Barenbaum v. Richardson

In this negligence action a tenant seeks damages from his landlords for injuries he sustained in a fall as he made his way down a front-door stairway to the public sidewalk. A Superior Court jury returned a verdict for the landlords. In his appeal the tenant questions the trial justice’s actions relating to an evidentiary ruling, the charge to the jury, and his denial of the tenant’s motion for a new trial.

The landlords are husband and wife. They own a four-unit, two-story apartment house which is located at 132 Pitman Street, Providence. The husband owns and operates a company that…