Roberts v. Tennessee Wesleyan College

The plaintiff, Mrs. H. M. Roberts, sued Helen Wilson, d/b/a Helen Wilson School of Dancing, the Tennessee Wesleyan College and the Holston Annual Conference of the Methodist Church, Inc., to recover damages for personal injuries she sustained in a fall on the steps of Townsend Hall, a building located on the campus of the college. Just prior to her fall, Mrs. Roberts had attended a dance recital in Townsend Hall given by pupils of Miss Wilson.

On trial, a verdict was directed for the defendants at the close of the plaintiff’s proof. The basis of the directed verdict in favor of the Holston…