Heskel v. City of San Diego CA4/1 , 227 Cal. App. 4th 313 ( 2014 )

Filed 6/13/14
NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN OFFICIAL REPORTS
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COURT OF APPEAL, FOURTH APPELLATE DISTRICT
DIVISION ONE
STATE OF CALIFORNIA
MENAHEM HESKEL, D062186
Plaintiff and Appellant,
v. (Super. Ct. No. 37-2010-00100268-
CU-PA-CTL)
CITY OF SAN DIEGO,
Defendant and Respondent.
APPEAL from a judgment of the Superior Court of San Diego County,
Timothy B. Taylor, Judge. Affirmed.
Michael A. Feldman for Plaintiff and Appellant.
Jan I. Goldsmith, City Attorney, Andrew Jones, Executive Assistant City
Attorney, Jennifer K. Gilman and Stacy J. Plotkin-Wolff, Deputy City Attorneys, for
Defendant and Respondent.
Menahem Heskel (Heskel) sued the City of San Diego (City), claiming he suffered
personal injury from a dangerous condition of public property, when he tripped over a
protruding base of a hollows metal post (condition) cemented into a city sidewalk. (Gov.
Code, § 835); all statutory references are to the Government Code unless otherwise
noted.) The trial court granted the City's motion for summary judgment, finding, as a
matter of law, the City lacked constructive notice of a dangerous condition. (Code Civ.
Proc., § 437c.)
On appeal, Heskel contends the trial court erred because triable issues of fact
remain about whether the City had constructive notice of the condition, based solely on
the length of time it was present. We disagree. Because Heskel failed to present any
evidence that the condition was obvious such that the City, in the exercise of due care,
should have become aware of it, his claim must fail as a matter of law, notwithstanding
his evidence that the condition was present for over one year before his accident.
(§ 835.2, subd. (b).) We affirm the summary judgment.
FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND
Heskel and his son, Danny, went for a walk on the night of September 29, 2009.
Father and son traveled on a sidewalk on the south side of Mission Gorge Road between
Jackson Street and Echo Dell Road. Heskel tripped over the condition in the sidewalk,
injuring his back and fracturing his left wrist. Heskel claimed the area was not well lit
and there were not any adequate warnings of the condition.
On March 8, 2011, Heskel filed his first amended complaint against the City for
the personal injury he sustained. The City filed a motion for summary judgment, alleging
it lacked the requisite actual or constructive notice to be liable. The City supported its
motion with several declarations from City employees, which, taken together, tended to
demonstrate that although City workers had been in the area where Heskel fell a few
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times over the year before the accident (Sept. 29, 2008-Sept. 29, 2009), they did not
notice the condition. Neither city workers nor citizens had notified the City about the
condition before Heskel's fall.
Heskel produced three declarations in opposition. The first, the declaration of his
acquaintance, Natan Dobrovsky, explained that Dobrovsky was familiar with the
condition, that Dobrovsky himself had tripped over it "well over one year before
[Heskel's] incident occurred," and that in the few months after Heskel's fall, a "No
Parking" sign had been inserted into the base.
Danny's declaration explained that he witnessed Heskel trip over the condition and
fall on his arm. A few months after the incident, Danny observed that the area around the
condition had been painted. Later he saw that a "No Parking" sign had been inserted into
the opening at that site.
After filing his opposition papers, Heskel filed a declaration from Heraclio
Serrano. The City objected to its untimely submission. The court sustained the
objection, but nevertheless considered the declaration in determining whether to grant the
City's motion for summary judgment. Serrano explained that he had regularly worked in
the area near the condition and that it had been present for "about 2 years" before the sign
was inserted into it (sometime in late December 2009 or January 2010). On one occasion
during that two-year period, Serrano drove his truck onto the sidewalk and the condition
punctured a tire.
Heskel also produced pictures of the condition, which were attached to Danny's
declaration but were not formally incorporated by reference. The pictures in the record
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on appeal are very poor in quality and do not precisely indicate the condition's size or
shape. However, based on the size of the area circled on the pictures in relation to the
adjacent curb, the pictures indicate the condition was at most a few inches in height.
On November 21, 2011, the court heard the parties' arguments and granted the
City's motion for summary judgment, concluding the City did not have constructive
notice of an obvious dangerous condition as a matter of law. The court entered judgment
in the City's favor. On June 18, 2012, Heskel filed a timely notice of appeal.
