Justia Injury Law Opinion Summaries

Carolyn Greene visited her grandson at Children’s National Medical Center and slipped in a hallway, allegedly due to liquid left by a floor scrubbing machine operated by a hospital custodian. Greene claimed there were no warning signs and sustained severe injuries from the fall. She sued the hospital for negligence, asserting that the hospital's employee created the hazardous condition.The Superior Court of the District of Columbia granted summary judgment in favor of the hospital, concluding that Greene failed to raise a genuine issue of material fact regarding whether the hospital was on notice of the wet floor. The court found that Greene's claims were speculative and lacked sufficient evidence to prove that the liquid was left by the scrubbing machine.The District of Columbia Court of Appeals reviewed the case and reversed the lower court's decision. The appellate court held that Greene presented enough evidence for a reasonable jury to conclude that the hospital's employee created the dangerous condition. This included Greene's testimony about the liquid and the scrubbing machine, expert testimony supporting her claims, and inconsistencies in the custodian's account. The court emphasized that the evidence should be viewed in the light most favorable to Greene, the non-moving party, and that credibility determinations are for the jury to decide.The appellate court concluded that a jury could reasonably find that the hospital was on constructive notice of the hazard created by its employee, thus making summary judgment inappropriate. The case was remanded for trial. View "Greene v. Children's National Medical Center" on Justia Law