Raymond Patterson appealed the grant of summary judgment in favor of Jai Maatadee, Inc. (d/b/a, R.C. Quick Stop) and its owners. Patterson visited the R.C. Quick Stop to buy gasoline. He stepped on a metal drain cover in between the gasoline pumps and the adjacent interstate and fell. Jai Maatadee argued it owed no duty to Patterson because the grate was on a public right-of-way owned by the State. Jai Maatadee also argued that even if the grate was on its property, it was an open and obvious hazard Patterson should have seen. Upon review, the Supreme Court found that the grant of summary judgment had not considered all of the owners (and former owners) named in Patterson's complaint. The Court concluded that the trial court abused its discretion in certifying Jai Maatadee's judgment as final because the former owners' claims were so intertwined as to make summary judgment inappropriate. The Court dismissed the appeal and remanded the case for further proceedings. View "Patterson v. Jai Maatadee, Inc." on Justia Law
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