PAMELA S. ALLEN and KELLY D. ALLEN, Cross-Appellants, v. STATE OF MISSOURI, 32nd JUDICIAL CIRCUIT, Cross-Appellant, and CAPE GIRARDEAU COUNTY and CITY OF CAPE GIRARDEAU, MISSOURI, Respondents.
No. SC98929
SUPREME COURT OF MISSOURI en banc
January 11, 2022
Modified on the Court‘s own motion March 1, 2022
W. Brent Powell, Judge
APPEAL FROM THE CIRCUIT COURT OF STODDARD COUNTY
The Honorable Stephen R.
The State of Missouri, 32nd Judicial Circuit (“State“) appeals from a judgment entered in favor of Pamela Allen (“Allen“) and her husband (collectively the “Allens“) who sued the State, Cape Girardeau County (“County“), and the City of Cape Girardeau (“City“) after Allen fell down a flight of stairs in the Common Pleas Courthouse in Cape Girardeau (“Courthouse“). On appeal, the State asserts the circuit court misapplied the law regarding the waiver of sovereign immunity. Specifically, the State claims the circuit court erred in: (1) overruling
In a cross-appeal, the Allens also allege, among other claims, the circuit court erroneously applied the law of sovereign immunity. Specifically, the Allens claim the circuit court erred in: (1) sustaining the City‘s motion for directed verdict because the City held an undivided one-half ownership interest in the Courthouse and this ownership interest was sufficient to subject the City to waiver of its sovereign immunity; (2) overruling the Allens’ motion for new trial because the judgment entered in the County‘s favor was against the weight of the evidence in that the County also held an undivided one-half interest in the Courthouse; and (3) overruling the Allens’ motion for new trial because the judgment entered against Kelly Allen on his claim of loss of consortium was against the weight of the evidence. The Allens’ first claim is meritorious. Because the City possessed an ownership interest in the Courthouse, it was unnecessary for the Allens to introduce evidence that the City exercised “exclusive control and possession” over the stairwell to establish the Courthouse stairwell was the City‘s property. For this reason, the Court vacates the circuit court judgment entered in the City‘s favor. The Allens’ second claim is moot. Because the jury was improperly instructed on the law of sovereign immunity for the reasons claimed by the State, the State is entitled to further proceedings in which the liability of the State and the County is properly considered with the correct understanding of the law. This Court, therefore, need not address the Allens’ claim that the judgment entered in the County‘s favor was against the weight of the evidence. Finally, this Court will not review the Allens’ third claim regarding the judgment entered against Allen‘s husband, as this argument was never presented to the circuit court and, therefore, was not preserved.
In summary, the circuit court‘s judgment is affirmed as to Allen‘s husband‘s loss of consortium claim. In all other respects, the judgment is vacated. The case is remanded for the circuit court to consider the liability of all three defendants in a manner consistent with this opinion.
Factual and Procedural History
The Courthouse is an historic building located in Cape Girardeau. Built in 1854, the County and the City have held an undivided one-half ownership interest in the Courthouse since 1959. In 1979, the City and County entered into an agreement whereby the County may occupy the entire space and assumes all responsibility for maintenance and repairs. The agreement is still valid and preserves for the City the right to inspect the premises and withhold approval for any alterations. The County made the entire space available for the State‘s use in 1991.1 Since then, the
On August 26, 2013, Allen, an employee of United Land Title, visited the Courthouse to retrieve “a couple of judgments” for a work assignment. These court records were located in the Courthouse basement. It was not the first time Allen gathered records from the Courthouse basement; she had done so on 50 or more occasions during her time at the title company. The circuit court clerk had the County install a lock on the door, making the staircase and the basement inaccessible without a key. Allen approached the deputy clerk to request a key; the clerk advised her to “grab the key” and retrieve the documents. Allen collected the key, unlocked the door to the basement stairway, left the door slightly ajar to allow additional light to illuminate the dark staircase, and began to descend, gripping the single handrail. A few steps from the bottom landing, Allen‘s foot slipped. She fell, breaking her leg. Allen crawled back up the stairs to call for help and was eventually transported to a hospital for her injuries.3
Allen and her husband sued the State, the County, and the City in a personal injury action. Allen claimed each kept the Courthouse staircase in a dangerous condition and should have either repaired the staircase or warned her it was hazardous. Allen sought damages for her injuries, and her husband brought a claim for loss of consortium. At the close of the Allens’ evidence, the City, State, and County moved for directed verdict. Each argued it should not be liable for Allen‘s injuries because it did not have “exclusive control and possession” or “control” of the stairway and was unable to remedy or warn of any alleged defect.4 Each further contended the stairs were not a dangerous condition rendering them liable for Allen‘s injuries. The circuit court sustained the City‘s motion but overruled the State‘s and County‘s motions. The Allens’ claims then proceeded against the State and the County.
