Successful Defense of Hotel Slip-and-fall

Obtained summary judgment on behalf of an international hotel chain in a premises liability slip-and-fall action. ​A patron sued the hotel after he allegedly slipped and fell while walking over a wet carpet mat situated in a hallway leading to the hotel's main lobby. Based upon favorable testimony elicited during the plaintiff’s deposition, the defense moved for summary judgment, arguing that the hotel was entitled to judgment as a matter of law because: (1) the plaintiff could not present any facts to establish that his fall resulted from the existence of a hazardous condition on the hotel's premises; (2) the plaintiff could not identify the cause of his fall or the source of the water that allegedly caused the mat to become wet and hazardous; and (3) the hotel had neither actual nor constructive notice of the allegedly “wet” mat condition that served as the basis for the plaintiff’s fall. The judge ruled from the bench on the dispositive motion, granting summary judgment in favor of the hotel.