CARLTON, J., for the Court:
¶ 1. Earnest Stribling appeals the Hinds County Circuit Court's decision granting summary judgment in favor of Stirling Properties Inc. and Rushing's Inc. (collectively, Rushing's). Finding no error, we affirm.
¶ 2. On November 26, 2008, Stribling and his girlfriend, Elizabeth Veal, entered the Piggly Wiggly on Meadowbrook Road in Jackson, Mississippi. While inside the store, Michael Bolden, a Piggly Wiggly store clerk, allegedly approached Stribling about purchasing a watch. Stribling expressed
¶ 3. On January 29, 2010, Stribling filed suit against Rushing's, Inc., the owner and operator of the Piggly Wiggly store, and also Stirling Properties, Inc., on the theory of premises liability. In his complaint, Stribling alleged that Rushing's, Inc. and Stirling Properties failed in their duty to make their premises reasonably safe and failed to take reasonable security precautions to protect their customers from foreseeable harm. Stribling also claimed that the negligent "actions and inactions" of Rushing's, Inc. and Stirling Properties caused Stribling pain, suffering, and injuries.
¶ 4. Both Rushing's, Inc. and Stirling Properties moved for summary judgment, which the circuit judge granted based on the lack of proof of either foreseeability or proximate cause. In his opinion, the circuit judge found that Stribling was an invitee. The circuit judge determined that Stribling failed to present evidence in support of his negligence claim sufficient to raise a dispute of material fact. The circuit judge also held that Stribling had failed to show any facts that would have placed Piggly Wiggly or Stirling Properties on notice, actual or constructive, that Bolden allegedly possessed a violent nature; that an atmosphere of violence existed on the premises; or that any danger to Stribling existed.
¶ 5. We review the circuit court's grant of summary judgment de novo. Byrne v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., 877 So.2d 462, 464 (¶ 3) (Miss.Ct.App.2003) (citing Young v. Wendy's Int'l, Inc., 840 So.2d 782, 783 (¶ 3) (Miss.Ct.App.2003)). Summary judgment is proper when "the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories and admissions on file, together with the affidavits, if any, show that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that the moving party is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law." Id. at 464-65 (¶ 3) (quoting Piggly Wiggly of Greenwood, Inc. v. Fipps, 809 So.2d 722, 725 (¶ 9) (Miss.Ct.App.2001)); M.R.C.P. 56(c). This Court views the evidence in the light most favorable to the nonmovant. Byrne, 877 So.2d at 465 (¶ 3) (citing Young, 840 So.2d at 784 (¶ 7)).
¶ 6. "To survive summary judgment, the non-moving party must offer `significant probative evidence demonstrating the existence of a triable issue of fact.'" Id. (quoting Young, 840 So.2d at 784 (¶ 5)). When a motion for summary judgment is made and supported:
M.R.C.P. 56(e).
¶ 7. Stribling argues that the circuit judge erred in granting summary judgment in favor of Rushing's. He claims that sufficient facts existed to create a question for the jury on whether Rushing's negligently breached a duty to Stribling and whether that negligent breach caused Stribling's injuries. Stribling states that an employer may be liable to a third person for the employer's negligence in hiring or retaining an incompetent or unfit employee.
¶ 8. Stribling also claims that had Anderson Hayes, the manager at Piggly Wiggly, performed a criminal background check on Bolden prior to hiring him, Hayes would have discovered Bolden's criminal record, which included arrests for several felonies. Stribling claims that Bolden's felony history would have prevented Hayes from hiring Bolden and placing Bolden in a position to lure and shoot Stribling on November 26, 2008. Stribling argues that the circuit court should have allowed him to present his case to a jury to determine whether Rushing's, through Hayes, was negligent in hiring Bolden, and whether Hayes's negligence constituted the proximate cause of Stribling's injuries.
¶ 9. The first step in a premises-liability action is to determine the status of the injured party. As stated, the circuit judge found that since Stribling entered Piggly Wiggly as a customer, Stribling thus constituted an invitee
¶ 10. The Mississippi Supreme Court has explained that an assault on the premises is reasonably foreseeable if the defendant had either: (1) "actual or constructive knowledge of the assailant's violent nature," or (2) "actual or constructive knowledge an atmosphere of violence existed on the premises." Id. at (¶ 7). In assessing the "atmosphere of violence" prong, the supreme court has stated that relevant factors include "the overall pattern of criminal activity prior to the event in question that occurred in the general vicinity of the defendant's business premises," and "the frequency of criminal activity on the premises." Corley v. Evans, 835 So.2d 30, 38-39 (¶ 26) (Miss.2003) (quoting Gatewood v. Sampson, 812 So.2d 212, 220 (¶ 14) (Miss.2002)).