During the jury instruction conference, the State objected to Instruction No. 8, which sought a jury finding that the State “either owned or controlled” the Courthouse basement stairway. The State argued “owned or controlled“—language supplied by Missouri Approved Instruction (“MAI“) 31.16 (8th ed.)—misstated the law, and the proper instruction should direct
Using two separate verdict forms, the circuit court instructed the jury to weigh the State, the County, and Allen‘s comparative fault.5 In response to a question from the jury, the circuit court instructed the jurors they could find fault only for one of the defendants, the State or County, but not both. The jury returned verdicts holding the County zero percent at fault, the State 90 percent at fault, and Allen 10 percent at fault, assessing Allen‘s total damages at $475,000. The jury found against Allen‘s husband on his loss of consortium claim. Following the jury‘s verdict, the circuit court entered judgment for Allen against the State, for the City and County, and against the husband.
The State moved for a judgment notwithstanding the verdict (“JNOV“), mirroring the same arguments raised in its motion for directed verdict. The Allens also conditionally moved for a new trial, asking the circuit court to consider their motion in the event it found the State did not own or control the stairs and sustained the State‘s motion for JNOV. The Allens argued the judgments for the City and the County must be reversed if the court were to enter JNOV for the State because one of the three defendants must be liable. The Allens’ conditional motion for JNOV, however, did not seek to set aside the verdict rejecting the husband‘s loss of consortium claim.
The circuit court overruled both parties’ motions. The State appealed, asserting the staircase was not a dangerous condition and the circuit court erred in submitting Instruction No. 8. The Allens sought affirmance of the circuit court‘s judgment against the State but cross-appealed in the event this Court grants the State its requested relief.6 After the court of appeals issued an opinion, this Court granted the State‘s application for transfer.7
Analysis
I. The State‘s Appeal
The State raises two points on appeal. Both involve the application of
[i]njuries caused by the condition of a public entity‘s property if the plaintiff establishes that the property was in dangerous condition at the time of the injury, that the injury directly resulted from the dangerous condition, that the dangerous condition created a reasonably foreseeable risk of harm of the kind
of injury which was incurred, and that either a negligent or wrongful act or omission of an employee of the public entity within the course of his employment created the dangerous condition or a public entity had actual or constructive notice of the dangerous condition in sufficient time prior to the injury to have taken measures to protect against the dangerous condition.
(Emphasis added).
The State challenges the sufficiency of the evidence the Allens offered to demonstrate the “dangerous condition” of the stairs under
a. Sufficiency of Evidence Demonstrating a Dangerous Condition and Notice
In reviewing a circuit court‘s overruling of a JNOV, “[t]his Court must determine whether the plaintiff presented a submissible case by offering evidence to support every element necessary for liability.” Fleshner v. Pepose Vision Inst., P.C., 304 S.W.3d 81, 95 (Mo. banc 2010). The State claims the circuit court erred in overruling its JNOV motion because there was insufficient evidence to support the jury‘s finding that (1) the staircase was in a dangerous condition (2) of which the State had actual or constructive notice.8
This Court reviews the evidence “in the light most favorable to the jury‘s verdict, giving the plaintiff all reasonable inferences and disregarding all conflicting evidence and inferences.” Id. A jury verdict cannot be reversed because of insufficient evidence unless “there is a complete absence of probative fact to support the jury‘s conclusion.” Tharp v. St. Luke‘s Surgicenter-Lee‘s Summit, LLC, 587 S.W.3d 647, 654 (Mo. banc 2019). Viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the verdict, permitting Allen all reasonable inferences and disregarding all conflicting evidence and inferences, the evidence was sufficient to show the stairs were in a dangerous condition of which the State had actual or constructive notice.
