Hansbury v. National Grid (USA), Inc.

30 Mass. L. Rptr. 261
CourtMassachusetts Superior Court
DecidedJuly 23, 2012
DocketNo. WOCV201000640D
StatusPublished

This text of 30 Mass. L. Rptr. 261 (Hansbury v. National Grid (USA), Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Massachusetts Superior Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hansbury v. National Grid (USA), Inc., 30 Mass. L. Rptr. 261 (Mass. Ct. App. 2012).

Opinion

Wrenn, Daniel M., J.

National Grid has filed a motion for summary judgment, arguing that (1) Hansbury’s claims are barred by the Statute of Repose relating to actions of tort based on improvements to real property, (2) National Grid owed no duty of care to Hansbury, and (3) Hansbury’s claims are barred by the Recreational Use Statute. Summary judgment is a “device to make possible the prompt disposition of controversies on their [262]*262merits without a trial, if in essence there is no real dispute as to the salient facts or if only a question of law is involved." Cassesso v. Comm’r of Corr., 390 Mass. 419, 422 (1983). A party moving for summary judgment who does not bear the burden of proof at trial may demonstrate the absence of a genuine dispute of material fact for trial either by submitting affirmative evidence negating an essential element of the non-moving party’s case, or by showing that the non-moving party has no reasonable expectation of proving an essential element of its case at trial. See Flesner v. Technical Communications Corp., 410 Mass. 805, 809 (1991); Kourouvacilis v. General Motors Corp., 410 Mass. 706, 716 (1991). Aparty opposing summary judgment cannot successfully avoid summary judgment by merely raising “vague and general allegations of expected proof," see Community Nat’l Bank v. Dawes, 369 Mass. 550, 554 (1976), or “unsubstantiated speculation as to what future evidence might show.” See Hanover Ins. Co. v. Leeds, 42 Mass.App.Ct. 54, 60 n.6 (1997). Once the moving party has come forward with evidence demonstrating that there is no genuine issue of material fact, the burden shifts to the opposing party to present factual materials which are admissible at trial as evidence to support its claim or defense. See Community Nat’l Bank, 369 Mass. at 553. This is an affirmative burden and cannot be left to surmise, conjecture, or imagination. See Alhom v. Wareham, 371 Mass. 621, 626 (1976).

This court finds that the Defendant has successfully demonstrated the absence of a genuine dispute of material fact by showing that the plaintiff has no expectation of proving an essential element of his case at trial. See Flesner, 410 Mass. at 809; Kourouvacilis, 410 Mass. at 716. Both (1) the Massachusetts Statute of Repose relating to actions of tort based on improvements to real property, and (2) the absence of a duly of care, prevent Hansbuiy from proving his claims at trial. Therefore, summary judgment is entered in favor of the Defendant, National Grid (USA), Inc.

I. The Massachusetts Statute of Repose Bars the Plaintiff s Claims

The Massachusetts Statute of Repose, G.L.c. 260, §2B, bars any claim for negligence arising out of the design, construction, or general administration of improvements to real property that is not asserted within six years following the opening of the improvement or its substantial completion. See Klein v. Catalano, 386 Mass. 701, 702 (1982). The statute provides no specified “class of protected actors . . . [I]ts terms extend protection to persons allegedly responsible for acts, i.e., those who commit ‘any deficiency or neglect in the design, planning, construction, or general administration of an improvement to real property.’ ” See Dighton v. Fed. Pac. Elec. Co., 399 Mass. 687, 694 (1987) (quoting G.L.c. 260, §2B). The Defendant argues that the Plaintiffs claims are barred by the Statute of Repose because the Plaintiffs claims arise out of a deficiency or neglect in the design, construction, or general administration of the utility pole and the complaint was filed nearly thirteen years after the installation of the utility pole and support cable. The Plaintiff opposes the Defendant’s motion by characterizing his claims as negligent maintenance and negligent failure to warn, rather than negligent design or construction. The Plaintiff therefore argues that the Statute of Repose does not apply and that his claims are not time-barred because the duties to maintain and to warn constitute ongoing responsibilities of the Defendant.

A. The Plaintiffs Claims Arise Out of the Design or Construction of Utility Pole 5-1

Whether a defendant’s activities fall within the Statute of Repose is a question of law. See McDonough v. Marr-Scaffolding Co., 412 Mass. 636, 640 (1992). Once a defendant establishes that a complaint is putatively covered by the statute, the burden shifts to the plaintiff to show facts to the contrary. See McGuinness v. Cotter, 412 Mass. 617, 620 (1992). To support his argument that the Plaintiffs claims are covered by the Statute of Repose, the Defendant cites to Brown v. United States, 514 F.Sup.2d 146 (D.Mass. 2007). The facts of Brown closely parallel those of the instant case.

In Brown, the plaintiff suffered paralyzing injuries in 2002 after he lost control of his motorcycle while making a turn on a semi-rural public highway and struck a utility pole located along a curve in the road and situated inside a guardrail approximately thirteen inches from the roadway. See 514 F.Sup.2d at 148. Boston Edison installed the utility pole in 1964. Id., at 150. The guardrail was installed in 1990 by an unknown party. Id. In 2004, the plaintiff brought tort claims against Boston Edison alleging that the company was negligent in its siting and maintenance of the utility pole. See id., at 149, 152. Boston Edison moved for summary judgment pursuant to the Statute of Repose, G.L.c. 260, §2B and the court entered summary judgment in favor of the defendant on this ground. Id.

Just like Hansbury in the instant case, the plaintiff in Brown sought to avoid the application of the Statute of Repose by arguing that his claims did not arise from the “design, planning, construction or general administration” of the pole. Id., at 155. Rather, the plaintiff contended that “his claims [were] not based on improper placement of the pole, but on the dangerous condition that was created when the guardrail was installed in 1990,” and that the defendant’s negligence arose “from its failure to remedy the dangerous and ongoing condition caused by the erection of the guardrail alongside, and on the wrong side, of the pole.” Id. at 155-56 (internal quotations omitted). The plaintiff argued that Boston Edison’s negligence was attributed to their failure to remedy an after-arising “defect.” Id., at 156. Hansbuiy makes the same argument — that the Statute of Repose should not apply because National Grid’s negligence is not based on the design or construction of the pole or guy wire, but rather on “its failure to remedy the danger[263]*263ous and ongoing condition caused by the erection of the [bike path] alongside . . . the pole.” See id.

The Brown court ruled that the plaintiff could not escape the Statute of Repose with such an argument and that his claim was barred because far more than six years had passed since the erection of the utility pole. Id. The court held that the plaintiffs claim still arose from the “design, planning, construction or general administration” of the pole despite the plaintiffs argument that the defendant negligently failed to inspect and remedy the dangerous defect. See id. The court determined that a “defect” (an “imperfection or fault inherent to an object”) in thé utility pole itself could not be “created by the mere juxtaposition of two objects that are totally unrelated to one another,” like the pole and the guardrail. Id.,

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Bluebook (online)
30 Mass. L. Rptr. 261, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hansbury-v-national-grid-usa-inc-masssuperct-2012.