Court Opinion

ID: 9768778
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-29 13:48:17.2303+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:30:44.863453
License: Public Domain

John A. Fogleman, Justice, concurring. I concur in tiie result reached by the-majority in this case and in the rules of law applied by the majority on the question of appellees ’ liability if appellant’s injury were suffered on their property. I do not agree, on the record before us, that it is undisputed fact that appellant, when injured, was on the private property of Sonneman. Assuming that appellant was on public property at the time of her injury, however, I find no allegation or assertion by appellant that would make appellees liable to her. Appellant alleged that appellees were in complete control of the sidewalk and were negligent in allowing a deposit of grease and foreign materials to be present on the walk and to remain there, without warning, for longer than a reasonable period of time. She asserted that this was a breach of reasonable care in keeping and maintaining a clear and unobstructed sidewalk for the general travelling public. In opposing the motion for summary judgment, appellant’s affidavit made no mention of any affirmative act on the part of appellees that caused the condition. Nor is there any statement in any pleading, affidavit or deposition that appellees owned the barrels, placed them on the sidewalk, or knew of the condition which existed. Nor is it stated that the condition had existed for a sufficient period of time to justify an inference that appellees knew of the presence of the grease and foreign matter. As a matter of fact, appellant testified that she did not see any foreign Substance on the ’ sidewalk before she fell. She stated that after she fell, she discovered a greasy liquid on the sidewalk which had seeped from the bottom of some trash barrels on the walk. A summary judgment has been affirmed by this court in a strikingly similar case. Epps v. Remmel, 237 Ark. 391, 373 S. W. 2d 141. In addition to allegations virtually parallel to those of appellant here, the plaintiff-appellant there relied on an allegation that a city ordinance required tlie property owner to maintain and repair the sidewalk. "While this court recognized that there could he liability if the defendant-appellee had affirmatively done something which caused a dangerous or hazardous condition, the court found that there was no such issue in the case. Furthermore, it was held that even a violation of the ordinance did not subject the owner to liability for bodily harm to one using the sidewalk. Since no affirmative act on the part of appellees is suggested by any pleading, affidavit or deposition in the record, I would affirm this judgment on the authority of the above case.