Kerns Ex Rel. Kerns v. G.A.C., Inc.

875 P.2d 949, 255 Kan. 264, 1994 Kan. LEXIS 95
CourtSupreme Court of Kansas
DecidedMay 27, 1994
Docket68,405
StatusPublished
Cited by75 cases

This text of 875 P.2d 949 (Kerns Ex Rel. Kerns v. G.A.C., Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Kansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Kerns Ex Rel. Kerns v. G.A.C., Inc., 875 P.2d 949, 255 Kan. 264, 1994 Kan. LEXIS 95 (kan 1994).

Opinions

The opinion of the court was delivered by

Lockett, J.:

Plaintiff Aaron Kerns, a six-year-old child, fell into a closed swimming pool at Green Acres Mobile Home Park (the park) and nearly drowned, sustaining serious injuries. Through his father, he sued, alleging negligence by the operators of the park, the corporation that owned the park, and the fabricator and installer of the fence that surrounded the pool. The operators and the fence company were granted summary judgment prior to trial. The jury found the corporate defendant 2% negligent, the father 68% negligent, and the child 30% negligent. Plaintiff appeals, claiming that the trial court erred in (1) granting summary judgment for the operators of the park and the fence company, (2) admitting evidence of collateral source benefits into evidence, and (3) not granting a new trial based on the jury’s award of only $100 for noneconomic damages. The corporation cross-appeals the trial court’s failure to grant its motions for summary judgment and directed verdict. The case was transferred to this court pursuant to K.S.A. 20-3018(c).

Aaron, who was in first grade, lived with his father, Samuel Kerns, at the park for several years prior to the incident. G.A.C., Inc., is the corporation that owns and operates the park. Harold and Ena Orindgreff are two of the three shareholders for G.A.C. and officers of the corporation; they supervised the management of the park on a daily basis. The only other corporate shareholder is the Orindgreffs’ son. Irene Michaelis was the on-site manager [267]*267for the park. A resident of the park, Alva Oiler, was hired by G.A.C. to maintain the pool.

The offices of G.A.C. were at the entrance of the park and provided a clear view of the swimming pool. The pool had a five-foot tall chain link fence with mesh measuring between two and three inches wide that had been installed by American Fence Company (American). The safety equipment for the pool was stored in a locked shed. The pool was open only during the summer months. The pool was closed at the time of the incident and had been pumped dry at the close of the previous season. When water from precipitation accumulated in the pool in the off season, one of the Orindgreffs would instruct Oiler to pump it out. On the day of the incident there was an accumulation of three to four feet of murky water, algae, and leaves in the pool that made the bottom and sides of the pool slippery.

On April 22, 1990, Aaron and a friend, Chris Dreher, were playing in an open grassy area next to the pool. Aaron threw his baseball cap into the air, and it went over the fence and landed in the pool. Aaron climbed the fence and entered the pool to retrieve his cap. Chris, who had also climbed the fence, saw Aaron go under the water. Chris went for help and eventually two adults, Jim Kennedy and Chris’ mother, Ruth Dreher, entered the pool area to rescue Aaron. They were initially unable to find Aaron beneath the dark, murky water.

A shepherd’s crook was obtained from the storage shed and used to locate Aaron. Kennedy retrieved Aaron from the pool. Kennedy and Samuel Kerns attempted to resuscitate Aaron. Emergency medical service personnel transported Aaron to the hospital. Aaron suffered injuries which resulted in his being severely disabled. Aaron will never be able to walk, talk, or function independently.

Prior to trial, the district judge granted American’s' and the Orindgreffs’ motion for summary judgment. The jury subsequently found (1) G.A.C.’s maintenance of the pool was not wanton or reckless, (2) G.A.C.’s maintenance did violate a city ordinance and that violation contributed to Aaron’s injuries, and (3) Aaron was not entitled to recover under an attractive nuisance [268]*268theory. The jury awarded Aaron past and future medical expenses totalling $870,243, $670,609 in loss of future income, and $100 for noneconomic damages. The jury determined Aaron could be expected to receive $528,732 in net collateral source benefits from an insurance policy.

Additional facts will be discussed in the analysis of the issues.

STANDARD OF REVIEW

The burden on the party seeking summary judgment is a strict one. The trial court is required to resolve all facts and inferences which may reasonably be drawn from the evidence in favor of the party against whom the ruling is sought. Summary judgment is appropriate when the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions on file, together with the affidavits, if any, show that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. When opposing a motion for summary judgment, an adverse party must come forward with evidence to establish a dispute as to a material fact. In order to preclude summary judgment, the facts subject to the dispute must be material to the conclusive issues in the case. On appeal we apply the same rule, and where we find reasonable minds could differ as to the conclusions drawn from the evidence, summary judgment must be denied. Hurlbut v. Conoco, Inc., 253 Kan. 515, 519-20, 856 P.2d 1313 (1993).

DID K.S.A. 1993 SUPP. 60-513(b) BAR THE ACTION?

A statute of repose limits the time during which a cause of action can arise and usually runs from an act of the alleged tortfeasor. A statute of repose abolishes the cause of action after the passage of time, even though the cause of action may not have yet accrued. By contrast, a statute of limitations extinguishes the right to prosecute an accrued cause of action after a period of time. K.S.A. 1993 Supp. 60-513 contains both a statute of limitations, subsection (a), and a statute of repose, subsection (b). Harding v. K.C. Wall Products, Inc., 250 Kan. 655, 669, 831 P.2d 958 (1992).

Prior to trial, American moved for summary judgment, claiming (1) the city ordinance was not violated, (2) if it was violated it [269]*269only applied to the owner or operator of a pool and not to American, (3) the pool was not an attractive nuisance, (4) Aaron was a trespasser at the time of the accident, and (5) since more than 10 years had passed since it had installed the fence, plaintiff’s action was barred by the statute of repose, K.S.A. 1993 Supp. 60-513(b). The district court ruled K.S.A. 1993 Supp. 60-513(b) barred plaintiff’s’ claim against American because the suit was filed more than 10 years after the last wrongful act, i.e., the installation of the fence by American. The court also determined that American, which had fabricated and installed the fence in 1968 or 1969, had no continuing duty to warn of a defect in the fence based on information published in 1987. The district court then stated the duty to warn the plaintiff was not retroactive, but if new information came to light, there would be a duty to warn new and future customers.

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Bluebook (online)
875 P.2d 949, 255 Kan. 264, 1994 Kan. LEXIS 95, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kerns-ex-rel-kerns-v-gac-inc-kan-1994.