Rankin v. Shea

Opinion

f'NJ STATE OF MAINE SUPERIOR COURT CUMBERLAND, SS. CIVIL ACTION DOCKET NO. CUMSC-CV-15-64

JOSEPH RANKIN, ) ) Plaintiff, ) ) v. ) ORDER ON DEFENDANTS' MOTION ) FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT DOUGLAS W. SHEA, D.S. FOUNDATIONS, ) INC., CHASE SHEA, and ADRIEN BERRY ) STATEOF~lNE Cumhedand.1s. Cterk'i Offlce ) Defendants. ) SEP 08 2Di RECEfVED This matter comes before the Court on a motion for summary judgment filed by

Defendants Douglas W. Shea, D.S. Foundations & Son, Inc., and Chase Shea. For the

following reasons, the Shea Defendants' motion for summary judgment is granted in

toto.

I. FACTS

On April 15, 2011, Plaintiff Joseph Rankin was inspecting property in West

Baldwin, Maine owned by Liudas Normantus. (Pl.'s Compl.

authorized to be a caretaker of the property, the site of a former sawmill and waste

disposal facility, by Normantus's son, Vitas Normantus. (Id.) Rankin saw an

unauthorized pickup truck on the property, (Id. at '[ 7), and alleges that he believed it

was being used to illegally remove fixtures and equipment from the property. Id.

Rankin alleges that the truck had been driven onto Liudas Normantus's property

by Defendant Chase Shea. (Id. at '[ 10.) The truck was owned by D.S. Foundations &

Son, Inc. (Supp. S.M.F.

Liudas Normantus's property. (Pl.'s Response to Def.'s S.M.F. '[ 4.)

Page 1 of 8 Rankin used a shotgun to shoot holes into the truck's radiator in an attempt to

disable it. (Id. at CJI 17-19). The Defendants Douglas W. Shea (father of Chase), Chase,

and D.S. Foundations & Son, Inc. allege that Rankin also fired his shotgun towards

Chase and Josh, (Supp. S.M.F. CJI 11), and held Josh at gunpoint on the ground, (Id. at CJI

16). Rankin denies shooting towards Chase and Josh; (Pl.'s Response to Def.'s S.M.F. 1

12), or holding Josh on the ground at gunpoint, (Id . at '1[ 16).

Chase made a phone call to his cousin, Adrien Berry, who was subsequently

dropped off at Liudas Normantus's property by his grandmother. (Supp . S.M.F.

19.) Adrien got into the driver's seat of the truck, Chase got into the passenger's seat,

and Adrien drove the truck off the property. (Pl.'s Response to Def.'s S.M.F. <[ 19.)

Rankin alleges that as Adrien drove off the property, the truck struck a wood telephone

pole that had been placed on the property to prevent unauthorized entry. (Pl.'s Compl.

Rankin admits that he did not believe that Adrien or Chase intended to hit him. (Pl.' s

Response to Def.'s S.M.F.

events on April 15, 2011 prevented him from providing care and comfort to his dying

wife. (Pl.'s Compl.

Rankin filed a complaint against Douglas W. Shea, D.S. Foundations & Son, Inc.,

Chase Shea, and Adrien Berry on February 20, 2015 in five counts: (I) negligence as to

all the defendants related to the operation of the truck, (II) negligent entrustment of the

truck to Chase by Douglas, (III) knowingly permitting Chase to operate the truck on a

public way, (N) failure of Douglas to exercise reasonable control over Chase, and (V)

vicarious liability of Douglas and D.S. Foundations & Son, Inc., asserting that Chase

was operating the truck within the scope of his employment for them and was acting as

an agent for them at the time of Rankin's alleged injuries.

Page 2 of 8 Douglas and Chase argue they have no liability to Rankin, even though Douglas

did give Chase permission to drive the truck on April 15, 2011, (Supp. S.M.F. <1[ 7),

because it was Adrien and not Chase or Douglas who was driving the truck when

Rankin was injured, (D.'s Mot. Summ. J. 1), and because Douglas did not give Adrien

permission to drive the truck, (Supp. S.M.F. 1 20). Rankin alleges that Chase expressly

gave Adrien permission to drive the truck, (Pl.'s Response to Def.'s S.M.F. <[ 20,) and

that Chase retained control of the truck even though he was not driving, (Pl.'s Response

to Def.'s. Mot. Summ. J. 8).

The Defendants argue that neither Douglas, Chase, nor D.S. Foundations & Son,

Inc., is vicariously liable for any injuries to Rankin because Adrien was not an employee

or agent of any of them, (D.'s Mot. Summ. J. 2), that the truck was not on Liudas

Normantus's property for any work-related activity, (Supp. S.M.F. <[ 8), and that D.S.

