Gilmore v. Concerned Parents of Pueblo

28 P.3d 963, 2000 Colo. J. C.A.R. 5914, 2000 Colo. App. LEXIS 1874, 2000 WL 1593305
CourtColorado Court of Appeals
DecidedOctober 26, 2000
DocketNo. 99CA1164
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 28 P.3d 963 (Gilmore v. Concerned Parents of Pueblo) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Colorado Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Gilmore v. Concerned Parents of Pueblo, 28 P.3d 963, 2000 Colo. J. C.A.R. 5914, 2000 Colo. App. LEXIS 1874, 2000 WL 1593305 (Colo. Ct. App. 2000).

Opinion

Opinion by

Judge NIETO.

In this action seeking recovery for personal injuries sustained by their minor child, plaintiffs, Michael and Sheila Gilmore, as guardians of Brian Gilmore (the child), appeal the summary judgment entered in favor of defendant, Concerned Parents of Pueblo. We reverse and remand for further proceedings.

In 1996, the child was the subject of a juvenile delinquency petition. Pursuant to a dispositional agreement, prosecutors agreed that the delinquency petition would be dismissed if the child successfully completed a Detentional Alternative Program. A district court magistrate ordered the child to participate in the program for 90 days and also ordered him to complete an additional 50 hours of public service through the Juvenile Offenders Redirection Program (JORP). [964]*964The JORP was a program run by defendant, a non-profit organization.

Shortly thereafter, the child and several other youths were assigned to a JORP work crew to clean an arroyo near Pueblo, Colorado. Because the child presented a behavioral problem, a JORP supervisor ordered him to remain in or near a van used to transport the youths to the site. The van contained canisters of gasoline for the power equipment used for the job. According to the complaint, the child suffered severe burns after his pant leg became soaked in gasoline and ignited.

Plaintiffs commenced this action asserting that defendant was negligent in its operation of the program and in its supervision of the child and that this negligence proximately caused the child's injuries.

Defendant filed a motion to dismiss arguing that it was entitled to immunity both because it was a volunteer organization under § 18-21-116(2.5), C.R.S.2000, and because it was a facility providing non-residential services to adjudicated juveniles under § 19-2-404, C.R.S.2000.

Because defendant's motion incorporated materials outside the pleadings, the trial court treated it as a motion for summary judgment. The trial court then dismissed the action after concluding that defendant's actions fell within the coverage of § 18-21-116(2.5). The trial court did not specifically address whether defendant was also entitled to immunity under § 19-2404.

L.

Plaintiffs contend that the trial court erred in dismissing the action based on the immunity provisions set forth in § 18-21-116(2.5). We agree.

Initially, we note that summary judgment is appropriate only if the pleadings, affidavits, depositions, or admissions establish that there is no genuine issue of material fact and that the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. CR.CP. 56(c); Cung La v. State Farm Automobile Insurance Co., 830 P.2d 1007 (Colo.1992). The moving party has the burden of establishing the nonexistence of a genuine issue of material fact. If the moving party meets that burden, the burden then shifts to the nonmoving party to demonstrate that there is a triable issue of fact. Continental Air Lines, Inc. v. Keenan, 731 P.2d 708 (Colo.1987).

It is undisputed that defendant is a nonprofit corporation. Section 18-21-116(2.5)(a), C.R.8.2000, provides a non-profit corporation immunity from liability under certain cireum-stances. It states:

No person who performs a service or an act of assistance, without compensation or expectation of compensation, as a leader, assistant, teacher, coach, or trainer for any program, organization, association, service group, educational, social, or recreational group, or nonprofit corporation serving young persons or providing sporting programs or activities for young persons shall be held liable for actions taken or omissions made in the performance of his duties except for wanton and willful acts or omissions .... (emphasis added)

For purposes of that section, § 18-21-116(4), C.R.S.2000, defines "person" to mean "an individual, corporation, partnership, or association."

In its summary judgment motion, defendant included an affidavit from the president of its board of directors, who indicated that defendant is a non-profit corporation organized exclusively for charitable and educational purposes, including to foster and encourage a cooperative community effort to address the problems facing young people of Pueblo, Colorado. He also stated that defendant operated the JORP program, "which was designed to provide juvenile offenders with goal-directed, meaningful, productive activities ... while also providing restitution and useful public service as deterrents to juvenile crime."

The president's affidavit indicated that defendant's ten board members, three office staff workers, and approximately fifteen regular volunteers were not compensated for their time and labor. However, he did acknowledge that defendant had one paid employee (the supervisor in charge of the JORP program) and also paid a bookkeeper.

He further indicated that although defendant did receive "state grant money" for the operation of JORP, this money was used [965]*965merely as reimbursement for expenses incurred in purchasing JORP supplies and paying the salary of the JORP supervisor and bookkeeper. His affidavit also stated that defendant did not generate a profit from the JORP activities.

In their response, plaintiffs attached an affidavit from the coordinator of the local Juvenile Services Board (Board). She indicated that, during 1996 and 1997, she was coordinator for the Board and that she solicited bids from various private agencies and community service organizations to provide services in implementing alternative juvenile dispositional options. She stated that the Board ultimately accepted a bid submitted by defendant and that defendant was offered and accepted a contract under which it was to receive payment of $59,990. She further indicated that defendant was ultimately paid a total of $49,979.68 before the contract was terminated.

The coordinator also stated that defendant "did perform its obligations under the contract terms and was paid for its services as agreed" and that to the best of her knowledge, the money paid to defendant was not a grant but rather was compensation for services rendered.

In our view, the issue of defendant's entitlement to immunity under § 13-21-116(2.5) depends upon the meaning of the word "compensation" used in that section. In construing statutory provisions, a reviewing court must attempt to give effect to the intent of the General Assembly and must afford the statutory terms their plain and ordinary meaning. Swieckowski v. City of Fort Collins, 934 P.2d 1380 (Colo.1997); Cordova v. Pueblo West Metropolitan District, 986 P.2d 976 (Colo.App.1998).

The term "compensation" is defined as "something given or received as an equivalent for services," see Random House Webster's College Dictionary 276 (1991), or as "[riemuneration and other benefits received in return for services rendered." See Black's Law Dictionary 277 (7th ed.1999); Denver Local 2-477, Oil, Chemical & Atomic Workers' International Union v.

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Related

Concerned Parents of Pueblo, Inc. v. Gilmore
47 P.3d 311 (Supreme Court of Colorado, 2002)

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28 P.3d 963, 2000 Colo. J. C.A.R. 5914, 2000 Colo. App. LEXIS 1874, 2000 WL 1593305, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gilmore-v-concerned-parents-of-pueblo-coloctapp-2000.