Court Opinion

ID: 9726859
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 13:10:54.279613+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:25:31.565197
License: Public Domain

Knutson, Justice
(dissenting).
I cannot agree with the majority in this case. At least since Harpel v. Fall, 63 Minn. 520, 524, 65 N. W. 913, 914, we have followed the rule that—
“* * * where there is no agreement to repair leased premises by the landlord, and he is not guilty of any fraud or concealment as to their safe condition, and the defects in the premises are not secret, but obvious, the tenant takes the risk of their safe occupancy; and the landlord is not liable to him or to any person entering under his title, or who is upon the premises by his invitation, for injuries sustained by reason of the unsafe condition of the premises.”4
*512In Mix v. Downing, 176 Minn. 156, 158, 222 N. W. 913, 914, 13 Minn. L. Rev. 392, we said:
“Where a landlord makes no agreement to repair the obvious unsafe condition of the leased premises he is not liable, in the absence of fraud or concealment, to the tenant or to persons entering upon the premises at the tenant’s invitation for injuries sustained by reason of such unsafe condition.”
In probably the last case in which this question was directly considered, Ryberg v. Ebnef, 218 Minn. 115, 117, 15 N. W. (2d) 456, 457, we said:
“* * * It is a well-known rule, settled in this state and universally accepted, that if there is no agreement by the landlord to repair the demised premises; if he is not guilty of fraud or concealment as to their safe condition; if defects in the premises are obvious and do not constitute a hidden danger, nuisance, or trap; and if there is no showing that at the time the premises were leased they were unfit for their intended purpose, the tenant takes the risk as to the safety of their occupancy, and the landlord is not liable in tort to invitees of the tenant for injuries received upon the premises by reason of such defects.”
Now, on the basis of Breimhorst v. Beckman, 227 Minn. 409, 35 N. W. (2d) 719, the majority would overrule this entire line of cases. What we said in the Breimhorst case with respect to the liability of a landlord was purely dictum. We neither considered nor overruled the cases in which the liability of a landlord under these circumstances has been settled and consistently followed for over 60 years, and it is unthinkable that in that case we intended to overrule all these cases by implication. It is my opinion that we should adhere to our former rule and that the case should be sent back for a new trial based upon the rule of law which we have followed over all these years.
The majority admits that it was error to permit plaintiffs’ counsel to argue to the jury the legal effect of a special verdict but held that it was error without prejudice. I cannot agree with this position. In McCourtie v. United States Steel Corp. 253 Minn. 501, 93 N. W. *513(2d) 552, we held that it was prejudicial error for the trial court to instruct the jury as to the legal effect of a special verdict. It is equally devastating to permit counsel for a plaintiff to argue to the jury that which we have held the court may not do. Here, again, I think the error was prejudicial and that it requires a new trial.
With respect to the admissibility of evidence regarding property transfers made by defendants after the injury occurred, I have serious doubts as to the propriety of admitting such evidence in a case involving nothing more than pure negligence. In cases where such transfers might be evidence of a guilty conscience, clearly it is admissible. Here, however, there is nothing involved but failure to exercise due care, and it is difficult to see how such evidence can have any bearing on the liability which rests upon such negligence, if any there was.

See, Tvedt v. Wheeler, 70 Minn. 161, 72 N. W. 1062; Kayser v. Lindell, 73 Minn. 123, 75 N. W. 1038; Farley v. Byers, 106 Minn. 260, 118 N. W. 1023; Ames v. Brandvold, 119 Minn. 521, 138 N. W. 786; Daley v. Towne, 127 Minn. 231, 149 N. W. 368; Keegan v. G. Heileman Brg. Co. 129 Minn. 496, 152 N. W. 877, L. R. A. 1916F, 1149; Cederberg v. Nelson, 179 Minn. 104, 228 N. W. 352; Normandin v. Freidson, 181 Minn. 471, 233 N. W. 14; Murphy v. Barlow Realty Co. 214 Minn. 64, 7 N. W. (2d) 684; Anderson v. Winkle, 213 Minn. 77, 5 N. W. (2d) 355; Mani v. E. Hugo Erickson, Inc. 209 Minn. 65, 295 N. W. 506; Nickelsen v. Minneapolis, N. & S. Ry. 168 Minn. 118, 209 N. W. 646; Mix v. Downing, 176 Minn. 156, 222 N. W. 913, 13 Minn. L. Rev. 392; Johnson v. Theo. Hamm Brg. Co. 213 Minn. 12, 4 N. W. (2d) 778; Honan v. Kinney, 205 Minn. 485, 286 N. W. 404.