Landlord Potentially Liable for Injury to Tenant's Independent Contractor

What Happened: After the lease ended, a shopping center tenant hired a self-employed independent contractor to remove an exterior sign from the space. While performing the work, the contractor fell through a roof opening and suffered serious injuries. He sued the landlord, rather than the tenant, for damages, but the trial court dismissed the case, citing a California rule called the Privette doctrine holding that a person who hires an independent contractor isn’t liable for the injuries the contractor suffers doing the work.