Reference no: EM133531608

Problem: Penny is the owner of the pie base cafe in old court house, a historic building which she owns. She needs law firm advice: "Ten years ago the court house came on the market. I loved it from the start. Before I bought it, I had a building and pest inspection done, as a condition for sale. There was no evidence of any pests or structural damage. The pest inspector did warn that the building was at risk of gettting termites as it is mostly wood. It was recommended I get a pest inspection every 2 years and warned a visual inspection 'wouldn't be sufficient to detect termite damage'. After the bought the building and renovated it and didn't notice any damage then though two years ago I noticed that the beams above the cash register looked different. I mentioned it to Trevor one of my regular customers who worked in construction. He said 'nah mate it'll be alright, nothing to worry about here'. When he said that, I trusted him. Until one Sunday late last year. The cafe was crowded, kitchen full and noticed a man standing near the cash register to pay his bill. He was Baz a football star, I was so happy. As he was about to pay the beam above the register collapsed on the coffee machine smashing the pipes. Baz got burned by steam and got wood splinters in his eyes. He has several skin drafts and spends lots of time in the hospital. His lawyer saw me and said Baz is self conscious about the scars on his face and had to give up his job. Baz developed PTSD and never leaves the house. BAz wants compensation, big compensation. Advise penny on her prospects of being held liable under the tort of negligence. No need to include analysis on remedies.