Under
The State contends the stairs did not constitute a dangerous condition because they were an “open and obvious condition” of which Allen knew and appreciated. This Court disagrees. True, a “landowner is entitled to expect that invitees will exercise ordinary perception, intelligence, and judgment to discover open and obvious conditions, appreciate the risk they present, and take the minimal steps necessary to protect themselves.” Maune, 203 S.W.3d at 805. But even if Allen was familiar with the condition of the staircase, that awareness does not preclude a finding that the condition, nevertheless, was dangerous. “[W]hen the dangerous condition is so open and obvious that the invitee should reasonably be expected to discover it and realize the danger, a possessor of land does not breach the standard of care owed to invitees ‘unless the possessor should anticipate the harm despite such knowledge or obviousness.’” Harris v. Niehaus, 857 S.W.2d 222, 226 (Mo. banc 1993) (emphasis added) (quoting Restatement (Second) of Torts, § 343A(1) (1965));9 see
While the condition of the stairway may have been open and obvious, the State should have anticipated the harm that befell Allen. Neither party indicates there was a reasonable alternative path to access the court records in the Courthouse basement. This fact makes the present case distinguishable from others in which courts have declined to find dangerous a condition that was open and obvious because the plaintiff‘s path was not limited to a single point of entry or exit.10 Because there was no evidence to suggest Allen had an alternative route to access the files, the State had reason to anticipate the defective, deficient stairs could harm Allen despite her familiarity with them. Ultimately, whether the condition of the stairs was open and obvious is not dispositive to liability but rather is a factor to weigh in determining whether she exercised due care and shared comparative fault. See Hellmann, 943 S.W.2d at 659; see also Restatement (Second) of Torts, § 343A(1), cmt. f (1965). For these reasons, the Allens presented sufficient evidence to establish the stairway was a dangerous condition under
The evidence was also sufficient to demonstrate the State had sufficient notice of the dangerous condition of the stairwell. Viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the jury‘s verdict, the Allens introduced evidence of an April 2013 e-mail exchange between a county commissioner and the secretary to the presiding judge of the 32nd circuit in which the commissioner stated he believed it would be “unsafe” to allow a group to tour the basement. Other evidence demonstrated State employees referred to the basement as “the dungeon.” Such evidence suggests the State had actual notice that the stairs to the basement could be hazardous.
Even assuming the State lacked actual notice of the condition of the staircase, this Court has previously found similar facts sufficient to establish constructive notice. See e.g., Hensley v. Jackson Cnty., 227 S.W.3d 491 (Mo. banc 2007). In Hensley, this Court found Jackson County lacked sovereign immunity from a suit initiated by a plaintiff injured in a car accident caused by a downed stop sign. Id. at 497. The plaintiff introduced evidence showing the stop sign had been leaning at a 45-degree angle for the duration of the
Here, the State has occupied the Courthouse since 1991. The State stored hundreds of boxes of its own records in the basement. Presumably, the State used the staircase to put the court records in the basement and to access the records when necessary. Aside from its own use, the State directed some of its visitors, like Allen, to use the stairs themselves. The State had sufficient time and opportunity to become aware of the condition of the stairs, and it is reasonable to charge the State with constructive notice. This point is denied.11
b. Instructional Error and the Meaning of “Public Entity‘s Property” Under Section 537.600
The State further contends the circuit court erred in giving Instruction No. 8 because that instruction—using the language from the pattern MAI instruction—misstated the law regarding the waiver of sovereign immunity under
In your verdict, you must assess a percentage of fault to defendant State of Missouri, 32nd Judicial Circuit whether or not plaintiff was partly at fault if you believe:
First, defendant State of Missouri, 32nd Judicial Circuit either owned or controlled the Common Pleas Courthouse basement stairway, and
Second, the basement stairway was in a defective condition, and as a result the stairway was not reasonably safe, and
Third, defendant State of Missouri, 32nd Judicial Circuit knew or by using ordinary care could have known of this condition in time to bar use or remedy or warn of such condition, and
Fourth, defendant State of Missouri, 32nd Judicial Circuit failed to use ordinary care to bar use or remedy or warn of such condition, and
Fifth, as a direct result of such failure, plaintiff sustained damage.
