
Johnson & Bell attorneys Edward Hearn and Kelsie Farris recently won a rare summary judgement motion in a Michigan case involving injuries sustained by a tenant after she tripped on a cracked floor tile and needed surgery.
Ed and Kelsie filed their motion following an unsuccessful mediation. In oral argument before a Wayne County judge, they showed that the plaintiff’s injuries took place 25 days after her lease ended and that the landlord had given her a notice to vacate before the lease end. They argued that these facts made the plaintiff a trespasser when the accident occurred, and as a trespasser, the duty owed to the plaintiff was not reasonable care but only to refrain from willful and wanton misconduct.
Congratulations on a great result for our client.