Hillis v. Sears, Roebuck & Co.

This is an action of tort in which the plaintiff seeks to recover compensation for personal injuries received by her at about 9:15 on a March evening in the store of the defendant where she was a customer. The trial judge found that the plaintiff was injured while in the exercise of due care through the defective condition of the stairway, which was known to the defendant or had existed long enough so that the defendant by the exercise of reasonable care might have known that the defect existed. Substantial damages in favor of the plaintiff were assessed.

The plaintiff testified that as she…