LAC v. Ward Parkway Shopping Center Co.
Missouri Supreme Court
75 S.W.3d 247 (2002)

- Written by Rich Walter, JD
Facts
Ward Parkway Shopping Center Company, L.P. and its affiliates (Ward) (defendants) owned a shopping mall for which IPC International Corporation (IPC) (defendant) provided security. IPC’s contract clearly expressed Ward’s expectation that IPC would further Ward’s desire to attract customers by providing them with a safe shopping experience. LAC (plaintiff), a minor, was shopping at the mall when a boy aggressively demanded sex. An IPC security guard ignored a request by a friend of LAC to intervene on LAC’s behalf. The boy subsequently raped LAC on mall property. Through her next friend, DC, LAC sued Ward and IPC. The trial court found that LAC was not an intended third-party beneficiary of the Ward-IPC contract and granted summary judgment for Ward and IPC. LAC appealed to the Missouri Supreme Court.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Price, J.)
Dissent (Limbaugh, C.J.)
What to do next…
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.