(Emphasis added). The State avers “owned or controlled” is inadequate because the case law suggests the proper standard was whether it owned or held “exclusive control and possession” of the property.12
“Whether a jury was instructed properly is a question of law that this Court reviews de novo.” Kader v. Bd. of Regents of Harris-Stowe State Univ., 565 S.W.3d 182, 186 (Mo. banc 2019). Instructional error does not warrant vacating the judgment unless the challenging party also shows: “(1) the instruction as submitted misled, misdirected, or confused the jury; and (2) prejudice resulted from the instruction.” Fleshner, 304 S.W.3d at 90-91.
Because the validity of Instruction No. 8 hinges on whether it accurately interpreted “public entity‘s property” as used in
In determining the scope of the phrase “public entity‘s property” in
When the public entity does not own the property at issue, the inquiry must focus on whether the public entity had possession and control over the property equal to the possession and control of a property owner.13 The plain meaning of the phrase “public entity‘s property” in
In the present case, the jury instruction failed to state this law accurately. Instruction No. 8 directed the jury to determine if the State “owned or controlled the ... Courthouse basement stairway[.]” This Court is unpersuaded the use of the word “control” alone and unmodified in the instruction was sufficient to meet the requirement of “possession and control rising to an ownership interest[.]” Thomas, 261 S.W.3d at 580.
Of course, not every level of control over the property renders it the “public entity‘s property” for purposes of sovereign immunity waiver under
Instead, when the public entity does not own the property, it must have “exclusive possession and control” over it for
Accordingly, it was erroneous for Instruction No. 8 to refer to “ownership and control” rather than “ownership or exclusive possession and control.”
Generally, an applicable MAI instruction must be given to the exclusion of other instructions. Rule 70.02(b). But an MAI instruction containing an inaccurate statement of the substantive law should not be given. Templemire, 433 S.W.3d at 376. Here, the language in MAI 31.16—which Instruction No. 8 uses—fails to require “exclusive possession and control” as set out in Russell; therefore, it did not comport with the plain and ordinary meaning of “public entity‘s property” as that phrase is used in
Without a doubt, the State was prejudiced by Instruction No. 8. Because the evidence clearly established the State did not legally own the Courthouse, Instruction No. 8 permitted the jury to find the State liable if the State had mere “control“—but not “exclusive possession and control“—over the Courthouse stairs.
This prejudice was compounded by other instructions given to the jury. In addition to Instruction No. 8, Instruction No. 7 likewise misdirected the jury to assign the County fault if the jury found it “owned or controlled” the staircase. The jury was also orally instructed it could find one defendant at fault, the State or the County, but not both.14 These instructions required the jury to weigh liability between the State and the County using an incorrect standard. While this Court takes no position as to whether sufficient evidence was presented to establish the State possessed exclusive possession and control of the stairway, it is likely a properly instructed jury would come to different conclusions regarding the liability and/or comparative fault of the State and the other defendants. The State is entitled to further proceedings in which liability is fairly considered among all the remaining parties utilizing a proper construction of the phrase “public entity‘s property” as used in
II. The Allens’ Appeal
The Allens raise three points on cross-appeal. The Allens argue the circuit court erred in: (1) sustaining the City‘s motion for directed verdict because the City was a co-owner of the Courthouse; (2) overruling their motion for a new trial as the verdict for the County was against the weight of the evidence; and (3) overruling their motion for a new trial because the verdict rejecting the husband‘s loss of consortium claim was against the weight of the evidence. The Allens’ three claims are all conditioned on this Court‘s finding for the State on either of the claims the State raised on appeal. Because this opinion grants the State relief on its claim of instructional error, discussed supra, this Court reviews the Allens’ first and third claims. The validity of the jury‘s verdict in favor of the County, however, need not be examined. As discussed supra, the judgment is vacated to the extent it was entered in favor of the County; therefore, the Allens’ second claim is moot.
