Opinion ID: 2215737
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 9

Heading: Carl's Status on Premises

Text: ICG urges us to find that the evidence demonstrated, as a matter of law, that Carl was a trespasser on ICG's premises. According to ICG, the evidence showed that Carl was found intoxicated, surrounded by beer cans and sleeping in the warming house with no money, no ticket, and no apparent intention of boarding a train. There was testimony that access to this warming house, from other than the train tracks, is restricted by turnstiles. To gain entry through the turnstiles, a person must purchase a ticket from a vending machine. However, it is possible, though apparently not authorized by ICG, for a person to enter the warming house without purchasing a ticket, such as by going over or under a turnstile, or by climbing onto the train platform from street level. The plaintiff points to the trial court's comments that there is a strong argument that [Carl] was a trespasser, but that his physical presence in that location [the warming house] I think entitles plaintiff [an] inference that he could have been a patron. The plaintiff further points out that there was no evidence that anyone looked to see if Carl had a passenger ticket in his possession; that, even if Carl had no ticket, ICG allows persons to buy tickets on the train; and, further, Carl could have had a ticket when he entered the warming house but been robbed of that ticket. We find that the evidence raised a jury question on the issue of Carl's status on ICG's premises. Where the facts surrounding the issue of a plaintiff's status on land are disputed, or different inferences may be drawn from undisputed facts, the plaintiff's status is a question of fact to be resolved by the jury. Stephen v. Swiatkowski, 263 Ill. App.3d 694, 700, 200 Ill.Dec. 658, 635 N.E.2d 997 (1994). Here, both the facts and the inferences to be drawn therefrom with regard to Carl's status on ICG's premises are disputed by the parties. The issue is therefore properly left to the jury.