THOMPSON, Presiding Judge.
Ellis Isbell filed a complaint against Aztecas Mexican Grill ("Aztecas") alleging negligence and wantonness in connection with an injury he suffered while on Aztecas's premises. Aztecas answered and denied liability, and it later moved for a summary judgment. On June 21, 2010, the trial court entered a summary judgment in favor of Aztecas. Following the denial by operation of law of Isbell's postjudgment motion, Isbell timely appealed. Our supreme court transferred the appeal to this court pursuant to § 12-2-7(6), Ala. Code 1975.
The evidence submitted by Aztecas in support of its summary-judgment motion indicates the following pertinent facts. Aztecas is a restaurant located in Pell City that serves Mexican food. On April 24, 2008, Isbell and his wife, Tracie Isbell ("Tracie"), went to Aztecas for dinner to celebrate Isbell's birthday. Isbell testified that he has had three back surgeries because of a 1998 on-the-job injury that still causes him pain and for which he takes daily pain medication. Isbell and Tracie each testified that, because of Isbell's preexisting back condition, he is often more comfortable sitting on a padded seat, so they requested that the Aztecas hostess seat them in a booth.
Isbell and Tracie testified that, after being seated in a booth adjacent to the door to the kitchen, they ordered their meal and were served their food. Isbell stated that, during the meal, he was aware that another person was sitting in the booth seat directly behind him because he could feel the other person moving in his own seat during the meal. Isbell testified that, when he was almost finished eating, he felt the person behind him move again. Shortly thereafter, the booth seat upon which Isbell was sitting collapsed, causing Isbell to fall to the floor.
Isbell testified that, immediately after falling to the floor, he felt excruciating pain in his back and legs. Isbell stated that two or three of Aztecas's employees assisted him to his feet and that he was humiliated when those employees and other restaurant employees laughed at him. Tracie testified that one of Aztecas's employees offered to call an ambulance but that Isbell declined that offer and instead insisted that he be taken home. Isbell testified that he sought medical treatment for his pain the next day. Isbell sued Aztecas on October 1, 2008.
In their depositions, both Isbell and Tracie testified that they had not noticed any
In opposition to Aztecas's summary-judgment motion and evidentiary submission, Isbell initially submitted only a legal argument, and Aztecas filed a response to that argument. On June 9, 2010, Isbell filed a "supplemental response" to the motion for a summary judgment in which he stated that he had earlier requested and been granted an additional seven days in which to submit evidence in opposition to the summary-judgment motion.
Aztecas moved to strike Presley's affidavit. The trial court did not rule on that motion. However, in its summary judgment in favor of Aztecas, the trial court noted that Isbell's "recent submission failed to produce admissible affidavits in support of [his] opposition" to Aztecas's summary-judgment motion.
Isbell filed a postjudgment motion. Eighty-nine days following the filing of that postjudgment motion, Isbell filed a "renewed" postjudgment motion, and he submitted, in support of that "renewed" motion, an affidavit of another witness. Isbell's postjudgment motion was denied by operation of law on the day following the filing of his "renewed" postjudgment motion.
As an initial matter, we note that the trial court's summary judgment indicates that it did not consider Presley's affidavit, the only evidence timely submitted by Isbell in opposition to the summary-judgment motion.
On appeal, Isbell argues that the trial court erred in entering a summary judgment in favor of Aztecas because, he contends, the issue of notice to Aztecas of the alleged defect in the booth seat was a question for the jury.
Denmark v. Mercantile Stores Co., 844 So.2d 1189, 1192-93 (Ala.2002). On appeal, Isbell, in essence, contends that Aztecas did not meet its burden under the applicable summary-judgment standard so that the burden of presenting evidence that Aztecas had actual or constructive knowledge of the alleged defect shifted to him.
With regard to premises-liability cases, our supreme court has stated:
Dolgencorp, Inc. v. Hall, 890 So.2d 98, 100 (Ala.2003) (quoting Denmark v. Mercantile Stores Co., 844 So.2d at 1192).
In this case, there is no admissible evidence indicating that Aztecas had actual or constructive knowledge of the defective condition of the booth seat that collapsed beneath Isbell. However, such knowledge is not required in all circumstances. In Edwards v. Intergraph Services Co., 4 So.3d 495 (Ala.Civ.App.2008), this court explained that exceptions exist to the requirement that the plaintiff must present substantial evidence that a business owner had actual or constructive notice of a dangerous or defective condition of the property. Those exceptions include when the business owner "affirmatively created" the defective condition, such as by placing items in an aisle, or when the business owner fails to perform reasonable inspections or maintenance of the premises to discover or prevent the defective condition. Edwards v. Intergraph Servs. Co., 4 So.3d at 503.
In asserting his argument on appeal, Isbell relies on Mims v. Jack's Restaurant, 565 So.2d 609 (Ala.1990), which he contends sets forth an applicable exception to the requirement that he demonstrate that Aztecas had actual or constructive
565 So.2d at 610-11 (emphasis added).
We note that this court has interpreted the second paragraph of the above-quoted portion of Mims v. Jack's Restaurant, supra, as narrowing "the apparent broadness" of the portion of that opinion specifying that actual or constructive knowledge was a jury question when the alleged defect is a part of the premises. Edwards v. Intergraph Servs. Co., 4 So.3d at 505. In Edwards v. Intergraph Services Co., because Edwards had not alleged that the defendant had failed to properly inspect or maintain the allegedly defective portion of the premises, this court held that "neither of the . . . exceptions to the rule that an invitee must present substantial evidence that the premises owner knew or should have known of the dangerous or defective condition applies." 4 So.3d at 505. In that case, however, this court concluded that Edwards had proceeded under the sole theory that a design defect caused his injury. Edwards v. Intergraph Servs. Co., 4 So.3d at 504 ("Edwards's deposition testimony makes it clear that he sought to impose liability upon Intergraph for a `design defect'" in the portion of the premises that allegedly caused his injury). In this case, there is no indication that Isbell has limited his claim for recovery in such a manner.
This court is bound by the precedent established by our supreme court. § 12-3-16, Ala.Code 1975 ("The decisions of the Supreme Court shall govern the holdings and decisions of the courts of appeals. . . ."); Farmers Ins. Exch. v. Raine, 905 So.2d 832, 835 (Ala.Civ.App. 2004). Given our supreme court's holding in Mims v. Jack's Restaurant, supra, we must agree with Isbell that, because the booth seat that collapsed under him was a fixture or "a part of the premises," the issue whether Aztecas had actual or constructive notice of the alleged defect in the booth seat should "go to the jury, regardless [of the fact that Isbell failed to make] a prima facie showing that [Aztecas] had or should have had notice of the defect at the time of the accident." 565 So.2d at 610. For that reason, we reverse the summary judgment in favor of Aztecas and remand the cause for further proceedings.
REVERSED AND REMANDED.
PITTMAN, BRYAN, and THOMAS, JJ., concur.
MOORE, J., concurs in the result, without writing.