a. The City‘s Motion for Directed Verdict
The Allens’ first point on cross-appeal asserts the circuit court erred in sustaining the City‘s motion for directed verdict because the City was a co-owner of
The circuit court‘s stated reason for sustaining the City‘s motion for directed verdict was that the City lacked “exclusive control and possession” over the basement stairway. This finding is clearly erroneous. The Allens introduced evidence of an agreement between the City and the County showing each held an undivided one-half interest in ownership of the Courthouse. For purposes of establishing that a building is a “public entity‘s property,” the analysis stops upon a showing of actual or legal ownership by a public entity. A plaintiff seeking to establish injury on a “public entity‘s property” under
b. The Husband‘s Loss of Consortium Claim
The Allens last argue the circuit court erred in overruling its motion for new trial because the jury‘s adverse determination that Allen‘s husband sustained no damages pursuant to his loss of consortium claim was erroneous. This opinion declines to reach the merits of this claim, as the Allens failed to include it in their motion for new trial and, as such, it was not preserved. See Rule 78.07(a); see also State v. Walter, 479 S.W.3d 118, 123 (Mo. banc 2016) (“Including a claim of error in a motion for new trial is a requirement of preserving an issue for review[.]“). This final point is denied.
Conclusion
The circuit court‘s judgment is affirmed as to the husband‘s loss of consortium
W. Brent Powell, Judge
All concur.
Notes
(Emphasis added). The argument section accompanying the State‘s point relied on pursues two separate and independent claims: (1) the staircase was not a dangerous condition; and (2) even if it was a dangerous condition, the State lacked actual and constructive notice of its existence. Either claim, if accepted, would warrant reversal. The first of these arguments does not conform to the State‘s point relied on, however, which is concerned only with the latter argument. The point relied on states:shall substantially follow the order of “Points Relied On.” The point relied on shall be restated at the beginning of the section of the argument discussing that point. The argument shall be limited to those errors included in the “Points Relied On.”
“Rule 84.04(e) requires the argument to be limited to the errors included in the point relied on. [A]n argument not set out in the point relied on but merely referred to in the argument portion of the brief does not comply with the requirements of Rule 84.04(d) ... [and] is considered abandoned in this Court.” Holmes v. Union Pac. R.R. Co., 617 S.W.3d 853, 859 n.2 (Mo. banc 2021) (alterations in original) (internal quotation omitted). When a defective point does not impede a full consideration of the merits and gives adequate notice to this Court and the other parties of the contested issues, this Court may exercise its discretion to review the point. Wilkerson v. Prelutsky, 943 S.W.2d 643, 647 (Mo. banc 1997). Though this Court considers both of the State‘s arguments, it does so pursuant to this discretion.The trial court erred in not entering judgment notwithstanding the verdict prejudicing the State, because there was insufficient evidence to show that the State knew that the stairs to the basement were a dangerous condition, in that the evidence showed that the stairs were functional and were used regularly by State and County personnel, that no one, including Pamela, had complained about the condition of the stairs, and prior to Pamela no one had fallen on the stairs.
The illustration following Comment f is also instructive:There are ... cases in which the possessor of land can and should anticipate that the dangerous condition will cause physical harm to the invitee notwithstanding its known or obvious danger. In such cases the possessor is not relieved of the duty of reasonable care which he owes to the invitee for his protection. This duty may require him to warn the invitee, or to take other reasonable steps to protect him, against the known or obvious condition or activity, if the possessor has reason to expect that the invitee will nevertheless suffer physical harm.
Such reason to expect harm to the visitor from known or obvious dangers may arise, for example, where the possessor has reason to expect that the invitee[ ] ... [may] fail to protect himself against it.... In such cases the fact that the danger is known, or is obvious, is important in determining whether the invitee is to be charged with contributory negligence, or assumption of risk. (See §§ 466 and 496D.) It is not, however, conclusive in determining the duty of the possessor, or whether he has acted reasonably under the circumstances.
Restatement (Second) of Torts § 343A cmt. f, illust. 5 (1965).5. A owns an office building, in which he rents an office for business purposes to B. The only approach to the office is over a slippery waxed stairway, whose condition is visible and quite obvious. C, employed by B in the office, uses the stairway on her way to work, slips on it, and is injured. Her only alternative to taking the risk was to forgo her employment. A is subject to liability to C.
This Court takes no position whether the Court‘s oral instruction requiring exclusive liability was properly given.THE COURT: All right. The record will show that the question is answered: “Percentages of fault may be assigned to Plaintiff and either Defendant, but not both Defendants.”