Hawkins Parnell Wins Summary Judgment in Los Angeles Premises Liability Case

February 10, 2023 (Los Angeles, CA) – Litigator Ashley Henning of Hawkins Parnell's Orange County office secured a summary judgment victory in the Los Angeles Superior Court Personal Injury Hub on behalf of a contractor cross-defendant client. A recent law school graduate, this was Ashley's first motion for summary judgment.

The case arose from an alleged slip and fall at a grocery store that caused serious injuries. The plaintiff sued the grocery store, which filed a cross-complaint against Hawkins Parnell's client. The plaintiff then also sued the client. The grocery store claimed the contractor caused the condition that led to the fall, breached a Master Services Agreement, and was required to indemnify the retailer based on contractual provisions.

The grocery store aggressively tried to defeat the motion for summary judgment filed by Hawkins Parnell, conducting extensive discovery, including requests for the production of documents and noticing depositions. After analyzing more than 8,000 documents and defending a person most knowledgeable deposition, Ashley wrote a robust reply brief to the opposition. In her brief and oral argument, Ashley argued that the grocery store was relying on inadmissible evidence in its opposition and based its arguments on conclusory allegations, and failed to meet the burden required to defeat the motion. Her reply presented evidence that proved Hawkins Parnell's client performed their duties according to the contract and did not meet any conditions that were required for indemnification, successfully defeating the opposition's arguments.