This is an excerpt of a slip and fall, premises liability decision regarding merchant liability for accidents is from Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Second Circuit.This Louisiana legal decision was provided by Rhode Island slip and fall attorney, David Slepkow
137 So.3d 193 (2014)
Karen R. FINLEY, Plaintiff-Appellant
v.
RACETRAC PETROLEUM, INC., et al., Defendants-Appellees.
No. 48,923-CA.
Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Second Circuit.
April 9, 2014.
“The imposition of tort liability on a merchant for a patron’s injuries resulting from an accident on the merchant’s premises is governed by La. R.S. 9:2800.6. Moy v. Brookshire Grocery Co., 48,177 (La.App.2d Cir.06/26/13), 117 So.3d 611. In relevant part, that statute provides:
A. A merchant owes a duty to persons who use his premises to exercise reasonable care to keep his aisles, passageways, and floors in a reasonably safe condition. This duty includes a reasonable effort to keep the premises free of any hazardous conditions which reasonably might give rise to damage.
B. In a negligence claim brought against a merchant by a person lawfully on the merchant’s premises for damages as a result of an injury, death, or loss sustained because of a fall due to a condition existing in or on a merchant’s premises, the claimant shall have the burden of proving, in addition to all other elements of his cause of action, all of the following:
(1) The condition presented an unreasonable risk of harm to the claimant and that risk of harm was reasonably foreseeable.
(2) The merchant either created or had actual or constructive notice of the condition which caused the damage, prior to the occurrence.
(3) The merchant failed to exercise reasonable care. In determining reasonable care, the absence of a written or verbal uniform cleanup or safety procedure is insufficient, alone, to prove failure to exercise reasonable care.
C. Definitions:
(1) “Constructive notice” means the claimant has proven that the condition existed for such a period of time that it would have been discovered if the merchant had exercised reasonable care[.]”
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