Court Opinion

ID: 9684097
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 13:46:38.288732+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:17:52.753817
License: Public Domain

HIGGINS, Chief Justice,
concurring.
I concur in the opinion of Blackmar, J., which reverses the judgment for defendants notwithstanding the verdict for plaintiff and directs entry of judgment on the verdict.
*670I file this separate opinion to distinguish this case from Virginia D. v. Madesco Inv. Corp., 648 S.W.2d 881 (Mo. banc 1983), in which I joined Judge Welliver in dissent. Judge Welliver concluded that defendant had breached no duty owed to plaintiff because “[njothing about previous incidents at the hotel suggests that defendant had a reasonable basis for anticipating the attack of which plaintiff complains.” Virginia D., 648 S.W.2d at 890 (Welliver, J., dissenting).
The existence of a duty “arise[s] out of circumstances and [is] based on ‘foreseeability’ or reasonable anticipation that harm or injury is a likely result of acts or omissions.... The question is not whether the particular injury under consideration should have been anticipated, but whether, after the occurrence, such injury then appeared to have been the reasonable and probable consequence of the negligent act or omission.” Gold v. Heath, 392 S.W.2d 298, 303 (Mo.1965); see also Hoover’s Dairy, Inc. v. Mid-America Dairymen, 700 S.W.2d 426, 431 (Mo. banc 1985).
The evidence in this case showed that plaintiff’s father expressed his concern to the apartment manager over the dangers of the bicyclists riding down the driveway and that another tenant told the manager the bicyclists were dangerous. In each instance, the manager responded that she would “do what she could” or “check into it.” The evidence also showed that a manager in residence had observed the bicyclists riding down the driveway. This evidence demonstrates that defendants had notice of the circumstances and could have reasonably anticipated that harm or injury was likely to result. The defendants had a duty to protect their tenants from this reasonably anticipated harm and because defendants took no steps to protect the safety of their tenants, they breached their duty.