Lane v. Hardee's Food Systems, Inc.

184 F.3d 705 (7th Cir. 1999)

Free access to 20,000 Casebriefs

Nature Of The Case

This section contains the nature of the case and procedural background.

Facts

P sued D for a slip and fall. P claimed that D had negligently left the water on the restroom floor, failed to warn customers of it, and failed to maintain its restroom in a reasonably safe condition. D removed to federal district court and then moved for summary judgment. The motion was denied, and the case proceeded to trial before a jury. P presented the testimony of D managers who each stated that the restaurant had a policy of cleaning (including mopping) the restroom every day after breakfast ended at 10:30 a.m. They also stated it was their habit to put out warning signs when the floor was being mopped, and that they periodically checked the restroom throughout the day. P arrived at D's either between 10:16 a.m. and 10:26 a.m. or between 10:25 a.m. and 10:35 a.m. P claimed he entered the restroom at some point between 10:26 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. (but claims he saw no warning signs). P claimed that he was prepared to argue to the jury that he slipped in the restroom soon after a D's employee mopped the restroom and that D was responsible for its agent's negligence in leaving the water and failing to warn customers of its presence. The court concluded that P had failed to produce evidence that D had actually left water on the restroom floor prior to his fall. It ruled that D was entitled to judgment as a matter of law. P appealed.

Issues

The legal issues presented in this case will be displayed here.

Holding & Decision

The court's holding and decision will be displayed here.

Legal Analysis

Legal analysis from Dean's Law Dictionary will be displayed here.

© 2007-2025 ABN Study Partner

© 2025 Casebriefsco.com. All Rights Reserved.