If an invitee is injured from a defectively built awning, under what condition would the current property owner be liable?

In the context of premises liability, an invitee is a person who enters a property for a purpose related to the owner's interests, and property owners owe invitees a duty of care to keep the premises reasonably safe. In the case of a defectively built awning, the current property owner's liability hinges on various factors related to knowledge and maintenance of the property.

The correct answer indicates that a property owner would not be liable if they had no reason to know about the defect in the awning. This adheres to the principle that liability arises from the owner's knowledge of unsafe conditions. If the property owner was unaware of the defect and had no reason to discover it, they would typically not be considered negligent under premises liability standards. This means they cannot be held responsible for an injury that occurs as a result of a condition they did not know about and could not have reasonably discovered.

In contrast, if the owner had hired the contractor who built the awning, they may still not be liable unless they had knowledge of the defect or there was a failure to maintain the property leading to the injury. The presence of knowledge or the ability to maintain the property encompasses the owner's responsibilities and indicates a breach of duty leading to possible liability, whereas lacking such knowledge protects the