Foundations & Son, Inc. was not in the business of scrapping, (Id.). Rankin argues that

Chase was employed by Douglas and D.S. Foundations ~ Son, Inc. on April 15, 2011,

working for Douglas on the days he did not attend school, (Pl.' s Response to Def.' s.

S.M.F. <[ 6), and that Chase gave Adrien permission to drive the truck, (Id. at <[ 20).

Rankin admits that on April 15, 2011 the truck was not on the Liudas Normantus

property for any work-related activity for D.S. Foundations & Son, Inc. and that D.S.

Foundations & Son, Inc. was not in the business of scrapping. (Id. at <[ 8.)

The Defendants argue that Plaintiff Rankin attempted to assert two additional

claims in his response to their motion for summary judgment that he should not be

allowed to raise during litigation: 1) that D.S. Foundations & Son, Inc., through its

treasurer, negligently entrusted the truck to Adrien, and 2) that Chase is liable for

Adrien's actions because Chase retained control of the truck but permitted Adrien to

drive it. (D.'s Reply Memo. Supp. Mot. Summ. J. § II(A)).

Page 3 of 8 II. STANDARD OF REVIEW

Summary judgment is appropriate if, based on the parties' statements of material

fact and the cited record, there is no genuine issue of material fact and the moving party is

entitled to judgment as a matter of law. M.R. Civ. P. 56(c); Dyer v. Dep't of Transp., 2008 ME

106, ,r 14, 951 A.2d 821. "A material fact is one that can affect the outcome of the case. A

genuine issue of material fact exists when the fact finder must choose between competing

versions of the truth." Dyer, 2008 ME 106, ,r 14, 951 A.2d 821 (internal citation and

quotation marks omitted). When deciding a motion for summary judgment, the court

reviews the evidence in the light most favorable to the non-moving party. Id.

If the moving party's motion for summary judgment is properly supported, the

burden shifts to the non-moving party to respond with specific facts indicating a genuine

issue for trial in order to avoid summary judgment. M.R. Civ. P. 56(e). When a defendant

moves for summary judgment, the plaintiff must respond with evidence establishing a

prima facie case for each element of their cause of action. Watt v. UniFirst Corp., 2009 ME

47, ,r 21, 969 A.2d 897 (internal citation and quotation marks omitted). The evidence

proffered by the plaintiff "need not be persuasive at that stage, but the evidence must be

sufficient to allow a fact-finder to make a factual determination without speculating."

Estate of Smith v. Cumberland Cnty., 2013 ME 13, ,r 19, 60 A.3d 759. If a plaintiff fails to

present sufficient evidence on the essential elements, then the defendant is entitled to a

summary judgment. Watt, 2009 ME 47, ,r 21, 969 A.2d 897.

If the party moving for summary judgment bears the burden of persuasion on the

claim or defense, then the moving party must establish the existence of each element of the

claim or defense without dispute as to any material fact in the record in order to obtain

Page 4 of 8 summary judgment. Cach, LLC v. Kulas, 2011 ME 70, ,r 9, 21 A.3d 1015. The non-moving

plaintiff must then respond with specific facts indicating a genuine issue for trial in order to

avoid summary judgment. M.R. Civ. P. 56(e).

. III. ANALYSIS

1. Count 1 - Negligence (All Defendants)

It is undisputed that neither Chase nor Douglas was driving the vehicle at the

time of Rankin's injury. As such, and at a minimum, Plaintiff fails to establish a prima

facie case that Rankin's injuries were proximately caused by any of the Shea

Defendants. It is unclear as to what legal duty a mere occupant of a vehicle owes to a

person injured by the driver's alleged negligence. The ques~ion is more vexing when

one considers what duty would be owed to Rankin by Douglas or D.S. Foundations &

Son, Inc., or by Douglas who was not even at the scene of the accident when it occurred.

During arguments, Plaintiff's counsel suggested that Maine tort jurisprudence does not

distinguish between occupant and operator of a motor vehicle for purposes of tort

liability. This Court is not acquainted with any such authority.

2. Count 2- Negligent Entrustrnent (Douglas and D.S. Foundations)

Negligent entrustrnent requires plaintiff to establish a prima facie case that a

driver was incompetent, inexperienced, or reckless and the defendant knew it or had

reason to know; the defendant nevertheless entrusted a vehicle to the river; doing so

generated an appreciable risk of harm_to the plaintiff, giving rise to a relational duty on

the part of the defendant; and the injuries were proximately caused by the negligent

entrustment. Roussel v. Lucas, 2007 WL 1576741 (Me. Super. Ct.).