DISCUSSION
I
CRITERIA FOR PROVING CONSTRUCTIVE NOTICE
OF A DANGEROUS CONDITION
Section 835, subdivision (b), states that a public entity is liable for injury caused
by a dangerous condition of its property if the plaintiff establishes: (1) the property was
in a dangerous condition at the time of the injury; (2) the plaintiff's injury was
proximately caused by the dangerous condition; (3) the dangerous condition created a
reasonably foreseeable risk of the kind of injury the plaintiff incurred; and (4) the public
entity had actual or constructive notice of the dangerous condition for a sufficient time
prior to the injury to have taken measures to protect against it.
Heskel does not contend the City had actual notice of the condition within the
meaning of section 835.2, subdivision (a). We shall, therefore, confine our analysis to
the issue of whether the City had constructive notice. "Constructive notice," under
section 835.2, subdivision (b), requires a plaintiff to establish that the dangerous
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condition existed for such a period of time and was of such an obvious nature that the
public entity, in the exercise of due care, should have discovered the condition and its
dangerous character. Admissible evidence for establishing constructive notice is defined
by statute as including whether a reasonably adequate inspection system would have
informed the public entity, and whether it maintained and operated such an inspection
system with due care. (§ 835.2, subd. (b)(1), (2).)
Whether the dangerous condition was obvious and whether it existed for a
sufficient period of time are threshold elements to establish a claim of constructive
notice. (State v. Superior Court of San Mateo County (1968) 263 Cal.App.2d 396, 400.)
Where the plaintiff fails to present direct or circumstantial evidence as to either element,
his claim is deficient as a matter of law. (Ibid.)
In Carson v. Facilities Development Co. (1984) 36 Cal.3d 830, 842-843 (Carson),
the court inferred the obviousness of the alleged dangerous condition of public property
from the established circumstances. There, the evidence clearly demonstrated the
dangerous condition, a large sign obstructing a public roadway for many months, was
substantial enough and so readily apparent from public thoroughfares as to support an
inference that its danger was known, for purposes of overcoming a motion for nonsuit.
(Ibid.)
II
THE CITY'S SHOWING ON ITS MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT
A defendant is entitled to summary judgment on a claim for injury from a
dangerous condition as a matter of law when the plaintiff has failed to raise material
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issues of fact. (Code Civ. Proc., § 437c, subd. (c); Cole v. Town of Los Gatos (2012) 205
Cal.App.4th 749, 756 (Los Gatos).) The defendant establishes a right to summary
judgment by showing the plaintiff "lacks the evidence to sustain one or more elements of
the cause of action." (Ibid.) The defendant demonstrates the plaintiff lacks evidence by
showing the plaintiff bears the burden to prove the specified fact and the plaintiff has "no
evidence" with which to carry that burden. (Ibid.)
Once the defendant demonstrates the plaintiff's evidence is deficient, the plaintiff
may successfully oppose the motion for summary judgment by showing the evidence
permits conflicting inferences as to that fact or by presenting additional evidence of its
existence. (Code Civ. Proc., § 437c, subds. (c), (p)(1).)
This court reviews grants of summary judgment de novo. (Montenegro v. City of
Bradbury (2013) 215 Cal.App.4th 924, 928; Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe v. Superior
Court (2003) 107 Cal.App.4th 1052, 1056; see also Buss v. Superior Court (1997) 16
Cal.4th 35, 60.) We view all the evidence set forth in the moving and opposition papers
in the light most favorable to the nonmoving party. (See Guz v. Bechtel National, Inc.
(2000) 24 Cal.4th 317, 334.) If there remains no triable issue of fact, we affirm. (Aguilar
v. Atlantic Richfield Co. (2001) 25 Cal.4th 826, 850 (Aguilar).)
Heskel argues that the trial court erred because a reasonable jury could have found
the City had constructive notice of the condition, because it was present in its dangerous
state for more than one year. However, the City provided several declarations to support
its motion for summary judgment, which establish that it did not have such constructive
notice of the condition. It showed that City workers had been in the area and did not see
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the condition within at least the one-year period leading up to Heskel's accident, and this
creates a reasonable inference that the condition was not obvious.
City Code Compliance Officer Caryn Hosford explained in her declaration the
process by which the City generally becomes aware of dangerous conditions on its
streets. Reports or complaints by citizens may be made directly to the City's Streets
Division or through the citizen's assistance program (among other divisions). The streets
division enters information into its database pertaining to areas that need repairs.
Hosford searched her database in January 2010 for any complaints concerning the area
where Heskel fell. There were no complaints within the five years preceding the date of
Heskel's accident.
Michael C. Fornes, an associate management analyst with the San Diego Police
Department, explained in his declaration that he has access to a system that contains
information about traffic collision reports. In March 2011 he compiled a list of police
officer-initiated activity in the area where Heskel fell. According to Fornes's reports, the
police department received no reports of car accidents, vandalism, or other damage
resulting in a downed street sign.
