Opinion ID: 541766
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Summary Judgment For New Orleans Private Patrol Service

Text: 39 In the district court, Hartford contended that NOPPS was negligent in failing to turn on lighting in the area of the accident or in failing to report a potentially dangerous situation. The district court determined that there was no disputed issue of material fact as to these claims and that NOPPS was entitled to summary judgment: 40 The question of whether New Orleans Patrol was negligent in failing to turn on lighting as directed has been negated by the testimony of Mr. Patrick M. Morrissey, the President and corporate designee of NOMC. Mr. Morrissey stated in his deposition that the New Orleans Patrol's guards did not have the discertion [sic] to turn on lights on a berth where no ship was being worked on. Mr. Morrissey also testified that the accident occurred on berth 5 of the NOMC facility and there was only one vessel at berth 6 in the facility at the time of the accident. In addition, Mr. Morrissey admitted that the only lights which should have been lit on berth 5 should have been the security lights which came on from an electric eye. Therefore, New Orleans Patrol was not negligent for failing to turn on the appropriate lights because it is the testimony of the President of the NOMC that the lights should not have been turned on at that berth at the time of the accident by New Orleans Patrol. Hartford implies in opposition to the motion that there is some confusion as to where this accident occurred. There should be no question as to where the accident occurred as Hartford alleges in its complaint that the accident occured [sic] while Maher was operating his vehicle along the dockside of the NOMC facility. Moreover, this argument is invalid as Mr. Morrissey testified that he saw that the lights were on in the terminal at berth 5. 41 Hartford's second argument that New Orleans patrol was negligent in failing to report any dangerous situations has been wholly unsubstantiated by the testimony of Mr. James C. Finley who conducted the investigation of this accident on behalf of NOMC and is a corporate designee of NOMC. Mr. Finley testified that he was not aware of any facts which would indicate that any of the NOMC's lights were not operating correctly at the time of the accident. Mr. Finley's testimony is corroborated by Mr. Morrissey. 42 Hartford disputes the clarity of Mr. Morrissey's testimony due to the confusion created by the manner in which he was questioned regarding the lighting in the facility area. Hartford infers that this confusion led the district court to focus on lighting in the vessel area rather than lighting in the shoreside terminal area where the accident allegedly occurred. We agree with Hartford that Morrissey's deposition testimony was, at times, less than clear. However, the undisputed facts are that the accident occurred at berth 5, that NOPPS had no discretion to turn on the lights at berth 5 because the berth held no vessel and that the terminal lights in the area of berth 5 were on. These undisputed facts warrant summary judgment for NOPPS as to its alleged negligence in illuminating the area of the accident. As for Hartford's claim that NOPPS failed to warn of an unreasonably dangerous situation, Hartford has not presented disputed issues of material fact supporting this theory. We cannot say, therefore, that summary judgment was improperly granted to NOPPS.