Opinion ID: 1776456
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Standard of Care Required of Repairers

Text: We granted this writ, in part, to consider a question pretermitted in Rosell v. ESCO, 549 So.2d 840, 843 (La.1989), namely, whether repairers ought to be held to the same high standard of care to which owners are held. It was not necessary for us to resolve the question there because under either standard, the common carrier or the reasonable person, the elevator maintenance firm would be liable. The Rosell elevator was in such a state of disrepair, as testified to by several of the building's employees, that a reasonable repair person should have discovered and remedied the defect. Id. This case is quite different. There were no reports of the elevator having malfunctioned in this way beforehand, nor any after. Therefore, even if we were to hold Otis to a higher standard of care, there is not in the record even the most meager evidence which would tend to show negligence on its part. Otis had a duty, under its contract with Pelican, to inspect and maintain the elevator. By all accounts, Otis did so. Moreover, as noted above, the explanation given by the repairman Mandola indicates that the accident occurred, not as a result of negligence, but rather as a result of the safety interlock's functioning normally. Hence, once again we are constrained to pretermit the question, because, under either standard, the result would be the same: liability on the basis of negligence would not attach to Otis.