George Washington University v. Weintraub, 458 A.2d 43 (1983)

Citation: George Washington University v. Weintraub, 458 A.2d 43 (1983)
Parent Document: George Washington University v. Weintraub, 458 A.2d 43 (1983)
Jurisdiction: DC (municipal)
Effective Date: 1983-02-25
Original Source: https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/2298306/george-washington-university-v-... ↗

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The only witnesses were Weintraub and Gerald D. Hart, Phillips' property manager for the building in question, and the evidence before the Court as to the cause of the flooding is not exhaustive. Weintraub being a law student, his testimony was not atypical of its genre, and was interlaced with phrases like "in spite of the fact that" and other editorialized phraseology. Having no access to valves and pipes, Weintraub could provide little enlightenment as to what precipitated the mishap. Hart also had little first hand knowledge of the facts. It appears from the limited record available to the Court, substantially all of it hearsay, that the D.C. Water Department had temporarily turned off the water supply, that subsequently the water had been turned on again, and that some kind of blockage had developed in a valve which had built up water pressure in Apartment 502. Weintraub testified that he came home and saw that his apartment was being flooded from upstairs. He ran up to Apartment 502 and knocked on the door, but nobody was at home. He then looked for the resident manager and janitor, who could not be found for half an hour or so, even though it was the middle of the work day. Finally, he found the janitor and reported the problem. By that time, however, it was too late to rescue his belongings. * * * * * *

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