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

Stephens (P) sued Stearns (D) for personal injuries resulting from a fall on an interior stairway of her apartment. D was P's landlord. P sued D based on his alleged negligence for failing to provide a handrail for the internal stairway. P lived in the apartment for two years before the accident. The plans and the Uniform Building Code which was adopted by a Boise ordinance called for the handrail, but the premises were inspected and certified to be in compliance with the code by city inspectors. D moved for a directed verdict. The trial court granted it based on the failure to show a causal connection and that D did not owe a duty of care to P. P eventually appealed.

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