Daniel v. Reeder

16 S.W.3d 491, 2000 Tex. App. LEXIS 2351, 2000 WL 365940
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedApril 6, 2000
Docket09-99-027CV
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 16 S.W.3d 491 (Daniel v. Reeder) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Daniel v. Reeder, 16 S.W.3d 491, 2000 Tex. App. LEXIS 2351, 2000 WL 365940 (Tex. Ct. App. 2000).

Opinions

OPINION

BURGESS, Justice.

Andrew Daniel filed a personal injury suit against Jeff Lawson, Thomas Reeder, Pam Reeder and Tyler Reeder. Tom and Pam Reeder were out of town the night of August 27, 1995, when their son, Tyler, hosted a party at which there was alcohol. Lawson, seventeen at that time, attended the party and became intoxicated. Daniel, who was eighteen, attended the party and at some point in the evening was struck and injured by Lawson. Daniel alleged battery, negligence, and gross negligence against Lawson and negligence, negligence per se, and gross negligence against the Reeders. Daniel claimed the Reeders were negligent in providing alcohol to a minor under the age of eighteen, namely Lawson. Daniel further claimed Tyler was negligent in aiding or encouraging the use of force against Daniel and in failing to warn him that Lawson was intoxicated.

[493]*493The Reeders filed a motion for summary judgment that was granted by the trial court. Subsequently, Daniel’s claims against Lawson were settled and final judgment was entered. Daniel appeals, challenging the summary judgment in two points of error. First, he claims the trial court erred in finding that Texas law imposes no duty on a social host towards a third party when that social host provides alcohol to a seventeen year-old minor guest. Second, he claims the trial court erred in finding there was no evidence Tyler Reeder knew that Jeff Lawson was intoxicated and that appellees were entitled to judgment as a matter of law.

The Reeders claimed to be entitled to summary judgment “because there are no genuine issues of material facts that:

• Tom and Pam Reeder were not in town at the time of the incident made the basis of this suit
• Tom and Pam Reeder did not serve or provide an [sic] alcohol to Jeff Lawson on the night of the incident made the basis of this suit.
• Tyler Reeder did not serve or provide any alcohol to Jeff Lawson on the night of the incident made the basis of this suit.
• Jeff Lawson provided his own beer on the night of the incident made the basis of this lawsuit.
• There is no evidence that Tyler Reed-er encouraged the use of force against Plaintiff.
• There is no evidence Tyler Reeder had actual knowledge that Jeff Lawson was intoxicated and, as Plaintiff was a trespasser, Tyler Reeder had no duty to warn under the circumstances of this case.”

The Reeders argued no duty existed because “Texas law does not recognize social host liability.” They further argued Lawson provided his own alcohol and it was not provided by Tom and Pam Reeder or Tyler Reeder. The Reeders also claimed there was no evidence to support Daniel’s allegations that Tyler was negligent for aiding or encouraging the use of force against Daniel and that Tyler had actual knowledge Lawson was intoxicated and failed to warn Daniel of this condition. See Tex.R. Civ. P. 166a(i).

We first note the trial court’s order does not specify upon which of the several grounds summary judgment was granted. Therefore, if any of the grounds alleged in the Reeder’s motion for summary judgment are meritorious, the summary judgment will be affirmed. See Harwell v. State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co., 896 S.W.2d 170, 173 (Tex.1995); Carr v. Brasher, 776 S.W.2d 567, 569 (Tex.1989).

The parties focus on a letter from the trial court stating that “the Court does not believe that the logic employed in either the statute or the cases would allow a cause of action for social host liability against the minor defendant under the facts of this case.” However, “findings of fact and conclusions of law have no place in a summary judgment proceeding.” Linwood, v. NCNB Texas, 885 S.W.2d 102, 103 (Tex.1994). An appellate court should not consider findings of fact and conclusions of law in connection with a summary judgment. See IKB Indus. Ltd. v. Pro-Line Corp., 938 S.W.2d 440, 441 (Tex.1997). Therefore, we disregard the trial court’s statements in the letter and determine only whether the movants met their summary judgment burden by establishing that no genuine issue of material fact exists and that they were entitled to judgment as a matter of law. See Tex.R.Civ. p. 166a(c); Cate v. Dover Corp., 790 S.W.2d 559, 562 (Tex.1990).

The Texas Supreme Court has found there is no common-law duty for a social host to refrain from providing alcohol to a guest over the age of eighteen. See Smith v. Merritt, 940 S.W.2d 602, 605 (Tex.1997). Smith also found section 106.06(a) of the Texas Alcohol and Beverage Code does not create a social-host duty for providing alcohol to a person aged eighteen to twenty. Id. at 608; Tex. Alco. Bev.Code Ann. [494]*494§ 106.06(a) (Vernon 1995). Smith explicitly refrained from deciding the issue currently before this court: Is there a duty to third parties not to provide alcohol to guests under the age of 18? See Smith, 940 S.W.2d at 604, n. 1.

Daniel argues the Ryders were negligent per se because they violated section 106.06(a) by providing beer to the seventeen-year old Lawson. The Alcoholic Beverage Code prohibits the provision of alcohol to a minor by anyone other than the minor’s parents, guardian, spouse, court-ordered custodian. Tex. Alco. Bev.Code Ann. § 106.06(b).

Section 106.06 is not limited to the sale of alcohol to minors nor does it contemplate economic benefit on anyone’s part. It does not require that the minor become intoxicated, nor does § 106.06 speak to the relationship, if any, between the minor and the one furnishing the alcohol, whether master-servant, social host-guest or friends. The statute simply prohibits anyone from furnishing liquor to any minor, the very limited exception being the minor’s adult parent, spouse or legal custodian but even then only so long as that adult person ‘is visibly present when the minor possesses or consumes’ the alcohol. Tex. Alco. Bev.Code Ann. § 106.06(b) (1978). No other exceptions are provided by the code.

Chapa v. Club Corp. of America, 737 S.W.2d 427, 429-30 (Tex.App. — Austin 1987, no writ). Accordingly, section 106.06 applies in this case.

“The unexcused violation of a penal statute constitutes negligence as a matter of law if such statute was designed to prevent injuries to a class of persons to which the injured party belongs.” Murray v. O & A Exp., Inc., 630 S.W.2d 633, 636 (Tex.1982) (citing Missouri Pacific Ry. v. American Statesman,

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Daniels v. Carpenter
2003 WY 11 (Wyoming Supreme Court, 2003)
Reeder v. Daniel
61 S.W.3d 359 (Texas Supreme Court, 2001)
Dorris v. Price
22 S.W.3d 42 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2000)
Daniel v. Reeder
16 S.W.3d 491 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2000)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
16 S.W.3d 491, 2000 Tex. App. LEXIS 2351, 2000 WL 365940, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/daniel-v-reeder-texapp-2000.