Court Opinion

ID: 9688678
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 18:00:27.214631+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:18:41.106979
License: Public Domain

SIMPSON, Justice
(dissenting).
The facts sufficiently appear in the opinion of the Chief Justice.
*571Where the affirmative ■ charge is refused to the defendant we are guided by the oft stated rule that the evidence must be viewed in the light most favorable to the plaintiff, and if there is a scintilla to support the complaint, the trial court’s action in refusing the charge must be affirmed. Adams v. Queen Ins. Co. of America, 264 Ala. 572, 88 So.2d 331; Hasty v. Hasty, 260 Ala. 90, 69 So.2d 282; Aircraft Sales & Service v. Gantt, 255 Ala. 508, 52 So.2d 388.
Several Alabama cases have been concerned with the problem presented on this rehearing. Following are some
In Britling Cafeteria Co. v. Naylor, 254 Ala. 84, 47 So.2d 187, the plaintiff slipped and fell while passing through the serving line. Later she discovered a bean on the bottom of her shoe. This court held there was no evidence showing the defendant caused the bean to be on the floor or that the defendant was in any way negligent in allowing the bean to remain on the floor. The court, of course, held that from the mere fact of injury, negligence cannot be assumed.
In Kittrell v. Alabama Power Co., 258 Ala. 381, 63 So.2d 363, plaintiff slipped and fell while on the premises of the defendant. This court held that there was no evidence tending to show that an employee of defendant knew the substance was on the floor nor that anything had arisen which would cause a reasonable person to investigate the floor as to existing conditions.
In the Britling case, supra, the plaintiff had gotten a verdict in the trial court and this court held the affirmative charge should have been given. In the Kittrell case, supra, the trial court gave the affirmative charge with hypothesis for defendant at the close of plaintiff’s evidence and we affirmed.
Another case stating the scintilla rule is Sullivan v. Alabama Power Co., 246 Ala. 262, 20 So.2d 224, 227. Plaintiff’s intestate was killed while trying to disengage a kite from power lines with an iron pipe. The trial court directed a verdict for defendant on the ground that there had been a failure to prove negligence. This court reversed. The opinion stated:
“[1 & 2] * * * The entire evidence must be viewed in its most favorable aspect for the adverse party and where, from it, a reasonable inference may be drawn adverse to the party requesting it, the affirmative charge is improper. Or here, if from the evidence reasonable inference may be drawn substantiating the claimed culpability of the defendant, a directed verdict for defendant is improper. * * *
“[11] * * * If common experience has demonstrated that dangers lurk in the method adopted or in the instrumentality maintained by a person he rests under the obligation of ascertaining the peril and taking precautions to avoid injury therefrom.
“[12] And, ordinarily, culpability for dereliction in this regard is a jury question, determinable under the particular circumstances.”
The evidence for the plaintiff in the case at bar from which the inference of negligence might be drawn is as follows (R. 34-35):
“A. There appeared to be a good deal of it [the substance on which plaintiff slipped] because I was away from it. * * * To my judgment, I would say it was sort of spattered. It was pretty hard to determine the area.
“Q. I will ask you if it was compact, or did it appear to be smeared? A. It was smeared.
“Q. Could you tell whether it had been tracked on?
“(Objection)
*572“Q. All' right, now, :you say it appeared 'to be spattered and smeared on the floor? A: That’s right.”
The. evidence for the plaintiff further showed there was nothing to prevent the clerks from seeing the substance on the floor. And in answer to interrogatories the defendant stated that there was a porter on duty who cleaned the floors and inspected them continuously. If such be true (continuous inspections) then it seems fair to say that the jury could have inferred from the condition of the offending substance that this • employee was negligent in not discovering it in time to protect invitees, such as plaintiff, by removing it.
We think three recent cases by this court are sustentive in holding that the case presented a jury question, Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. v. Popkins, 260 Ala. 97, 69 So.2d 274; Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. v. Weems, 266 Ala. 415, 96 So.2d 741; Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. v. Bennett, ante, p. 538, 103 So.2d 177.
In the Popkins case the plaintiff slipped and fell in a grocery store on a piece of lettuce leaf and the court stated [260 Ala. 97, 69 So.2d 276] :
“ * * * The lettuce leaf was ■ shown to have been dirty, crumpled and mashed. The jury could find from that • condition that it had been on the floor long enough to have raised a duty on defendant to discover and remove it # * ‡ »
In the Weems case [266 Ala. 415, 96 So.2d 743] the substance was an “old, dirty, mashed lettuce leaf”.
In the Bennett case, the leaf on which the plaintiff slipped was a vegetable leaf. “ ‘It was green and kind of rolled * * * appeared to be rolled up or crushed’ ” and was dirty, pushed, or crumpled.
In each, of these cases this court, after serious deliberation, concluded that there was a scintilla of evidence to go to the jury and that the affirmative charge was properly refused.
It is impossible tt> rationalize any distinction between the last three cited cases and the one at bar.
Mr. Justice MERRILL concurs in this dissent.