A person invited as a member of the general public for a purpose the land is open to the public is best described as which invitee?

• A. Public invitee
• B. Business invitee
• C. Implied license
• D. Trespasser

Answer: (A)

In premises liability, people on the property are categorized to determine what duty the owner owes. A public invitee is someone from the general public who is on land that is open to the public for a purpose that serves the public. Here, the person is invited from the general public for a use that the land is open to the public, so they fit the public invitee category. The owner owes a duty to exercise reasonable care to keep the premises safe for public invitees, which includes inspecting for hazards and either fixing or warning about hazards that could be discovered through reasonable inspection.

A business invitee would be someone there for a business purpose that benefits the owner, which isn’t the situation described. An implied license or a trespasser doesn’t apply because entry is permitted and the person isn’t entering without permission.