Murphy v. Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority

6 Am. Tribal Law 580, 3 G.D.R. 11
CourtMohegan Gaming Disputes Trial Court
DecidedMarch 7, 2006
DocketNo. GDTC-T-04-116-TBW
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 6 Am. Tribal Law 580 (Murphy v. Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Mohegan Gaming Disputes Trial Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Murphy v. Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority, 6 Am. Tribal Law 580, 3 G.D.R. 11 (Mo. 2006).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OF DECISION ON DEFENDANT, PLAN “B”, MOTION TO STRIKE

WILSON, Judge.

The Plaintiffs second amended complaint sets forth four counts against three separate Defendants. The Plaintiff alleges that on November 22, 2003 he was a patron at the Mohegan Sun Casino, a gaming facility under the control of the Defendant, Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority (MTGA), an entity of the Mohegan Tribe of Indians of Connecticut. He alleges that on that date he was descending an escalator located in the casino when he was caused to fall off the escalator. The Plaintiff sustained grievous personal injuries.

In Count One against the Defendant MTGA, the Plaintiff alleges various acts of negligence against the Defendant MTGA, whieh the said Defendant denies. That count is not involved in the Motion before the Court.

Count Two addressed claims against the Defendant Otis Elevator Company. On June 14, 2005, Summary Judgment was entered in favor of the Defendant Otis. Murphy v. MTGA, 2 G.D.R. 129, 6 Am. Tribal Law 531, 2005 WL 6239000 (2005).

Count Three is against the Defendant Plan “B”, LLC, and alleges that the said Defendant owned and operated a restaurant known as “Lucky’s”; a bar known as the “Dubliner”; and a night club known as “Club Ultra 88”; all located within the Mohegan Sun Resort. The Plaintiff alleges that he was a patron at these establishments on the date in question and that between 8:00—10:30 p.m. the Defendant served the Plaintiff alcohol and continued to serve the Plaintiff alcohol even with reckless disregard when the Plaintiff was intoxicated. He further alleges that at about 10:30 p.m. he attempted to exit the casino and was descending the escalator located in the casino when he was caused to fall off the escalator, sustaining injuries. He alleges that his injuries were caused by the Defendant Plan “B’s” recklessness in that it “continued to serve the Plaintiff alcohol after the Plaintiff was intoxicated.”

Count Four, also as to Plan “B”, alleges that the Plaintiffs injuries were caused by the negligence of Plan “B” in serving the Plaintiff alcohol “when a reasonably prudent person would have or should have known that the Plaintiff was intoxicated.” The Plaintiff alleged ten specifications of negligence against Plan “B”.

The Defendant Plan “B” moved to strike the Plaintiffs complaint. The Defendant did not with particularity specify which counts of the complaint it was moving to strike. The motion and memorandum of [582]*582law in support of the motion addresses only the negligence count, and as to it, it argues only that the Connecticut Dram Shop Act, Conn. Gen.Stat. § 30-102 pre-eludes the Plaintiffs action. The Defendant argues that the Dram Shop Act is the “exclusive remedy in actions arising out of service of alcohol to an alleged tortfeasor ...”; and that under it the Plaintiff’s claim is barred.

The Plaintiffs objection to the Motion to Strike correctly points out that the Defendant’s Motion and Memorandum of Law extend only to Count Four of the Plaintiffs Complaint. The Plaintiffs objection therefore addresses the Motion only as applying to that count.

For the following reasons, the court grants the Motion to Strike Count Four and denies the Motion insofar as it may be construed to apply to Count Three.

COUNT FOUR

DRAM SHOP ACT

The Defendant Plan “B” bases its entire argument on the Connecticut Dram Shop Act, so called, Conn. Gen.Stat. § 30-102, as amended by Public Act 03-91. This argument misconstrues the reach of the Act, which applies by its terms only to a civil action, created by the Act, brought by the Plaintiff (a third party) injured by an intoxicated tortfeasor, to whom the alcohol was sold by the Defendant. It does not apply to actions brought by the intoxicated person himself against the seller of alcohol, as is the case here. That is, it applies to the sale of alcohol to an intoxicated person who, “in consequence of such intoxication, thereafter injures the person or property of another .-... ” C.G.S. § 30-102 (emphasis added). Here, however, the Plaintiff alleges that the Defendant-—tort-feasor caused the injury to the intoxicated person by continuing to sell him alcohol when he knew or should have known thal the Plaintiff was intoxicated.

The Dram Shop Act imposes liability or the seller without proof of negligence on the seller’s part, and without proof of a casual connection between the sale and the injury—the only proof of causation required is between the intoxication and the injury. The quid pro quos of this strict liability are a cap on damages, a stria notice requirement, and rigid time limits.

To avoid these onerous quid pro quos (and therefore forgoing the advantages of the strict liability of the statutes) some third party victims have brought common law claims requiring proof of negligence and proximate cause; Craig v. Driscoll, 262 Conn. 312, 813 A.2d 1003 (2003); after the Connecticut Supreme Court recognized the existence of such a cause of action in Craig v. Driscoll, the Connecticut General Assembly purported to abolish such cause of action by adding the following sentence to the Dram Shop Act: “Such injured person shall have no cause of action against such seller for negligence in the sale of alcoholic liquor to a person twenty-one years of age or older” P.A. 03-910. The term “such injured person” relates back to the Plaintiff (third party) injured by the intoxicated person. It does not address, and therefore neither permits nor precludes, common law claims brought by the intoxicated person against the seller. The Court is not aware of any statutory provisions addressed to the issues raised by the facts alleged in the case. The Defendant Plan “B’s” reliance on the Dram Shop Aci is, therefore, misplaced.

COMMON LAW NEGLIGENCE

This case, rather, is a common law negligence claim of the type thoroughly considered by this court (Guernsey, C.J.in Drysdale v. MTGA, 2 G.D.R. 17, 4 Am. Tribal Law 562, 2003 WL 25795206 (2003 >. [583]*583That case, like this, was a common law negligence action brought by the intoxicated person against the seller of the alcoholic beverage.1

As to the negligence claims the Court noted that Connecticut law does not allow claims by intoxicated persons for injuries to themselves. Nolan v. Morelli, 154 Conn. 432, 226 A.2d 383 (1967). The Court then held that “while it has the authority to develop Mohegan common law independent of the Connecticut Supreme Court’s development of Connecticut common law, the extension of common law liability so as to allow an intoxicated person to recover damages for the negligent sale of alcohol to him involves social policy considerations that are considerably different from those set forth in Craig v. Driscoll, and as such is best reserved for legislative, rather than judicial, consideration.” 2 G.D.R. at 18, 4 Am. Tribal Law at 564, 2003 WL 25795206, ⅜2.

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Related

Murphy v. Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority
6 Am. Tribal Law 584 (Mohegan Gaming Disputes Trial Court, 2006)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
6 Am. Tribal Law 580, 3 G.D.R. 11, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/murphy-v-mohegan-tribal-gaming-authority-mohegangct-2006.