Jacobs v. Commonwealth Highland Theatres, Inc., 84CA1243

• Court: Court of Appeals of Colorado
• Citation: 738 P.2d 6
• Docket Number: No. 84CA1243,84CA1243
• Parties: Betty JACOBS, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. COMMONWEALTH HIGHLAND THEATRES, INC., Defendant-Appellant. . III
• Decision Date: 30 October 1986

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738 P.2d 6 Betty JACOBS, Plaintiff-Appellee,
v.
COMMONWEALTH HIGHLAND THEATRES, INC., Defendant-Appellant. No. 84CA1243. Colorado Court of Appeals,
Div. III. Oct. 30, 1986.
Rehearing Denied Nov. 26, 1986.
Certiorari Denied (Commonwealth) June 8, 1987.

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Pred and Miller, Ronald S. Pred, Denver, for plaintiff-appellee.

The Law Firm of Mike Hilgers, Mike Hilgers, Shauna L. Hilgers, Arvada, for defendant-appellant.

BABCOCK, Judge.

Defendant, Commonwealth Highland Theatres, Inc., appeals the judgment entered against it on a jury verdict awarding plaintiff, Betty Jacobs, $100,000 compensatory and $150,000 exemplary damages. We affirm in part and reverse in part.

In 1982, plaintiff was walking down the center aisle of defendant's theater when she stumbled on a step and fell, breaking her hip. The theater was dark, and the step was not lighted. Although two signs warned of the step, neither was close to the step, and one was below eye level. Ushers often forgot to warn patrons about the step. Moreover, the dark pattern of the carpet in the aisle obscured the step, giving it the appearance of a continuous ramp. Patrons entering the theater from the brightly lit lobby tended to be distracted by the screen and the choice of seating.

Plaintiff underwent surgery for a fractured femur, which was replaced with a metal prosthesis. Because of the injury, she was permanently disabled. Her injury also necessitated additional medical treatment and surgery.

There was evidence that the same step had been the cause of similar falls on ten prior occasions between 1978 and 1982, some resulting in injury to patrons. Although defendant's district manager was aware of each incident, no corrective measures were taken, other than to install additional lighting in the general area between 1978 and 1979. The manager knew that ushers and doormen routinely failed to warn patrons of the step and that doormen were often called from their stations to work at the concession stand. The problem was regularly reported to defendant's home office, but was not corrected until after plaintiff was injured.

I.

Defendant first asserts that evidence of prior similar incidents involving slips and falls on the same step at the theater was inadmissible to establish defendant's negligence. Thus, defendant contends that the trial court erred in failing to dismiss the complaint because plaintiff did not establish a prima facie case of negligence. We disagree.

Evidence of prior similar incidents cannot alone establish a prima facie case of negligence. Griffith v. City & County of Denver, 55 Colo. 37, 132 P. 57 (1913). However, such evidence may be admissible when offered for a valid purpose, when relevant to a material issue, and when its probative value outweighs any prejudice resulting from its admission. See Griffith v. City & County of Denver, supra; College v. Scanlan, 695 P.2d 314 (Colo.App.1985); CRE 404(b).

Here, evidence of similar incidents was admitted not to prove defendant's negligence, but to show the existence of a hazardous condition, see Cameron v. Small, 182 S.W.2d 565 (Mo.1944); cf. Griffith v. City & County of Denver, supra, and to show that defendant had notice of this condition. See City & County of Denver v. Brubaker, 97 Colo. 501, 51 P.2d 352 (1935); CRE 404(b).

Existence of a hazardous condition and the fact that defendant had notice of it are elements of a claim for premises liability. Griffith v. City & County of Denver, supra; City & County of Denver v. Brubaker, supra. Moreover, evidence of prior similar occurrences was also relevant to establish plaintiff's entitlement to exemplary damages in that it tended to show defendant's continued failure to correct a dangerous condition known to it. See Bodah v. Montgomery Ward & Co., 724 P.2d 102 (Colo.App.1986); cf. Palmer v. A.H. Robins Co., 684 P.2d 187 (Colo.1984). Consequently, we conclude that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in admitting this evidence. See Uptain v. Huntington Lab, Inc., 723 P.2d 1322 (Colo.1986).

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Plaintiff presented sufficient other evidence, independent of prior accidents, that the step was unsafe, that defendant's agents knew of the danger, and that no steps had been taken to correct it. Such evidence established a prima facie case of negligence on defendant's part, and thus, the court did not err in refusing to dismiss the complaint. See Kenney v. Grice, 171 Colo. 185, 465 P.2d 401 (1970).

Defendant's argument that expert testimony was required to establish the hazardous nature of the step is without merit. See Blackburn v. Tombling, 148 Colo. 161, 365 P.2d 243 (1961).

II.

Defendant also asserts that plaintiff failed to establish prima facie her claim for exemplary damages. Again, we disagree.

For exemplary damages to be awarded, § 13-21-102, C.R.S., requires the injury complained of to be attended by "a wanton and reckless disregard of the injured party's rights and feelings." Here, the issue is whether defendant's failure to remedy the hazardous condition of the step after repeated notice constitutes such "wanton and reckless disregard" as to support a claim for exemplary damages.

While mere negligence cannot support an award of exemplary damages, Tri-Aspen Construction Co. v. Johnson, 714 P.2d 484 (Colo.1986), repeated failure to correct a known dangerous condition may convert mere negligence into wanton and reckless disregard. See Palmer v. A.H. Robins Co., supra. This is so if the failure to act creates a substantial risk of harm to another and purposefully occurs with awareness of the risk in disregard of consequences, see Coale v. Dow Chemical Co., 701 P.2d 885 (Colo.App.1985), or if the defendant, while conscious of its conduct and cognizant of existing conditions, knew or should have known that injury would probably result from its omissions. See Pizza v. Wolf Creek Ski Development Corp., 711 P.2d 671 (Colo.1985).

On the basis of evidence presented concerning defendant's awareness of the hazard and its repeated failure to remedy it, we conclude that plaintiff presented a prima facie case of wanton and reckless disregard which would support an award of exemplary damages. Because the jury could reasonably infer from the lack of corrective measures taken with regard to the step that defendant's failure to act was purposeful, with knowledge of the risk involved to patrons, the trial court did not err in refusing to dismiss plaintiff's claim for exemplary damages. See Bodah v. Montgomery Ward & Co., supra.

III.

Defendant contends that the trial court erred in admitting into evidence an exhibit consisting of a summary and attached reports of prior incidents made by defendant to its insurer. We find no error.

The exhibit originally was proposed by plaintiff's counsel as a summary of those reports. Defendant objected...