Caldwell v. Idaho Youth Ranch, Inc.

968 P.2d 215, 132 Idaho 120, 1998 Ida. LEXIS 123
CourtIdaho Supreme Court
DecidedOctober 16, 1998
Docket23474
StatusPublished
Cited by20 cases

This text of 968 P.2d 215 (Caldwell v. Idaho Youth Ranch, Inc.) 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
Caldwell v. Idaho Youth Ranch, Inc., 968 P.2d 215, 132 Idaho 120, 1998 Ida. LEXIS 123 (Idaho 1998).

Opinions

SILAK, Justice.

This is a wrongful death action instituted by appellants Brenda and Robyn Caldwell (Caldwells) to recover damages for the slaying of their son, Patrick Caldwell, a minor, by Santiago Espinoza (Espinoza), also a minor, in April 1994. The Caldwells seek to impose vicarious liability on the respondent Idaho Youth Ranch, Inc. (Youth Ranch). The district court granted the Youth Ranch’s motion for summary judgment dismissing the case. Additionally, the district court denied the Youth Ranch’s request for attorney fees. We affirm the decision of the district court.

I.

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

Espinoza had a history of juvenile problems starting when he was 10 years old. These problems mostly consisted of battery offenses involving other youths. In December 1991, Espinoza was petitioned into Juvenile Court for first-degree burglary of a Jeep Cherokee and entering a Ford Escort. In March 1992, Espinoza was charged with willful concealment for taking two packs of gum and one box of men’s cologne. In February 1992, at age 13, Espinoza was petitioned into Juvenile Court on three counts involving malicious injury to property for breaking five windows in a building and two curfew violations. Espinoza was committed to the custody of the Department of Health and Welfare (Department) and was ordered to be admitted to the Youth Ranch. He was also placed on probation for two years. Espinoza and his father voluntarily agreed to his placement at the Youth Ranch beginning on August 28, 1992.

[122]*122Upon his arrival at the Youth Ranch, Espinoza underwent a psychological assessment and was identified as having anger management problems. A treatment plan was therefore drawn to help Espinoza with these tendencies. Espinoza had to be physically restrained 20 times in his last four months at the Youth Ranch as a result of altercations with other peers and staff members. Although Espinoza did not fully complete his case plan, he was released from the Youth Ranch into his father’s custody in January 1994. His release was the result of a joint decision by the Department and the Youth Ranch.

Approximately three months after his release from the Youth Ranch, in April 1994, Espinoza stabbed to death seventeen-year-old Patrick Caldwell. This brutal murder occurred after Espinoza

found Caldwell standing next to the car Espinoza and I.R. [Espinoza’s friend] were planning to drive. There [was] some uncertainty as to whether Caldwell was in the car or was standing next to it. Caldwell evidently said something that made Espinoza angry. Espinoza and I.R. hit Caldwell several times with their fists. Espinoza then stabbed Caldwell seventeen times. Several of the wounds were to Caldwell’s head and were hard enough to crack his skull. The remaining knife wounds were to Caldwell’s torso, front shoulders and left side of his upper body.

State v. Espinoza, 127 Idaho 194, 195, 898 P.2d 1105, 1106 (Ct.App.1995). At the time Espinoza murdered Patrick Caldwell, Espinoza was under the influence of alcohol and marijuana. Id. Espinoza thereafter pled guilty to second degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison, with twenty-five years fixed. This sentence was affirmed by the Court of Appeals. Id. at 197, 898 P.2d at 1107.

On November 3, 1995, Patrick Caldwell’s mother, Brenda Caldwell, filed a wrongful death action against the Department. On March 5,1996, Brenda was allowed to amend the complaint by joining Patrick’s father, Robyn Caldwell, as a plaintiff, and by adding the Youth Ranch as a defendant.

On August 8, 1996, both the Department and the Youth Ranch filed motions for summary judgment. After a hearing, the district court granted both motions, ruling that there was no dispute that Espinoza never made any oral or written comments or threats that he was going to kill anyone when he was released. With respect to the Department, the court ruled that the Caldwells failed to establish reckless, wanton and willful conduct on the part of the Department and that without such proof, the Department was immune under Idaho Code §§ 6-904A and 6-904C(2). With respect to the Youth Ranch, the court ruled that since Espinoza was not in the care, custody, supervision or control of the Youth Ranch when he murdered Patrick Caldwell, and because there was “no genuine issue of fact regarding any propensity on the part of Santiago Espinoza to commit murder or inflict serious intentional physical harm upon another while he was a resident at the Idaho Youth Ranch,” the Youth Ranch did not owe any duty to the Caldwells. The court denied the Department’s and the Youth Ranch’s request for attorney fees and costs. The Caldwells filed a motion to reconsider and to alter or amend the judgment which the district court denied.

The Caldwells and the Department stipulated to dismiss the Caldwell’s appeal and the Department’s cross-appeal prior to the issuance of this opinion. Therefore, this opinion involves only the Caldwells and the Youth Ranch. The Caldwells appeal the district court’s order granting summary judgment in favor of the Youth Ranch, and the denial of their motion to reconsider. The Youth Ranch cross-appeals the court’s denial of its request for attorney fees and costs.

II.

ISSUES ON APPEAL

The Caldwells present the following issues on appeal:

1. Did the district court err in granting summary judgment in favor of the Youth Ranch?
2. Are the Caldwells entitled to attorney fees on appeal?

[123]*123The Youth Ranch raises the following issues on cross-appeal:

3. Did the trial court err in denying the Youth Ranch costs and/or attorney fees?
4. Is the Youth Ranch entitled to attorney fees on appeal because the Caldwells have pursued this appeal frivolously, unreasonably and without foundation?

III.

ANALYSIS

A. Standard Of Review.

This Court’s standard of review on an appeal from an order granting summary judgment is the same as the standard used by the district court in ruling on a motion for summary judgment. State v. Rubbermaid Inc., 129 Idaho 353, 355-56, 924 P.2d 615, 617-18 (1996); Thomson v. Idaho Ins. Agency, Inc., 126 Idaho 527, 529, 887 P.2d 1034, 1036 (1994). Upon review, all disputed facts are to be liberally construed in favor of the non-moving party, and all reasonable inferences that can be drawn from the record are to be drawn in favor of the non-moving party. Rubbermaid, 129 Idaho at 356, 924 P.2d at 618. Summary judgment is appropriate if “the pleadings, depositions, and admissions on file, together with the affidavits, if any, show that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that the moving party is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law.” I.R.C.P. 56(c); Harris v. State Dep’t of Health and Welfare, 123 Idaho 295, 297, 847 P.2d 1156, 1158 (1992).

B.

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Caldwell v. Idaho Youth Ranch, Inc.
968 P.2d 215 (Idaho Supreme Court, 1998)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
968 P.2d 215, 132 Idaho 120, 1998 Ida. LEXIS 123, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/caldwell-v-idaho-youth-ranch-inc-idaho-1998.