Opinion ID: 2226554
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Classification of Police Officer.

Text: Luigi's next argues that the district court erred in determining that Paul was an invitee who was owed a duty of ordinary care. Luigi's claims that Paul, as a police officer, should have been classified as a licensee. Contrary to Luigi's argument, the district court did not make a specific finding that Paul was an invitee. The court simply held that Luigi's was negligent in failing to exercise ordinary care by providing a guard or other protection over the window well, which would protect passers-by from stepping into the window well. Because of the window well's location, the court found it was not observable by a person exercising ordinary care. We have been reluctant to conclusively establish a land possessor's duty of care based on the status of the injured party. Pottebaum, 347 N.W.2d at 645. However, in this case, it does not matter whether Paul was an invitee or licensee. For either invitees or licensees, an owner has a duty to warn of hidden dangers known by the owner to be dangerous if such danger is not known or not observable by a person exercising ordinary care. Id. at 644-45 (citing Lave v. Neumann, 211 Neb. 97, 317 N.W.2d 779, 781 (1982)). We believe the district court properly addressed the duty owed by Luigi's, and its findings are supported by substantial evidence.