City of Bloomington v. Kuruzovich

517 N.E.2d 408, 1987 Ind. App. LEXIS 3406, 1987 WL 30280
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedDecember 28, 1987
Docket4-985 A 262
StatusPublished
Cited by45 cases

This text of 517 N.E.2d 408 (City of Bloomington v. Kuruzovich) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
City of Bloomington v. Kuruzovich, 517 N.E.2d 408, 1987 Ind. App. LEXIS 3406, 1987 WL 30280 (Ind. Ct. App. 1987).

Opinion

*410 MILLER, Presiding Judge.

Richard Kuruzovich filed this personal injury action against the City of Blooming-ton alleging Bloomington negligently designed and maintained the softball field where he was injured. The case was ven-ued to the Brown Circuit Court, where it was tried to a jury. The jury returned a verdict in favor of Kuruzovich in the amount of $82,000.00, and the court entered judgment on the verdict. Blooming-ton appeals, and we affirm. 1

FACTS

On May 4, 1982, Richard Kuruzovich, by voeation a hod carrier and by avocation an avid amateur athlete, went to the Sherwood Oaks Park to practice with his softball team. When he arrived another team was using the softball field, so Kuruzovich and his teammate Kevin Coates warmed up by playing catch outside the first base line. Coates threw the ball high over Kuruzo-vich's head so Kuruzovich could practice chasing down fly balls. Kuruzovich ran after the ball; when he was almost under it he turned to backpedal the last few steps. As he backpedalled he tripped over a manhole cover which stood approximately nineteen feet from the ball field, and which was approximately nine inches above ground level. Kuruzovich fell flat on his back. He was able to continue practice for awhile, but was forced to quit when his back began to tighten.

When his back problems did not subside, Kuruzovich consulted with a chiropractor and an orthopedic surgeon. Their examinations revealed he suffered from a spondyli-tis-a cracked vertebra-and a grade one spondylolisthesis-a slipped disk-as well as some soft tissue damage. Aithough treatment improved Kuruzovich's condition to some extent, he was unable to continue working as a hod carrier and was forced to accept employment at substantially lower wages.

Sherwood Oaks Park was originally developed by Korn Parchies, Inc. as part of the Sherwood Oaks subdivision of Bloom-ington. At the time of Kuruzoviech's accident Korn Parchies, Inc. was defunct; it had been involuntarily dissolved by the state because it had not engaged in business activities for a substantial period. Eugene Rubeck and Bill Brown, the owners of Korn Parchies, apparently retained title to the park after Korn Parchies dissolved, but they intended to donate the park to Bloomington when it would be advantageous for them to do so for tax purposes.

Bloomington did not own the park, but it did enter a written lease in the park which ran from January 1, 1976 through December 31, 1981. During this lease, Blooming-ton mowed the park, removed the trash, and generally maintained the park. Bloom-ington continued to maintain the park after the expiration of the lease.

The manhole which caused the accident was part of a sewer system originally built by Korn Parchies as part of the Sherwood Oaks subdivision. The sewer was dedicat ed to Bloomington long before the accident. There is evidence the ball diamond was installed by Bloomington during the period of the written lease.

ISSUES

Bloomington raises multiple issues for our review, which we restate as follows:

1. Did Bloomington retain any interest in Sherwood Oaks Park, or did Blooming-ton retain any control over Sherwood Oaks Park, sufficient to render Bloom-ington liable for Kuruzovich's injuries sustained in the park?
2. Was Kuruzovich an invitee, or mere licensee, when he entered the park?
*411 8. Is Bloomington immune from liability under either the Tort Claims Act, IND. CODE 34-4-16.5 or the Recreational Use Statute, .C. 14-2-6-37
4. Did the trial court err in refusing to give certain jury instructions tendered by Bloomington?
5. Did the trial court err in finding sufficient evidence to send the case to the jury? 2

DECISION

ISSUE 1: Control of the Park as a Basis for Liability

We first turn to the question of whether Bloomington retained control over Sherwood Oaks Park as a tenant or in some other manner. In premises liability cases, we must determine who controlled the property upon which the injury occurred, because "[t]he thread through the law imposing liability upon occupancy of premises is control." Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. v. Wilson (1980), Ind.App., 408 N.E.2d 144, 150. The reasons the law imposes liability on the person who controls the property is self-evident: only the party who controls the land can remedy the hazardous conditions which exist upon it and only the party who controls the land has the right to prevent others from coming onto it. Thus, the party in control of the land has the exclusive ability to prevent injury from occurring.

Bloomington argues it did not control the premises because it did not own the park and because the written lease had expired. Kuruzovich argues Bloomington was a holdover tenant and retained control over the park because a tenancy at will resulted, or, alternatively, regardless of whether Bloomington had a leasehold in the premises, that it exercised de facto control over the park. We agree with Ku-ruzovich that Bloomington remained a tenant at will after the expiration of the written lease and, consequently, that Blooming-ton controlled the park at the time of Kuru-zoviech's infury.

Generally, when a tenant holds over past the term of his lease, the lease is renewed. Speiser v. Addis (1980), Ind.App., 411 N.E.2d 439. The renewed lease contains the same terms, and is subject to the same conditions, as the original lease. Myers v. Maris (1975), 164 Ind.App. 34, 326 N.E.2d 577. When the original lease was for more than one year, the renewal lease is from year to year. Speiser, supra; Burdick Tire & Rubber Co. v. Heylmann (1923), 79 Ind.App. 505, 138 N.E. 777.

Here, Bloomington entered into a written lease which expired December 31, 1981. While the lease was in effect, Bloomington listed Sherwood Oaks Park as a Blooming-ton city park, mowed the park, and removed the trash from the park. The evidence indicates Bloomington continued to mow and remove the trash after the written lease expired. Bloomington continued to claim the park as a Bloomington park after the written lease had expired. These actions were sufficient to establish Bloom-ington held over after the termination of the written the lease. Because Blooming-ton held over, the written lease is deemed to have renewed for the year. Thus, Bloomington controlled the park and is liable for Kuruzovich's injuries. 3

*412 Bloomington argues there could have been no extension of the lease, even one arising out of its own actions in holding over, because it was prevented from assenting to a lease extension without the approval of the Bloomington Parks Board. In making this argument, Bloomington relies on ILC. 36-10-4-20, which reads, in relevant part:

"(a) Real and personal property may be granted, devised, leased, bequeathed, or conveyed to a city for park purposes ...

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Bluebook (online)
517 N.E.2d 408, 1987 Ind. App. LEXIS 3406, 1987 WL 30280, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/city-of-bloomington-v-kuruzovich-indctapp-1987.