Opinion ID: 3172431
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Summary Judgment on Breach of Duty

Text: Petitioners argue the court of appeals erred in reversing the trial court's decision to grant them summary judgment on the issue of breach of the duty to investigate. Respondent, on the other hand, contends that the record contains at least a mere scintilla of evidence that Respondent did not breach its duty to investigate, and thus, the Court should uphold the court of appeals' decision. We agree with Respondent. The issue of negligence is a mixed question of law and fact. Doe ex rel. Doe v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., 393 S.C. 240, 246, 711 S.E.2d 908, 911 (2011) (citing Moore v. Weinberg, 373 S.C. 209, 221, 644 S.E.2d 740, 746 (Ct. App. 2007)). A court must first determine, as a matter of law, whether the law recognizes a particular duty. Id. (citing Moore, 373 S.C. at 221, 644 S.E.2d at 746). If a duty exists, the jury then determines whether the defendant breached the duty, resulting in damages. Moore, 373 S.C. at 221, 644 S.E.2d at 746. Here, the trial court ruled: [The Board] had a duty to investigate[,] when presented with evidence which would show or reasonably show that an individual [co-owner's] neglect in maintaining his or her [u]nit has resulted in damage to the common elements[,] that an investigation is required by the Bylaws. That is the [Council] through its Board, upon receiving such information, would be required to initiate some investigation to determine whether or not it would be appropriate to individually assess the defaulting [co-owner] for the damage . . . . The trial court then found as a matter of law that the Board breached its duty when it failed to determine: (1) whether the water intrusion damage to the common elements of Buildings A and B was the fault of a particular co-owner, or group of co-owners; and (2) whether other non-defaulting co-owners were entitled to a rebate by individual assessment from the A and B co-owners who caused the damage. We find evidence in the record that could support the conclusion that the Board indeed breached its duty to investigate. For example, there is evidence that the Board had actual notice of the leaks occurring in Buildings A and B since 1983, that the co-owners in those buildings were neglecting the problems, and that the co-owners' neglect to repair their own windows and doors caused damage to the common elements. Further, as Petitioners point out, Respondent acknowledged on the record that it never asked any qualified expert to allocate the damages to the common elements attributable to the leaking windows and sliding glass doors and the alleged failure of the co-owners to maintain those windows and sliding glass doors. However, when viewed in the light most favorable to Respondent, there is at least a scintilla of evidence in the record to indicate an issue of material fact as to whether the Board breached its duty to investigate, as set forth by the trial court. See Bass, 395 S.C. at 134, 716 S.E.2d at 912; Fleming, 350 S.C. at 493–94, 567 S.E.2d at 860. In the years preceding the initiation of this lawsuit, the Board hired numerous engineers and consultants to determine the cause of the water intrusion. In addition to citing leaks around the windows and doors, these engineers and consultants' reports attributed the water intrusion problems to the common elements—including the stucco and various components of the building envelope system. For instance, Keystone concluded that the water was leaking through the stucco, and that non-existent window flashing was part of the problem. Moreover, Schneider determined that the water was leaking at the stacks of the units, while HICAPS informed the Board that the building envelopes were not water tight and allowed water to enter the structures. In sum, there is evidence in the record to support a conclusion that the water leaks occurred due to water intrusion through the common elements, and thus, the Board could have made an informed decision not to apportion the costs of the damage to the co-owners. As a result, the trial court should not have decided the question of whether the Board breached its duty to investigate as a matter of law. Therefore, we hold that the trial court erred in granting Petitioners' motion for summary judgment, as the jury should have decided whether the Board breached its duty to investigate. Accordingly, we affirm the court of appeals' decision on this issue.