Rosenberg v. Pritchard Services, Inc.

LAY, Chief Judge.

On May 23, 1977, a fire broke out on the 20th floor of an office building in Kansas City, Missouri, damaging various items of real and personal property, leasehold improvements, and fixtures located on several floors of the building. Tenants of those floors, the insurers of other tenants, and the owner of the building brought suit against Pritchard Services, Inc. (Pritchard), the building cleaning service, to recover their losses sustained by the fire. The plaintiffs alleged that Pritchard, through its employee, Emma Lawrence, negligently emptied ashtrays into a burlap trash…