Bromley v. Garey

979 P.2d 1165, 132 Idaho 807, 1999 Ida. LEXIS 56
CourtIdaho Supreme Court
DecidedMay 26, 1999
Docket24234
StatusPublished
Cited by35 cases

This text of 979 P.2d 1165 (Bromley v. Garey) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Idaho Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bromley v. Garey, 979 P.2d 1165, 132 Idaho 807, 1999 Ida. LEXIS 56 (Idaho 1999).

Opinions

SUBSTITUTE OPINION THE COURT’S PRIOR OPINION DATED MARCH 29, 1999, IS HEREBY WITHDRAWN.

WALTERS, Justice.

This is an appeal from a summary judgment granted in favor of Ronald Garey dismissing an action brought by Tory Bromley, who was injured in a hunting accident involving a shotgun owned by Garey. We reverse the order granting summary judgment and remand the case for further proceedings.

BACKGROUND AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

In September 1995, Bromley and Dave Sholder went hunting with two shotguns that Sholder had borrowed from his uncle and Ronald Garey. Both Bromley and Sholder used Garey’s shotgun, and both observed that it frequently misfired and sometimes even fired late, yet they continued to use it. On the way home, they stopped and shot at some doves by the side of the road, but left in a hurry to avoid trouble for firing near houses that were beside the road. Sholder simply wrapped the two loaded shotguns in a blanket and placed them in the bed of the pickup.

After driving a short distance, they decided it might be safer to unload the shotguns. They stopped, and Bromley got out on the driver’s side while Sholder got into the back of the pickup. As Sholder picked up the bundle containing the shotguns, Garey’s shotgun fell onto the bed of the pickup and discharged, striking Bromley.

Shortly after the accident, an agent from Garey’s insurance company took the shotgun to Jon Aikin of Aikin’s Sport Shop for an examination. Aikin observed that when the bolt was slammed shut or when the shotgun was hit on its butt or on the sides, it would fire ninety percent of the time. Aikin did not disassemble the shotgun or otherwise attempt to determine the source of the problem, but he suggested several possible reasons for his observations. Aikin returned the shotgun to Garey with a note that the shotgun was inoperable and should not be used.

Eleven months later, Bromley requested that the shotgun be examined by Robert Stofey. Stofey, the Range Master for the Oxnard Police Department, performed an examination similar to Aikin’s, but with markedly different results. The gun was clean and in good condition,- and he was unable to reproduce the problems observed by Aikin. [810]*810The gun would fire only when the trigger was pulled; it would not fire when dropped from heights up to approximately twelve inches. According to Stofey, there was no indication of any misfiring or mechanical malfunction.

Bromley sued both Sholder and Garey for his injuries. Garey filed a motion for summary judgment alleging that he owed no duty to Bromley. Garey subsequently filed a second motion for summary judgment alleging intervening cause. In response to Garey’s motions for summary judgment, Bromley submitted the depositions of Bromley, Sholder and Aikin in order to show a genuine issue of material fact regarding Garey’s duty. Bromley also argued that Stofey could not duplicate Aikin’s observations because Garey had repaired the shotgun and destroyed any evidence of a defect. Bromley argued that he was entitled to a spoliation inference, based on the alleged destruction of evidence, that Garey knew about the defect when he loaned the shotgun to Sholder and consequently had a duty not to lend the shotgun. Garey filed a motion to strike the expert testimony of Jon Aikin. On December 23, 1996, the court heard oral argument on both summary judgment motions and Garey’s motion to strike.

The district court granted Garey’s motion to strike the expert testimony of Jon Aikin. The district court also granted Garey’s first motion for summary judgment finding that there was no admissible evidence that Garey knew of a condition or defect that would cause the shotgun to fire when dropped. The court determined that a reasonable jury might infer that Garey knew the gun would misfire or fire late. However, the court determined that the accident occurred when the shotgun was dropped, not because it misfired or fired late. Without knowledge that the shotgun had a tendency to fire when dropped, the court concluded that Garey did not have a duty to warn Sholder or Bromley about the shotgun. Having granted Garey’s first motion for summary judgment, the court specifically declined to rule on Garey’s second summary judgment motion.

After Sholder filed bankruptcy, pursuant to Rule 54(b) of the Idaho Rules of Civil Procedure Bromley appealed the summary judgment dismissing his claim against Garey. Because the district court specifically declined to rule on Garey’s second summary judgment motion, this Court will not consider issues raised in Garey’s second motion. Thus, Bromley’s appeal raises the following issues:

1) Did the court abuse its discretion by striking the expert testimony of Jon Aikin?
2) Did the court improperly refuse to apply the doctrine of spoliation?
3) Did the court improperly find that Bromley had not raised a genuine issue of material fact with regard to a duty owed by Garey to Bromley?

I.

STANDARD OF REVIEW

Summary judgment shall be granted where the record reveals no genuine issue of material fact and the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Friel v. Boise City Housing Authority, 126 Idaho 484, 887 P.2d 29 (1994). The record must be liberally construed in favor of the party opposing the motion for summary judgment, drawing all reasonable inferences and conclusions supported by the record in favor of that party. Student Loan Fund Of Idaho, Inc. v. Duemer, 131 Idaho 45, 49, 951 P.2d 1272, 1276 (1997). The burden of proving the absence of a genuine issue of material fact rests at all times on the moving party. Tingley v. Harrison, 125 Idaho 86, 89, 867 P.2d 960, 963 (1994). Where the non-moving party will bear the burden of proof at trial, the moving party’s burden may be satisfied by showing the absence of material fact with regard to any essential element of the non-moving party’s claim. Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986). The absence of a genuine issue of fact with regard to an essential element of the plaintiffs claim renders any other potential issues of fact irrelevant. Once the absence of sufficient evidence on an element has been shown, the burden shifts to the non-moving party to establish a genuine issue of material fact. The non-moving party cannot merely rely upon its pleadings, but must produce [811]*811affidavits, depositions, or other evidence establishing an issue of material fact. R.G. Nelson, ALA v. Steer, 118 Idaho 409, 410, 797 P.2d 117, 118 (1990). The non-moving party need not submit evidence on every element upon which it will bear the burden at trial, but only those elements about which the moving party successfully carried its burden. Thomson v. Idaho Ins. Agency, Inc. 126 Idaho 527, 887 P.2d 1034 (1995).

Bromley’s claim against Garey is based upon negligence.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
979 P.2d 1165, 132 Idaho 807, 1999 Ida. LEXIS 56, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bromley-v-garey-idaho-1999.