Gus Brown, Assistant Deputy Director of the Transportation and Storm Water
Division, explained in his declaration that he has access to records of maintenance work
performed by City employees on City storm drains. Brown stated there are drainage
structures in the area surrounding the site where Heskel fell. Brown searched his records
and crew logs and determined that City work crews had reportedly been in the location
twice between September 29, 2008 and September 29, 2009. The two reports suggested
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the workers conducted routine work that did not involve a downed street sign. The
workers did not report having seen the condition over which Heskel tripped.
Associate Traffic Engineer Ty Palusky explained in his declaration that he
regularly accesses a database of citizen notifications of problems, malfunctions, and
requests for improvements pertaining to City traffic controls and devices. In March 2011
Palusky searched his database and found no reports of any damaged or dangerous traffic
control devices on either Mission Gorge or Echo Dell Roads.
From the above summaries, we conclude the City has presented substantial
evidence that the condition was not obvious and the City was, therefore, entitled to
summary judgment. The City successfully shifted the burden to Heskel either to provide
evidence that the condition was obvious or to show the existing evidence created a
reasonable inference of the condition's obviousness. (See Los Gatos, supra, 205
Cal.App.4th at p. 756.)
III
PLAINTIFF'S OPPOSITION TO CITY'S MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT
A claim for constructive notice has two threshold elements. (State v. Superior
Court of San Mateo County, supra, 263 Cal.App.2d at p. 400.) A plaintiff must establish
that the dangerous condition has existed for a sufficient period of time and that the
dangerous condition was obvious. (Ibid.) Dobrovsky's declaration demonstrated the
condition existed for more than one year prior to Heskel's fall. Although Dobrovsky had
tripped over the condition previously, he did not state he notified the City of the
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condition. Dobrovsky's declaration did not state how large the condition was or whether
it was clearly visible from the surrounding streets.
Danny's declaration also did not describe the size of the structure or how obvious
it was from the vantage of public streets. Danny simply explained that he witnessed
Heskel's fall and that afterwards he noticed a sign had been inserted into the condition.
Through Heskel's admitted evidence, he has provided evidence touching solely on the
element of how long the condition was present.
In the Serrano declaration, which Heskel filed late but which the trial court
considered, Serrano explained that the structure had been present for two years and, on
one occasion in that time period, the condition punctured his tire after he drove his truck
onto the sidewalk. Serrano did not explain whether the condition was obvious based
either on its size or visibility from the public streets.
Finally, it is unclear by reference to the record what effect Heskel's pictures of the
condition had on the trial court's decision. Although the pictures are poor, the size of the
circled structure in relation to the curb suggests that it was not substantial or readily
apparent from the street. The pictures show a condition that was roughly a few inches in
height. Evidence of a condition of that nature, without more, is not a prima facie
showing that the condition was obvious. (Carson, supra, 36 Cal.3d at pp. 842-843.)
Unlike in Carson, the condition appears to have been slight in size and not similar to a
large sign that was clearly visible from a public street that police regularly patrolled.
(Ibid.) The pictures only support inferences that the structure was not obvious.
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While Heskel has supplied evidence that the condition existed for more than one
year, he does not substantiate that the dangerous condition was obvious. On appeal, he
merely argues, "The condition speaks for itself," as to that element. While his evidence
suggests that the condition was above ground and visible, it does not demonstrate that it
was of a substantial size or so visible from public thoroughfares that the City, in the
exercise of due care, should have become aware of it and taken corrective action to cure
it. (§ 835.2, subd. (b); Carson, supra, 36 Cal.3d at pp. 842-843.)
The City carried its burden to demonstrate Heskel lacked evidence as to the
essential element of "obviousness." (§ 835.2, subd. (b); see Aguilar, supra, 25 Cal.4th at
pp. 845-846 [by statute the burden shifts to the plaintiff when, on summary judgment, the
defendant establishes the plaintiff lacks evidence to prove an essential element of the
claim].) The burden then shifted to Heskel either to show the existing evidence created a
reasonable inference that the condition was obvious or to present additional evidence
proving that element. (Code Civ. Proc., § 437c, subds. (c), (p)(1).) Because Heskel did
neither, the trial court's grant of the City's motion for summary judgment was proper.
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DISPOSITION
Summary judgment for the City is affirmed. The parties are to bear their own
costs.
HUFFMAN, Acting P. J.
WE CONCUR:
McDONALD, J.
O'ROURKE, J.
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