Ernest Quiroz Et Ux v. Alcoa Inc

416 P.3d 824
CourtArizona Supreme Court
DecidedMay 11, 2018
DocketCV-16-0248-PR
StatusPublished
Cited by40 cases

This text of 416 P.3d 824 (Ernest Quiroz Et Ux v. Alcoa Inc) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Arizona Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Ernest Quiroz Et Ux v. Alcoa Inc, 416 P.3d 824 (Ark. 2018).

Opinion

JUSTICE GOULD, opinion of the Court:

¶1 We address whether an employer who used asbestos materials in its workplace before 1970 had a duty to protect the public from off-site contact with employees who may have been carrying asbestos fibers on their work clothes. Such exposure is referred to as secondary, or take-home, asbestos exposure. We hold that the employer owed no duty to the public regarding secondary asbestos exposure. No common law special relationship existed requiring the employer to protect the public from secondary asbestos exposure. Additionally, Plaintiffs/Appellants have identified no public policy giving rise to such a duty. Further, because we reject the duty framework contained in the Restatement (Third) of Torts: Liability for Physical and Emotional Harm ("Third Restatement"), we hold that no duty exists on that basis.

¶2 In reaching our decision today, we affirm Arizona's current duty framework in several key respects. First, duty is not presumed; in every negligence case, the plaintiff bears the burden of proving the existence of a duty. Second, pursuant to Gipson v. Kasey , 214 Ariz. 141 , 144 ¶ 15, 150 P.3d 228 , 231 (2007), foreseeability is not a factor in determining duty. Third, duty is based on either special relationships recognized by the common law or relationships created by public policy. Fourth, in the context of duty, the primary sources for identifying public policy are state and federal statutes. In the absence of such legislative guidance, duty may be based on the common law-specifically, case law or Restatement sections consistent with Arizona law.

BACKGROUND 1

¶3 Ernest V. Quiroz died in October 2014 from mesothelioma, a form of cancer associated with exposure to asbestos. Quiroz's surviving wife, children, and parents (collectively, "the Family") filed a lawsuit, alleging Defendants Reynolds Metal Company, Alcoa, Inc., and Reywest Development Company (collectively, "Reynolds") negligently caused his death. Specifically, the Family alleges that when Quiroz's father ("Father") was working at Reynolds' plant from 1948 until 1983, his clothes were contaminated with asbestos fibers. The Family contends that when Father came home from work, Quiroz, who lived with Father as a minor from 1952 to 1970, was exposed to the asbestos fibers on Father's clothes. The Family further contends this exposure eventually caused Quiroz's mesothelioma.

¶4 The Family asserts that Reynolds had a duty to protect Quiroz from exposure to take-home asbestos. They contend Reynolds breached this duty by failing to warn Father about the dangers of secondary asbestos exposure. The Family also alleges that Reynolds failed to provide safety equipment to Father and failed to take necessary safety measures to protect Quiroz from such exposure.

¶5 Reynolds filed a motion for summary judgment, asserting it owed no duty to Quiroz. The superior court granted Reynolds' motion, and the court of appeals affirmed. Quiroz v. ALCOA Inc. , 240 Ariz. 517 , 519 ¶ 1, 382 P.3d 75 , 77 (App. 2016).

¶6 We granted review because the Family raises two issues of statewide importance: (1) whether Reynolds owed a duty to Quiroz; and (2) whether Arizona should adopt the duty framework contained in the Third Restatement. We have jurisdiction pursuant to article 6, section 5(3), of the Arizona Constitution and A.R.S. § 12-120.24.

DISCUSSION

I.

¶7 To establish a defendant's liability for a negligence claim, a plaintiff must prove: (1) a duty requiring the defendant to conform to a certain standard of care; (2) breach of that standard; (3) a causal connection between the breach and the resulting injury; and (4) actual damages. Gipson , 214 Ariz. at 143 ¶ 9, 150 P.3d at 230 ; Markowitz v. Ariz. Parks Bd. , 146 Ariz. 352 , 356, 706 P.2d 364 , 370 (1985) ; Ontiveros v. Borak , 136 Ariz. 500 , 504, 667 P.2d 200 , 204 (1983). Whether a duty exists "is a legal matter to be determined before the case-specific facts are considered." Gipson , 214 Ariz. at 145 ¶ 21, 150 P.3d at 232 . As such, we review the existence of duty de novo as a matter of law. Id. at 143 ¶¶ 7, 9, 150 P.3d at 230 .

A. Foreseeability

¶8 Foreseeability is a concept that can be used in different ways to determine tort liability. For many years, Arizona, like most jurisdictions, used foreseeability as a factor in determining duty. A duty based on foreseeability exists when a defendant realizes or should realize that his conduct creates an unreasonable risk of harm to a "foreseeable plaintiff." Rossell v. Volkswagen of Am. , 147 Ariz. 160 , 164, 709 P.2d 517 , 521 (1985) ; Tucker v. Collar , 79 Ariz. 141 , 146, 285 P.2d 178 , 183 (1955), overruled on other grounds by Rosen v. Knaub

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Bluebook (online)
416 P.3d 824, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ernest-quiroz-et-ux-v-alcoa-inc-ariz-2018.