¶ 11. Rushing's claims it neither knew nor had reason to believe Bolden possessed any dangerous qualities, and asserts that Stribling failed to raise facts to show any genuine issue of material fact in support of his claims for liability. The record shows that Bolden worked at Piggly Wiggly for more than a year without incident in his employment record. Rushing's also argues that the record contains no evidentiary facts establishing that Bolden acted while in the course and scope of his employment at Piggly Wiggly, stating that prior to the confrontation in the parking lot, Bolden had clocked out and left Piggy Wiggly at his usual time for the day. Rushing's further submits that the incident allegedly occurred outside of the store (in the parking lot), and therefore no evidence exists supporting Stribling's claim that the incident occurred on the actual premises owned and operated by Rushing's.
¶ 12. In his order granting summary judgment, the circuit judge found:
¶ 13. After reviewing the evidence in the light most favorable to Stribling, the nonmovant, we find no error in the circuit judge's determination that Stribling failed to show any genuine issue of material fact in support of his argument that the incident took place on premises owned or controlled by Rushing's; that Bolden's conduct or a dangerous situation was reasonably foreseeable to Rushing's at the time; or that Rushing's negligently breached its duty to Stribling, the invitee.
¶ 14. Stribling next claims that he is entitled to a jury trial on the issue of whether Rushing's negligence in allegedly failing to train Bolden proximately caused Stribling's injuries. Specifically, Stribling argues that Rushing's negligently failed to train Bolden in customer relations, and thus Bolden took advantage of his job and used his position as an opportunity to "peddle his own wares" to customers at Piggly Wiggly.
¶ 15. Stribling cites to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit case of Foradori v. Harris, 523 F.3d 477 (5th Cir.2008), in support of his argument. In Foradori, an off-duty Captain D's restaurant employee challenged a customer, Michael Foradori, to a fight. Id. at 481-82. The two engaged in a fifteen to twenty minute loud and heated verbal argument inside the restaurant. Id. at 482. Unlike the present case, the manager in Foradori heard and observed the confrontation. Id. The manager ordered the employee and Foradori outside. Id. As soon as Foradori reached the edge of the parking lot, another restaurant employee unexpectedly punched Foradori from behind. Id. at 491. Foradori's fall from an elevated embankment rendered him unconscious and resulted in him breaking his neck. Id. at 482. The Fifth Circuit ultimately found:
Id. at 492. In its analysis, the Fifth Circuit further stated:
¶ 16. Regarding the present case, we find significant that the Foradori court held that reasonable minds could differ over the question of whether Captain D's acts or omissions resulted in a foreseeable harm. Id. at 496-97. Foradori's facts are clearly distinguishable from those before us. In Foradori, there was no factual dispute that the employee "challenged Foradori to a fight in full view and hearing of [the restaurant manager] inside the restaurant for 15 to 20 minutes[.]" Id. at 491. The manager in Foradori also ordered the two to go outside "without investigating, intervening or taking any precaution to protect Foradori." Id. The manager in Foradori possessed awareness of the employee's confrontation before sending the employee and Foradori outside of the restaurant, thereby creating a foreseeable risk of harm to Foradori by that off-duty employee. Id. at 496-97.
¶ 17. In the present case, Bolden's criminal history contained in the record before us reflects that Bolden was not convicted of any of the charges in his prior arrests. The record also contains no evidence that Bolden was ever convicted of any crimes prior to being hired by Piggly Wiggly, or prior to the subject incident. Further, the Mississippi Criminal History Record provided to us reflects that none of the listed prior arrests against Bolden concerned any violent conduct, crimes against a person, or felony charges prior to his employment at Piggy Wiggly. In Holmes v. Campbell Properties, Inc., 47 So.3d 721 (Miss.Ct.App.2010), this Court addressed a similar issue wherein the appellant asserted a claim of negligent hiring and failure to adequately train employees. The Holmes court distinguished its facts from Foradori and found that summary judgment was proper where the employer "had no reason to know or anticipate its employee would behave in ... a violent manner"; "no contradicting evidence of prior actual or constructive knowledge of [the employee's] violent nature"; and no "indication of any actual or constructive knowledge that an atmosphere of violence existed at the [place of employment]." Id. at 729 (¶ 28).
¶ 18. Taking all evidence in the light most favorable to Stribling, we find no error in the circuit judge's finding that no genuine issue of material fact existed to support Stribling's negligence claims. The record reflects that Stribling failed to present evidence sufficient to raise a genuine issue of material fact. Stribling provided no facts showing that Hayes failed to adequately train, supervise, or regulate Bolden; or that Rushing's knew or should have known of a foreseeable unreasonable risk of harm to others created by Bolden. Accordingly, we affirm the circuit court's grant of summary judgment in favor of Rushing's.
¶ 19.
LEE, C.J., GRIFFIS, P.J., ISHEE, ROBERTS, MAXWELL AND FAIR, JJ., CONCUR. IRVING, P.J., CONCURS IN RESULT ONLY WITHOUT SEPARATE WRITTEN OPINION. BARNES, J., CONCURS IN PART AND IN THE RESULT WITHOUT SEPARATE WRITTEN OPINION. JAMES, J., NOT PARTICIPATING.