Filed: May 05, 2004
Latest Update: Feb. 22, 2020
Summary: JOSE A. NU Evan Slavitt, with whom Bodoff & Slavitt LLP, David C., Indiano, Alexander Bopp and Indiano & Williams, P.S.C. Jose Alberto Nu PREPA cross-claimed against Caribbean Restaurants. The plaintiffs are not involved in this appeal.reasonable jury to find in favor of appellants.
Not For Publication in West's Federal Reporter
Citation Limited Pursuant to 1st Cir. Loc. R. 32.3
United States Court of Appeals
For the First Circuit
No. 03-1745
JOSE A. NUÑEZ-SANTIAGO, ET AL.,
Plaintiffs,
v.
PUERTO RICO ELECTRICAL POWER AUTHORITY, ET AL.,
Defendants, Appellants,
v.
CARIBBEAN RESTAURANTS, ET AL.,
Cross-Defendants, Appellees.
APPEAL FROM THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE DISTRICT OF PUERTO RICO
[Hon. Raymond L. Acosta, Senior U.S. District Judge]
Before
Selya and Howard, Circuit Judges,
and Singal,* District Judge.
Evan Slavitt, with whom Bodoff & Slavitt LLP, David C.
Indiano, Alexander Bopp and Indiano & Williams, P.S.C. were on
brief, for appellants.
Amancio Arias Guardiola, with whom Arias Cestero & Arias
Guardiola was on brief, for appellees.
May 5, 2004
*
Of the district of Maine, sitting by designation.
Per curiam. Jose Alberto Nuñez Gomez, then three years old,
was injured on March 21, 1999 when he placed his hand inside an
unlocked electrical box owned by Puerto Rico Electrical Power
Authority ("PREPA") and located near a Burger King restaurant
operated by Caribbean Restaurants. The child and his parents
sued the electric company and Caribbean Restaurants, together
with various other defendants, for negligence under Puerto Rico's
civil code. PREPA cross-claimed against Caribbean Restaurants.
At trial, the district court granted Caribbean Restaurants'
motions for judgment as a matter of law against both the
plaintiffs and PREPA, ruling that there was insufficient evidence
upon which a jury could find that Caribbean Restaurants had
breached a duty of care. The jury found PREPA to have been
negligent and awarded damages. After the verdict but before
judgment was entered against it, PREPA settled with the
plaintiffs. Now PREPA appeals the judgments as a matter of law
in Caribbean Restaurants' favor, apparently seeking to force
Caribbean Restaurants to contribute to the settlement payments to
the plaintiffs. The plaintiffs are not involved in this appeal.
Orders granting motions for judgment as a matter of law are
reviewed de novo. Hochen v. Bobst Group, Inc.,
290 F.3d 446, 453
(1st Cir. 2002). Like the district court, this court examines
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the evidence and all fair inferences in the light most favorable
to the non-movant to determine whether the non-movant has offered
"more than a mere scintilla of evidence" warranting the
submission of the issue to the jury.
Id. A district court's
order of judgment as a matter of law will be affirmed only if
"applying these standards, the evidence does not permit a
reasonable jury to find in favor of appellants."
Id.
Having reviewed the record in the light of this standard of
review, this court is fully satisfied that the district court
acted appropriately in granting Caribbean Restaurants' motions
for judgment as a matter of law. The facts are well known to the
parties, and a fact-intensive written analysis would be of no
import to anyone other than them. The rulings below are
affirmed.
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