Manning Kass Team Successfully Obtains Motion for Summary Judgement in Premises Liability Case

Los Angeles Equity Partner Sharon Jeffrey and Associate Bear Allen-Blaine were victorious in a Premises Liability suit following a trip and fall incident outside a well-known drugstore chain.

In the present case, Plaintiff was approaching the drugstore when she tripped and fell at the transition from the parking lot to the sidewalk in front of the entrance of the building. As a result, she dislocated her shoulder and underwent surgery and therapy for her injuries. Plaintiff filed suit against our client, the property owner, alleging general negligence and premises liability. The drugstore chain was later dismissed from the action.

Surveillance video showed Plaintiff approaching a handicap ramp with yellow truncated domes in the center of the ramp. The base of the ramp sloped up to the height of the curb on either side, and was adjacent to the black asphalt of the parking lot with blue handicap markings for the pathway. Plaintiff alleged that the transition of the curb from the floor of the ramp to the height of the curb on either side was a dangerous condition, and foreseeably so.

Plaintiff claimed over $300,000 in medical damages, including treatment of her mouth cancer, which she alleged resulted from stress due to the fall.

The matter settled at mediation, but Plaintiff thereafter refused to sign the settlement release. Our client filed a motion for summary judgment or in the alternative, summary adjudication, arguing that it had no duty to warn of an open and obvious condition, or that the condition was a trivial defect, and thus, as a matter of law, no liability could rest against them. After oral argument delivered by Ms. Jeffrey and supported by Ms. Allen-Blaine, the court took it under submission and ultimately granted Defendant’s motion in its entirety, finding that our client owed no duty to remedy or warn Plaintiff.

About Our Team

Sharon Jeffrey is the leader of the Landlord / Tenant / Habitability team, in which she oversees a broad range of litigation involving habitability, premises liability, business litigation, product liability, and related disputes. Los Angeles Magazine has recognized Ms. Jeffrey repeatedly for her work in civil defense litigation. She was also recognized as a Super Lawyer Rising Star for five consecutive years and was honored as one of the Top Women Attorneys in Southern California for two years.

Bear Allen-Blaine is a member of the Appellate Law team. She serves as a law and motion attorney, and aided Ms. Jeffrey in this matter by drafting the moving papers, evidentiary objections, and reply brief. Ms. Allen-Blaine received her Juris Doctor and Master of Public Policy from Pepperdine University and was recently recognized as a 2026 Super Lawyer Rising Star.