Holzheimer v. Johannesen

871 P.2d 814 (1994)

From our private database of 46,500+ case briefs, written and edited by humans—never with AI.

Holzheimer v. Johannesen

Idaho Supreme Court
871 P.2d 814 (1994)

Facts

Allen Holzheimer (plaintiff) went to the farm of Erling Johannesen (defendant) to retrieve fruit-packing boxes. Both men owned fruit farms, and the farmers in the area routinely bought at cost or borrowed boxes from each other with the expectation that the favor would be returned. While in Johannesen’s warehouse trying to retrieve boxes, Holzheimer fell from a stack of boxes and injured himself. Four days before his injuries, Holzheimer had asked Johannesen for boxes, and Johannesen had taken Holzheimer into his warehouse, showed Holzheimer where to find the boxes, and told Holzheimer that he could come back to get boxes at any time. Holzheimer sued Johannesen for premises liability. Johannesen moved for summary judgment, arguing that Holzheimer was a licensee and thus Holzheimer was owed a lower standard of care. The trial court denied the motion, holding that Holzheimer’s status in the warehouse was a question of fact for the jury. At trial, evidence of past box sales was admitted to demonstrate that the parties had a business relationship. Johannesen testified that he expected Holzheimer to purchase the boxes at cost or to replace them, that he made no profit on the boxes’ sale, and that the sale of the boxes likely cost him money in the end because of the labor involved. Further testimony indicated Holzheimer benefited from buying boxes from Johannesen because he could buy only the quantity he needed at a low cost. The judge instructed the jury to determine whether Holzheimer was a licensee or an invitee and gave the jury the standards of care for each status. The jury found in favor of Johannesen but did not indicate whether it found that Holzheimer was a licensee or invitee. Holzheimer appealed, arguing that he was an invitee as a matter of law and the jury should not have been given instructions regarding licensees.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (Trout, J.)

What to do next…

  1. Unlock this case brief with a free (no-commitment) trial membership of Quimbee.

    You’ll be in good company: Quimbee is one of the most widely used and trusted sites for law students, serving more than 832,000 law students since 2011. Some law schools even subscribe directly to Quimbee for all their law students.

  2. Learn more about Quimbee’s unique (and proven) approach to achieving great grades at law school.

    Quimbee is a company hell-bent on one thing: helping you get an “A” in every course you take in law school, so you can graduate at the top of your class and get a high-paying law job. We’re not just a study aid for law students; we’re the study aid for law students.

Here's why 832,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:

  • Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,500 briefs, keyed to 994 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
  • The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
  • Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
  • Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership
Here's why 832,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
  • Reliable - written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students
  • The right length and amount of information - includes the facts, issue, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents
  • Access in your class - works on your mobile and tablet
  • 46,500 briefs - keyed to 994 casebooks
  • Uniform format for every case brief
  • Written in plain English - not in legalese and not just repeating the court's language
  • Massive library of related video lessons - and practice questions
  • Top-notch customer support

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership