DeBolt v. Kragen Auto Supply, Inc.

182 Cal. App. 3d 269, 227 Cal. Rptr. 258
California Court of Appeal·Decided June 11, 1986·No. Docket Nos. D003244, D003185·Published·Cited by 12 cases

Opinion

182 Cal.App.3d 269 (1986)
227 Cal. Rptr. 258

BRUCE DeBOLT et al., Plaintiffs and Appellants,
v.
KRAGEN AUTO SUPPLY, INC., Defendant and Respondent. TOMAS MORENO, a Minor, etc., et al., Plaintiffs and Appellants,
v.
KRAGEN AUTO SUPPLY, INC., Defendant and Respondent.

Docket Nos. D003244, D003185.

Court of Appeals of California, Fourth District, Division One.

June 11, 1986.

*271 COUNSEL

Thorsnes, Bartolotta, McGuire & Padilla, Michael D. Padilla, Brennan & Hollins, Bruce L. Schechter, McInnis, Fitzgerald, Rees, Sharkey & McIntyre and Donald A. Vaughn for Plaintiffs and Appellants.

Post, Kirby, Noonan & Sweat, Thomas W. Bettles and Robert L. Friedenberg for Defendant and Respondent.

OPINION

BUTLER, J.

Bruce DeBolt, Tiffany Lee DeBolt, a minor by and through her guardian ad litem, Bruce DeBolt, Bridget Marie O'Toole, a minor by and through her guardian ad litem, Thomas F. Lennon, Jerilyn S. Jones, as administratrix of the estate of Barbara Sue Kraus, and Tomas Moreno, a minor by and through his guardian ad litem Nanci Schumacher (collectively DeBolts) appeal judgments of dismissal after the trial court sustained demurrers without leave to amend in their wrongful death actions against Kragen Auto Supply, Inc. (Kragen).[1]

We accept as true the following facts alleged in the complaint (Bigbee v. Pacific Tel. & Tel. Co. (1983) 34 Cal.3d 49, 56, fn. 10 [192 Cal. Rptr. 857, 665 P.2d 947]). In July of 1983, Kragen instigated, planned and conducted a beach party for its employees. A Kragen employee asked Christine Eigsti, a minor, to attend with him as his date. She did. Kragen supplied and served Eigsti alcoholic beverages to the point where she became so intoxicated and disorderly Kragen ordered her to leave the party. Furthermore, Kragen knew Eigsti would drive her car since it was her only available transportation and it was obvious she could not safely do so. Nevertheless, Kragen did not attempt to, nor did Kragen provide, any alternative or safer means of transportation such as a taxi, the police, a friend; neither did they call her parents. After buying gasoline, Eigsti proceeded south on Interstate 5 and subsequently *272 plowed into a motorcycle from behind, killing Dennis Che Moreno, the driver, and Barbara Sue Kraus, the passenger. Tomas Moreno is the son and surviving heir of Dennis. Bruce DeBolt is a surviving spouse of Barbara Sue, and Tiffany Lee and Bridget Marie are her surviving children.

Originally, separate lawsuits were filed respectively on behalf of Moreno's heir and Kraus' heirs. The cases were consolidated on October 1, 1985, for purposes of this appeal.[2]

DeBolts appeal contending their cause of action against Kragen sounding in general negligence is not based on Kragen serving Eigsti alcoholic beverages; rather it is based on Kragen's conduct ordering and causing Eigsti to leave and to drive in an intoxicated state and is therefore not barred as a matter of law. We disagree with DeBolts' contentions and affirm Kragen's dismissal.

Discussion

(1) In reviewing a judgment of dismissal entered after a demurrer is sustained without leave to amend, we treat as admitted both the material facts properly pleaded in the complaint and the reasonable inferences drawn from the facts. (Strang v. Cabrol (1984) 37 Cal.3d 720, 722 [209 Cal. Rptr. 347, 691 P.2d 1013]; Buckaloo v. Johnson (1975) 14 Cal.3d 815, 828 [122 Cal. Rptr. 745, 537 P.2d 865]; Bloomberg v. Interinsurance Exchange (1984) 162 Cal. App.3d 571, 574-575 [207 Cal. Rptr. 853].) The allegations must be liberally construed to obtain justice between the parties and we determine whether the allegations are adequate to state a cause of action under any legal theory. (Bloomberg, supra, at p. 575.)

As it has been ably done elsewhere on numerous occasions, it is not necessary to here dwell upon the complete historical background of civil liability for injuries incurred as a consequence of the service and consumption of alcoholic beverages. (See Bass v. Pratt (1986) 177 Cal. App.3d 129 [222 Cal. Rptr. 723]; Rogers v. Alvas (1984) 160 Cal. App.3d 997 [207 *273 Cal. Rptr. 60].) Suffice it to say in 1978 the Legislature amended the statutes to provide: "No social host who furnishes alcoholic beverages to any person shall be held legally accountable for damages suffered by such person, or for injury to the person or property of, or death of, any third person, resulting from the consumption of such beverages." (Civ. Code, § 1714, subd. (c).)

Moreover, although sections 25602 and 25658 of the Business and Professions Code[3] provide misdemeanor violations for serving, furnishing, giving or causing to sell, furnish or give alcoholic beverages to an obviously intoxicated person or to a minor, immunity for liability is specifically provided in section 25602, subdivision (b), for such activity pertaining to an "obviously intoxicated person." (2) The sole explicit exception to immunity is section 25602.1 which states a licensee may be held liable for furnishing alcoholic beverages to an obviously intoxicated minor. (See Strang v. Cabrol, supra, 37 Cal.3d 720; Cory v. Shierloh (1981) 29 Cal.3d 430 [174 Cal. Rptr. 500, 629 P.2d 8].)

Our Supreme Court in Cory v. Shierloh, supra, 29 Cal.3d 430, reluctantly upheld against constitutional attack the statutory provisions of civil immunity from liability. The court noted, "notwithstanding the clear documentation of the appalling nature of the nationwide drunk driving problem, the Legislature with the Governor's approval enacted legislation which was expressly designed to `abrogate'" prior decisions which found licensees as well as social hosts could be held liable for consequences of serving alcoholic beverages (id., at p. 435). Furthermore, in Strang v. Cabrol, supra, 37 Cal.3d 720, the court held, although not set forth specifically in the statutory scheme, a party could not be held civilly liable for violating the statute's misdemeanor provision of serving alcohol to minors (§ 25658).

(3) Despite the foregoing statement of the law, DeBolts contend they have a cause of action sounding in general negligence based not on selling, furnishing or otherwise providing alcoholic beverages to Eigsti but rather based on Kragen asking Eigsti to leave knowing she was intoxicated and not able to safely drive and knowing she would drive her car nevertheless, and furthermore not attempting to supply or actually supplying a safer alternative.[4]

DeBolts urge us to apply to the instant circumstance principles of common law negligence and to decide Kragen had a duty not to create an unreasonable *274 risk and by implication thus is liable for the injuries DeBolts sustained which they claim flowed reasonably foreseeably from Kragen forcing Eigsti out on the highway in her inebriated state. They contend Eigsti's presence on the highway created an unreasonable risk to third parties. (Cf. Weirum v. RKO General, Inc. (1975) 15 Cal.3d 40 [123 Cal. Rptr. 468,

DeBolt v. Kragen Auto Supply, Inc., 182 Cal. App. 3d 269, 227 Cal. Rptr. 258 (Cal. Ct. App. 1986).

182 Cal. App. 3d 269 (DeBolt v. Kragen Auto Supply, Inc.) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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