Opinion ID: 783319
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Existence of a Duty

Text: 21 DuPont argues that Plaintiffs-Appellants have failed to establish the duty element of the prima facie case because it had neither a duty to provide Hunley with personal protective equipment, nor a duty to warn him that a psychotic break was a danger associated with visual exposure to a paint spill. DuPont errs, however, by viewing the issue of duty so narrowly. Although it may not have owed these particular duties to Hunley, it did have a general duty to exercise due care to protect its security guards, including Hunley, from certain dangers associated with paint spills. This duty arises from the relationship between DuPont and Hunley of premises owner and invitee. 22 Generally, [a]n invitee, and in this case a business invitee, is one who enters a premises to conduct business that concerns the premises owner at the owner's express or implied invitation. Riddle v. McLouth Steel Prods. Corp., 440 Mich. 85, 485 N.W.2d 676, 679 n. 4 (1992). The Supreme Court of Michigan has determined that an independent contractor is a business invitee. Beals v. Walker, 416 Mich. 469, 331 N.W.2d 700, 704 (1982) (recognizing that an employee of an independent contractor who had been hired by the premises owner to do repair work was an invitee of the premises owner); see Case v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., 13 F.Supp.2d 597, 602 (S.D.Miss.1998) (citing Beals for the proposition that, in Michigan, an employee of an independent contractor is a business invitee). Here, Pinkerton had a contract to provide security services to DuPont, and Hunley was an employee of that independent contractor. Thus, under Beals, Hunley was a business invitee on DuPont's premises. 23 A premises owner has a duty to exercise reasonable care to protect invitees from unreasonable risks of harm caused by a dangerous condition on the premises. Williams v. Cunningham Drug Stores, Inc., 429 Mich. 495, 418 N.W.2d 381, 383 (1988) (citing RESTATEMENT (SECOND) OF TORTS § 343, at 215-16). The owner's duty is not absolute, however. It does not extend to conditions from which an unreasonable risk cannot be anticipated.... Id.; Stabnick v. Williams Patrol Serv., 151 Mich.App. 331, 390 N.W.2d 657, 658 (1986) (holding that premises owners have no duty to warn invitees of unforeseeable dangers). A premises owner has a duty to warn invitees only of known dangers, or dangers that should have been known through the exercise of reasonable care, which the premises owner understands or should have understood would pose an unreasonable risk. Bertrand v. Alan Ford, Inc., 449 Mich. 606, 537 N.W.2d 185, 186 (1995). 24 Applying the Cunningham Drug Stores standard, we believe that DuPont had a duty to exercise due care to protect its security guards, including Hunley, from the known dangers associated with paint spills that pose an unreasonable risk of harm. Although DuPont did not have a duty to protect its security guards from unreasonable risks that could not be anticipated, it is clear that the company did anticipate at least some unreasonable risks from paint spills. The fact that DuPont must have been aware of at least some risks associated with paint spills is evidenced by the fact that it provided its own emergency personnel with protective equipment, including special clothing and masks, with which they equipped themselves before entering the area of the spill. Were it not for the existence of some dangers that were known and anticipated by DuPont to pose an unreasonable risk of harm, the company likely would not have equipped its response personnel with such protective gear. Therefore, as the premises owner, DuPont was under an obligation to exercise due care to protect its security guards from these known risks. 25 Accordingly, we conclude that Plaintiffs-Appellants satisfied the duty element of their prima facie case.