Southern Floors & Acoustics, Inc. v. Max-Yeboah

In this appeal, we consider whether a customer who is injured by tripping over a stack of floor tiles in a grocery store where the floor is being re-tiled is contributorily negligent as a matter of law and, if not, whether both the independent contractor installing the new floor and the store owner can be held liable to the customer for his injuries.

I. Facts and Proceedings Below

Anthony Max-Yeboah (“Max-Yeboah”) tripped over a stack of tiles in an aisle of a Food Lion, Inc. (“Food Lion”) grocery store in Charlottesville, Virginia and broke his ankle. On the evening of MaxYeboah’s accident,…