Kuntz v. Lamar Corp.

385 F.3d 1177, 2004 WL 2125950
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
DecidedSeptember 24, 2004
DocketNos. 03-35032, 03-35065
StatusPublished
Cited by119 cases

This text of 385 F.3d 1177 (Kuntz v. Lamar Corp.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Kuntz v. Lamar Corp., 385 F.3d 1177, 2004 WL 2125950 (9th Cir. 2004).

Opinion

CANBY, Circuit Judge:

This is an appeal from a judgment entered upon a jury verdict in a personal injury action. Plaintiff James J. Kuntz was severely injured when a metal rod he was removing from a billboard came in contact with an electric transmission line operated by defendant Kootenai Electric Cooperative, Inc. A year before the accident, the Cooperative had moved the transmission line to within eight feet of the billboard. Kuntz -sued in district court, asserting jurisdiction based on. diversity of citizenship. See 28 U.S.C. 1332(a),(c)(1). The jury awarded substantial damages against the Cooperative and the company that had engaged Kuntz to work on the billboard, Lamar Corporation (“Lamar”).

The Cooperative appeals, contending that the district court lacked jurisdiction over the action because the Cooperative, although incorporated, should be treated as a partnership or unincorporated association for purposes of diversity of citizenship. Because some of its members are citizens of Washington, as is Kuntz, the Cooperative claims that complete diversity of citizenship is lacking. Alternatively, the Cooperative contends that it enjoys sovereign immunity as a federal instrumentality. Finally, it challenges the denial of its motion for judgment as a matter of law on the question of liability for willful or reckless conduct. Kuntz and his .family (hereinafter “Kuntz”) cross-appeal, contending that the district court erred in denying them leave to amend the complaint to add a claim for punitive damages. We have jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1291 and we affirm the judgment of the district court in all respects.

I. BACKGROUND

At the time of the events in issue, Kuntz was an independent contractor in the business of removing and replacing advertising placards on billboards. He contracted with Lamar to change its billboards, including the billboard located on the .east [1180]*1180side of Highway 95 in Athol, Idaho. This billboard had a vinyl sign that was secured by 14 metal rods.

The Cooperative is a cooperative marketing association organized to generate and distribute electric power to its members. The Cooperative is incorporated in the State of Idaho and has its principal place of business there. It owned and operated the high voltage power line, known as the Chilco line, involved in the accident. About one year before the accident, the Cooperative reconstructed the Chilco line, changing from 40-foot poles with one cross-arm and three conductors, to 50-foot poles with two cross-arms and six conductors. After the reconstruction project was completed, the conductor nearest to the billboard was eight feet from the billboard.1 The Cooperative did not warn Lamar or Kuntz that a conductor was closer to the billboard than before the reconstruction, and undertook no protective measures. The eight-foot distance met the minimum seven-and-one-half-foot clearance requirements of the National Electric Safety Code (“NESC”),2 although the Cooperative did not actually measure the clearance distance between the line and the billboard until after the accident. The Idaho High Voltage Act, however, places a duty on contractors who intend to work within ten feet of a high voltage line to notify the utility so that protective measures can be taken. IDAHO CODE §§ 55-2401 — 55-2405.3 Kuntz’s contractor, Lamar, did not give such notice to the Cooperative.

Unless danger against contact with high voltage overhead lines has been effectively guarded against as provided in section 55-2403 ... a contractor ... shall not ... [pjerform or require any other person to perform any function or activity upon any land, building, highway, waterway or other premises if at any time during the performance of such function or activity it is possible that the contractor ... or any part of any tool or material used by the contractor ... could move or be placed or brought closer to any high voltage overhead line than ... ten (10) feet of clearance.

IDAHO CODE § 55-2402. It further provides:

If any contractor desires to temporarily carry on any function, activity, work or operation in closer proximity to any high voltage overhead line than permitted in this chapter, or in such proximity that the function, activity, work or operation could possibly come within closer proximity than permitted in this chapter, the contractor responsible for performing the work shall promptly notify the public utility owning or operating the high voltage overhead line in writing.

IDAHO CODE § 55-2403(1).

When Kuntz was changing the sign on the billboard, the ten-foot metal rod that he was reinstalling either touched the high voltage power line or came close enough to cause electricity to arc. The force of the electrical shock knocked Kuntz from the catwalk to the ground 40 feet below. He suffered severe electrical and traumatic injuries.

Kuntz filed a personal injury action in the Eastern District of Washington against [1181]*1181Lamar and the Cooperative, alleging negligence on the part of both defendants. He also alleged reckless misconduct by both defendants, proof of which avoids the $400,000 cap on non-economic damages imposed by Idaho law. See IDAHO CODE § 6-1603 (Michie 2000).4 Shortly before trial, Kuntz filed a motion to amend the complaint in order to assert a claim for punitive damages. The district court denied the motion to amend.

The case was tried to a jury. At the close of evidence, the Cooperative moved for judgment as a matter of law on the issue of recklessness. The court denied the motion. The jury awarded Kuntz $19,931,504 in damages and apportioned 12% of the fault to Kuntz, 38% to Lamar, and 50% to the Cooperative. The Cooperative renewed its motion for judgment as a matter of law, and the court again denied the motion.

The Cooperative appeals,5 arguing that the district court lacked subject matter jurisdiction because there was no complete diversity of citizenship, and that the district court erred in denying its motion for judgment as a matter of law on the issue of willful or reckless conduct. In its reply brief, the Cooperative adds a contention that it is entitled to sovereign immunity as a federal instrumentality. Kuntz cross-appeals the district court’s denial of his motion to amend the pleadings in order to add a prayer for punitive damages.

II. DISCUSSION

A. Subject Matter Jurisdiction6

The Cooperative raises the issue of subject matter jurisdiction for the first time on appeal. For- most issues, that would be too late, but challenges to a federal court’s subject matter jurisdiction cannot be waived and may. be raised at any time. See United States v. Cotton, 535 U.S. 625, 630, 122 S.Ct. 1781, 152 L.Ed.2d 860 (2002); Miguel v. Country Funding Corp., 309 F.3d 1161, 1163-64 (9th Cir.2002). We therefore address the Cooperative’s argument.

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385 F.3d 1177, 2004 WL 2125950, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kuntz-v-lamar-corp-ca9-2004.