Hartline Barger Wins Summary Judgment for Houston Restaurant

Houston, Texas, February 1, 2021 —Hartline Barger LLP today announced a summary judgment victory after attorneys Brian Rawson, Roy McKay, and Neil Stockbridge were successful on a summary judgment while defending a Houston restaurant in a premises liability case filed in Harris County, Texas.

The case arose from a November 2017 incident at a popular Houston restaurant and bar in which the Plaintiff alleged he slipped and fell on a slippery substance in the men’s restroom. The Plaintiff filed suit seeking up to $1 million in damages.

Hartline Barger argued there was no evidence that the business operator knew or reasonably should have known of the allegedly dangerous condition on the floor of the restroom, a critical element of the Plaintiff’s premises liability claim. Hartline Barger also challenged the Plaintiff to identify a cognizable legal theory on which the parent company could be liable for the alleged torts of a subsidiary company and identify any evidence that might support such a theory. The Plaintiff dropped his lawsuit against the parent company; and on June 3, 2020, Harris County District Judge Donna Roth granted the Motion for Summary Judgment, dismissing with prejudice all of Plaintiff’s remaining claims against the restaurant.

CAUSE/CASE NO: 2019-32057

Judge: Donna Roth

Contact:

Brian Rawson

Partner

Hartline Barger LLP

214-369-2100

brawson@hartlinebarger.com