Court Opinion

ID: 9763046
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-29 02:35:57.94175+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:29:39.138420
License: Public Domain

OLSZEWSKI, Judge,
dissenting:
I respectfully dissent from the majority’s affirmance of the trial court’s order granting summary judgment in favor of defendant-appellee, Penn Traffic Company (“the store”). I agree with the majority’s statement of the standard of review in summary judgment cases. I do not believe the majority properly applies this standard because it fails to give Myers the benefit of the doubt, as we are required to do at this stage of the proceedings.
The majority first dismisses the produce on the floor theory because it believes that appellant presented no evidence that the store had notice of the condition or failed to exercise reasonable care, as required by the Restatement (Second) of Torts § 343. The majority characterizes the inferences which may be drawn from the record in favor of appellant as unreasonable. I disagree.
*198As to the store’s notice of the condition of the floor, I too point to Moultrey v. Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company, 281 Pa.Super. 525, 422 A.2d 593 (1980), and interpret it to mean precisely what it says. “[W]here the condition is one which the owner knows has frequently recurred, the jury may properly find that the owner had actual notice of the condition____” Id. at 530-531, 422 A.2d at 596 (citing, Borsa v. Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co., 207 Pa.Super 63 at 68, 215 A.2d 289 at 292 (1965); Clark v. Glosser Bros. Dept. Stores, 156 Pa.Super. 193, 39 A.2d 733 (1944)). All that was required for a showing of actual notice, therefore, was evidence that the store knew that produce frequently fell to the floor and posed safety hazards to customers. The store’s employees admitted in deposition testimony that produce on the floor in the area where appellant allegedly fell was a constant problem. Thus, there was sufficient evidence to send the case to a jury so that they could determine whether the store had actual notice of the condition.
The majority finds no evidence of lack of reasonable care. Again, I disagree. The key evidence Myers presented on this point was the testimony of Robert Parkes, wherein he admitted being on break for a period preceding the fall and that, despite store policy to have two employees in that section, to his knowledge he worked alone that day. A jury could infer lack of care from these facts.
I would characterize the evidence as follows: a genuine factual dispute whether produce was on the floor, an admission that produce on the floor was a recurring problem, and evidence from which it could be inferred that the store did not follow its own policy as to cleaning the area. All doubts must be resolved against the moving party. Thompson Coal Co. v. Pike Coal Co., 488 Pa. 198, 202-204, 412 A.2d 466, 468-469 (1979). Thus, reading the record to favor Myers, there are material, disputed issues of fact as to the existence of a dangerous condition, actual notice and lack of reasonable care.
*199As to the improperly waxed surface theory, the majority affirms the summary judgment order because Myers has not shown that the uneven surface caused her fall. Once again, I disagree. The majority does not believe that floor wax could have contributed to Myers’ fall because one of the store’s employees testified that he could not see an indentation in the floor but could feel one when he touched the floor. The majority characterizes the case law on this issue as requiring evidence of extremely serious defects in the surface. Recovery on this theory, however, has been allowed when the evidence indicated a scuff mark Vs to lk inch deep. Strout v. American Stores Co., 385 Pa. 230, 232, 122 A.2d 797, 798 (1956). Further, the majority doubts whether the evidence of the unevenness is causally attributable to Myers’ fall. Contrary to the majority’s interpretation of prior case law, an imperfect surface in the area of the fall is sufficient to send the case to the jury. The Strout Court allowed recovery where the evidence revealed a scuff mark in the area of the floor which marked the scene of the plaintiff’s fall. I fail to see the distinction between the specificity of that evidence and the evidence presented by Myers that there was a scuff mark in the area where she fell. At this point in the proceedings, Myers is entitled to the benefit of this inference.
One of the roles of the jury would be to determine whether floor wax contributed to Myers’ fall. At the summary judgment stage of the proceedings, the scuff does not resolve this issue. Rather, it merely indicates that there is an issue which allows the case to proceed to trial. To allow this case to pass summary judgment because the wax had not accumulated to the point of being sticky or gummy is to intrude upon the fact finding province of the jury.
In summary, I believe the majority improperly engages in an assessment of the weight of the evidence presented by Myers rather than inquiring whether any material factual disputes exist. The majority does not read the record to favor Myers, nor does it give her the benefit of any doubt; this is contrary to the law of summary judgment. While I *200do not opine as to whether Myers’ evidence would be convincing enough to prevail at trial,1 I believe there have been enough doubts raised so that Myers should be allowed to have her day in court. Accordingly, I dissent.

. The majority relies greatly upon Martino v. Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co., 419 Pa. 229, 213 A.2d 608 (1965), in which the Supreme Court concluded that the injured party had not presented a clear case, as is required to survive a motion for a compulsory non-suit. This case differs greatly from Martino. In Martino the burden was upon the plaintiff, the non-moving party, to present clear and convincing evidence of negligence. In this case, the burden was upon the store, the moving party, to show that no genuine issue of material fact existed. The majority not only shifts the burden to Myers, it places the compulsory non-suit standard upon her prior to her being permitted to present her factual issues to a jury.