Summary Judgment: Premises Liability (Gulf County, Florida)

Pensacola Associate, Valerie White, recently obtained summary judgment in a premises liability matter on behalf of a major fast food restaurant chain in Gulf County, Florida.

This case arose from a slip and fall inside the restaurant on a rainy day. Plaintiff claimed injuries to her back, hip, shoulder, ankle, knee, and wrist, as well as a traumatic brain injury. She sought extensive treatment, with medical bills totaling more than $145,000.

During her deposition, Plaintiff could not provide any evidence of what the substance on the floor may have been, how long it had been there, or where it might have come from.

Based on her claimed injuries, she demanded more than $2,500,000 for settlement, and negotiations failed due to her refusal to accept any less. The case was then set for trial.

In December 2023, our Motion for Summary Judgment was heard, in which we moved for summary judgment based on the restaurant’s lack of actual or constructive notice of a transitory foreign substance on the floor. The Court agreed, summary judgment was granted, and the case dismissed in early February.

Congratulations, Valerie, on this excellent work for our client.