of the hazard and failed to warn Marcoux or take corrective measures. See Houde v. Millett, 2001 ME 183, ¶ 11, 787 A.2d 757, 759 (explaining that a judgment as a matter of law is improper if any reasonable view of the evidence could sustain a finding of proximate cause). Marcoux also asserts that Nichols did not warn her about the slippery floor, which further supports a finding of breach. [¶ 25] Analogizing to Houde, Nichols argues that Marcoux failed to establish causation. The facts of Houde are as follows: Houde cleaned up soot that had been tracked over the kitchen floor of a friend's apartment in which she was staying; the next morning, she slipped on the floor and she claimed that the soot caused her fall. Id. ¶¶ 3, 5-7, 787 A.2d at 758. Houde believed the soot caused her fall because she later found a smudge on the pajamas that she had been wearing that morning that resembled soot. Id. ¶ 7, 787 A.2d at 758. Emphasizing the fact that Houde testified that she had cleaned up the soot entirely the night before her fall, we concluded that the evidence was too speculative to establish causation. Id. ¶ 12, 787 A.2d at 759-60. We stated, [s]uch evidence might establish that it is possible that it was soot that Houde slipped on, but is insufficient to support a finding to that effect. Id. ¶ 12, 787 A.2d at 759. Nichols claims that the causation evidence in the present case is even more speculative than that in Houde because there is no evidence of what caused Marcoux to fall. [¶ 26] Marcoux alleges in her statement of material facts and supporting record references that she saw a green stain, the stain was dark green but its color faded toward its edges, she tried to avoid the stain, she felt something slippery when she fell, she noticed a dark stain near her after she fell, and she later noticed a stain on the right knee of the pants that she had been wearing. This evidence is not as speculative as that in Houde because there is no evidence that the stain, unlike the soot, had been completely cleaned before she fell. When viewed in the light most favorable to Marcoux, the evidence could reasonably support a finding that the stain caused her fall. See id. ¶ 11, 787 A.2d at 759. [¶ 27] Nichols disputes Marcoux's allegations, thus raising genuine issues of material fact with respect to the elements of her premises liability claim. Consequently, the Superior Court correctly determined that Marcoux provided evidence of the essential elements of a premises liability action and that genuine issues of fact exist with respect to those elements. The entry is: The Superior Court's denial of Nichols's summary judgment motion is affirmed. Remanded to the Superior Court.