Zelms Erlich Lenkov attorneys Robert Wargo and Tanya Prouty secured a complete defense victory for LA Arena Company, LLC, operator of Crypto.com Arena, in a premises liability action filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court.
The lawsuit arose from an incident inside Crypto.com Arena involving a mobility scooter operated by another patron. The plaintiff asserted negligence and premises liability claims, alleging that LA Arena Company should be held responsible for injuries caused by the scooter and claiming the arena should have created designated areas or separate pathways for mobility scooters.
On June 5, 2026, the Los Angeles County Superior Court granted LA Arena Company’s motion for summary judgment, dismissing all claims against the company before trial.
In granting summary judgment, the court found that the plaintiff’s theory of liability failed as a matter of law. The court analyzed the applicable duty factors and concluded that the alleged harm was not reasonably foreseeable under the circumstances presented. The court noted the absence of prior similar incidents, the intervening conduct of another patron, and the impracticality and burden of imposing a duty requiring the arena operator to create separate mobility scooter areas or pathways.
The plaintiff also attempted to advance a separate crowd-control theory in opposition to the motion. The court rejected that argument, finding that the theory was not pled in the complaint and that LA Arena Company was not required to refute a theoretical basis for liability outside the pleadings.
Ultimately, the court found that LA Arena Company had negated the plaintiff’s theory of liability as pled and that summary judgment was warranted.
This ruling ended the case before trial and avoided the time, expense, and uncertainty of continued litigation. For venue operators, property owners, hospitality businesses, and companies that welcome the public, the decision underscores the importance of a strong early defense strategy when claims are not supported by the facts, pleadings, or governing law.
ZEL congratulates Robert Wargo and Tanya Prouty on this successful result for LA Arena Company.
