A Cedar Rapids letter carrier who fell down some steps as he walked his route has lost another round in his legal battle against the property owners. Substitute letter carrier Larry Gudenkauf sued Douglas and Samantha Carlyle, claiming they were negligent in keeping steps on the side of their property clear.
The incident happened in November of 2005 after Gudenkauf had walked up the couple’s driveway to put their mail in the mailbox near the front door of their home. He then walked across their yard, toward an apartment complex next door, and he fell as he walked down some steps. He filed a lawsuit against the couple about two years later.
The case went to trial in 2009 and the postal carrier who regularly walked the route testified she had slipped on those steps before and had asked the couple to clear them on two occasions. A jury concluded the Carlyles were at fault, but weren’t legally responsible for the injury. The letter carrier appealed the verdict and asked for a new trial, but the Court of Appeals has rejected the request.