Blanchfill v. Better Builds, Inc.

982 P.2d 53, 160 Or. App. 527, 1999 Ore. App. LEXIS 759
CourtCourt of Appeals of Oregon
DecidedMay 19, 1999
Docket16-95-08434; CA A99382
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 982 P.2d 53 (Blanchfill v. Better Builds, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Oregon primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Blanchfill v. Better Builds, Inc., 982 P.2d 53, 160 Or. App. 527, 1999 Ore. App. LEXIS 759 (Or. Ct. App. 1999).

Opinions

[529]*529HASELTON, J.

Defendant, Better Builds, Inc., appeals from a judgment on a third-party complaint for contractual indemnity against Cottage Grove Fitness, Inc. (CGF). Better Builds assigns error to the trial court’s determination that it is not entitled to indemnity from CGF. Better Builds further asserts that, because it is entitled to indemnity, the trial court erred in entering a supplemental judgment for CGF on CGF’s claims for contribution and contractual attorney fees against Better Builds. We conclude that the trial court correctly determined that broad “hold harmless” language in the parties’ lease agreement did not entitle Better Builds to be indemnified for its own negligence and strict liability. Consequently, we affirm.

Viewed in the light most favorable to the prevailing party, CGF, the material facts are as follows: CGF, a fitness center located in Cottage Grove, opened in October 1993. Gregory Blanchfill, a chiropractor, was CGF’s principal owner. Better Builds operates fitness centers in North Bend and Coquille and manufactures exercise equipment for its own use and for sale and lease to others. Better Builds’ president, Byron Beebe, has been involved in the exercise equipment business since the mid-1980s.

In the spring of 1993, Beebe and Blanchfill, as principals for their companies, negotiated and orally agreed to the terms of a lease arrangement. Under that agreement, Better Builds was to manufacture and lease exercise equipment to CGF, with CGF making total lease payments of $28,702 over a term of 36 months, with a $100 buy-out at the end of the term. In November 1993, after Better Builds had manufactured and delivered some of the equipment to CGF, Beebe presented Blanchfill with a Stevens-Ness preprinted form lease agreement. That form agreement contained the following provision:

“The lessee [CGF]* * * agrees to defend, at lessee’s own expense, any and all actions brought against either or both of the parties hereto for damages to persons or property caused by the leased property or by its operation, and agrees to hold lessor [Better Builds] free and harmless of and from [530]*530any and all claims and demands that may arise or be occasioned to any person or to any property by or through the use of the leased property during the term of this lease or any renewal hereof.”

The lease further provided that CGF, as the lessee, would be responsible for “any and all repairs and * * * supply and pay for any and all parts and accessories needed to maintain” the equipment. Under the agreement, Better Builds, as lessor, retained the right to have “free access” to CGF’s property during business hours for the “purpose of inspecting” or “watching its use and operation or of altering, repairing, improving or adding to it or determining the nature or extent of lessee’s use * * Beebe and Blanchfill did not discuss the terms of the form lease agreement, including the “hold harmless” provision.

Among the machines that Better Builds designed, manufactured, and leased to CGF was a “45-Degree Lever Row” or “T-bar Rowing” machine. That machine, which came with no instructions for operation, was defectively designed in that the weighted metal T-bar or lever was to be placed on supporting pegs when the machine was not being used or the user was resting, but the pegs lacked safety flanges or “keepers” to prevent the heavy bar from slipping off the pegs. Several of CGF’s members complained about the lever bar falling off the pegs and, after the bar fell while Blanchfill was using the machine, he had an employee call Better Builds to complain. Better Builds made some repairs to the machine but did not successfully address the bar slippage design defect. Thereafter, CGF continued to receive complaints about the lever bar falling but continued to permit its members to use the machine. CGF made no further complaints to Better Builds.

CGF placed the rowing machine in a location that required that it be moved before being used. In April 1995, as Blanchfill’s wife, Mavis, was moving the rowing machine, the lever bar fell from the peg, crushing her hand. In September 1995, Mavis (plaintiff) filed a personal injury action against Better Builds, alleging claims of negligence and strict liability based on defective design and manufacture. Ultimately,1 plaintiff alleged that Better Builds was negligent:

[531]*531“a) In designing, manufacturing, distributing, leasing, and maintaining its described exercise equipment without a flange, ‘keeper,’ or other feature to prevent the weighted long metal bar from slipping off and falling down;
“b) In designing, manufacturing, distributing, leasing, and maintaining its described exercise equipment that had an unreasonably large ‘crush’ area;
“c) In designing, manufacturing, distributing, leasing, and maintaining its described exercise equipment without adequate instructions for its safe use; and
“d) In designing, manufacturing, distributing, leasing, and maintaining its described exercise equipment without adequate warnings of the risk of injuries posed by it.”

With respect to strict liability, plaintiff alleged that the rowing machine was defectively designed and that Better Builds had marketed the product with inadequate warnings and instructions.2

Better Builds answered, alleging that plaintiffs own negligence caused the accident. In addition, Better Builds alleged two third-party claims against CGF:3 (1) a claim for contractual indemnity under the “hold harmless” provision of the lease, in the event and to the extent that Better Builds was adjudged liable to plaintiff; and (2) a claim for contribution based on CGF’s comparative fault in positioning the rowing machine where it needed to be moved before use, in failing to properly supervise and instruct users, in allowing plaintiff to use the rowing machine in an unsafe manner, and in failing to maintain the machine by failing to adjust the lever bar hinge.

[532]*532CGF answered the third-party complaint, asserting that it was not responsible for the accident; that the contractual “hold harmless” language was not intended to apply to Better Builds’ own negligence or strict liability; and that, to so construe and apply the contractual language would be unconscionable and contrary to public policy. In addition, CGF, by a third-party counterclaim, alleged an entitlement to attorney fees under the lease’s fee provision.

Plaintiff subsequently amended her complaint to include a negligence claim against CGF in addition to her original claims against Better Builds for negligence and strict liability. Plaintiff alleged that CGF was negligent:

“a) In failing to position and maintain the described exercise equipment so that persons could use the equipment without needing to move it to a safer position;
‘To) In failing to provide adequate instructions for the safe use of the described exercise equipment;
“c) In failing to provide adequate warnings of the risk of injuries posed by the described exercise equipment;
“d) In making available for use a dangerously defective exercise machine;

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Blanchfill v. Better Builds, Inc.
982 P.2d 53 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 1999)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
982 P.2d 53, 160 Or. App. 527, 1999 Ore. App. LEXIS 759, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/blanchfill-v-better-builds-inc-orctapp-1999.