There is no record evidence to support any element of the negligent entrustrnent

claim. Plaintiff admits that the truck was not on the property being used for the

Page 5 of 8 business of D.S. FoW1dations. None of the Shea Defendants was operating the truck at

the time .the injury occurred. There is nothing in the record to support the notion that

Chase (who was not driving the truck at the time of the injury) was incompetent,

inexperienced or a reckless driver. The only offering by Plaintiff was that Chase had a

driving violation shortly after becoming licensed. Beyond that Plaintiff attempts to

argue that Chase's general rebellious nature and failure to apprise his parents of his

whereabouts with the company vehicle satisfy the elements of the tort to defeat the

motion. This argument is unavailing. A single traffic violation cannot possibly satisfy

the "incompetent, inexperienced, or reckless" requirement. Should there be any doubt

that is true, the tort requires that in entrusting the vehicle to the driver, the defendant

created a substantial risk of harm to the plaintiff. Even in a scenario in which Chase

was driving the vehicle at the time of the injury, there is no evidence that his father

allowing him to drive the vehicle with the knowledge, actual or imputed, that he had a

single driving violation is prima fade evidence of causing a substantial risk to Plaintiff.

Plaintiff attempts to generalize this tort beyond the operation of a motor vehicle

to include all indida of poor character. First, it is far from clear that even if this was a

correct statement of the law that Plaintiff would have satisfied a prima fade showing

that the element of incompetence, inexperience, and recklessness is satisfied. More self­

evidently true, however, is that the tort is tailored to the risk created by entrusting a

motor vehicle to a driver whose driving is known or should be known to be any one of

those things.

3. Count 3 - Violation of 29-A M.R.S. § 1651 (Douglas and D.S. Foundations).

The stah1te establishes joint liability of an owner of a vehicle who knowingly

permits a minor to operate that owner's vehicle on a public way, if that minor causes

damages as a result of that minor's negligence while operating the motor vehicle.

Page 6 of 8 Without reaching the issue of whether the truck was being operated on a public way at

the time, Chase was not operating the motor vehicle and therefore did not cause

Plaintiff's injuries.

4. Count 4 - Negligent failure to control a minor (Douglas )

The tort requires a showing that a parent must exercise control over his minor

child if he knows or should know of the reason and the necessity to control that parent's

child. Merchant v. Mansir, 572 A.2d 493, 494 (Me. 1990). There is nothing in the record

which would suggest a specific tendency of Chase which otherwise would require

Douglas to exercise control over him. Even if the Court were to accept the rather benign

argument that Chase is somewhat rebellious and does not fastidiously let his parents

know of his whereabouts, that has little to do whether he was a poor driver. Even if

there was evidence that Chase was a poor driver, that could not possibly affix tort

liability to Douglas when Chase did·not cause Plaintiff's injuries by virtue of the

tu1disputed fact that he was not driving the truck at the time.

5. Cotu1t 5 - Vicarious liability (Douglas and D.S. Foundations)

Plaintiff admitted that Chase was not acting in the course and scope of his

employment at the time of the accident, which substantially undermines any claim of

vicarious liability. More elementally true is the fact that there has been no prima facie

evidence that Chase has any liability to Plaintiff as he was not operating the vehicle at

the time the injury occurred.

6. Addendum claims

Plaintiff attempted to assert theories of legal liability, which were not pled. The

Court declines to address claims not properly pled other than to note that such

alternative theories of liability would fail for substantially the same reasons articulated

herein. Moreover, whether Chase expressly gave permission to Berry to drive the truck

Page 7 of 8 would not have altered the outcome with respect to the Shea Defendants. The Court

addresses this argument because it might reasonably apply to the claims that were

actually pled.

Plaintiff cites a litany of insurance coverage cases that interpret the so-called

permissive use exclusion. Plaintiff contends that this analysis should be useful to the

court in analyzing tort liability. Those cases involve an analysis of contractual language

contained in homeowner's and automobile insurance policies granting a named insured

and other other insureds by definition certain liability coverage for injuries caused by

one's negligence. The forh1ity that Chase may or may not have granted permission to

Berry does not obviate the yawning deficiencies in Plaintiff's claims against the Shea

Defendants. Reference to the Craig v. Barnes line of cases that evaluate whether the

operator of a motor vehicle had a reasonable belief that he was entitled to use the

vehicle from the named insured or from any other person given unlimited permission

to use the vehicle from the named insured, is of no analytical value to any tort claim in

this case.

Shea Defendants' motion for summary judgment is granted.

The Clerk is directed to enter this Order on Defendants' Motion for Summary Judgment upon

the civil docket by reference pursuant to Rule 79(a) of the Maine Rules of Civil

Procedure.

Date: September 8, 2016

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