Sandage v. BOARD OF COM'RS OF VANDERBURGH

897 N.E.2d 507
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedDecember 5, 2008
Docket82A01-0807-CV-331
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 897 N.E.2d 507 (Sandage v. BOARD OF COM'RS OF VANDERBURGH) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Sandage v. BOARD OF COM'RS OF VANDERBURGH, 897 N.E.2d 507 (Ind. Ct. App. 2008).

Opinion

897 N.E.2d 507 (2008)

Christine SANDAGE and Arthur Shofner, Individually and as Personal Representative of the Supervised Estate of Sheena Sandage-Shofner, Deceased, and Christine Sandage, individually and as Personal Representative of the Supervised Estate of Alfonzo Small, Deceased, Appellants-Plaintiffs,
v.
The BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS OF VANDERBURGH COUNTY, Indiana, The Vanderburgh County Sheriff's Department, and Porter's Parking Area Maintenance, LLC., Appellees-Defendants.

No. 82A01-0807-CV-331.

Court of Appeals of Indiana.

December 5, 2008.

*508 Fred Schultz, Greene & Schultz, Bloomington, IN, Attorney for Appellants.

Mark D. Gerth, Kightlinger & Gray, Indianapolis, IN, Attorney for Appellees.

OPINION

BROWN, Judge.

Christian Sandage and Arthur Shofner, individually and as personal representative *509 of the supervised estate of Sheena Sandage-Shofner, deceased, and Christine Sandage, individually and as personal representative of the supervised estate of Alfonzo Small, deceased, (collectively, "Appellants") appeal the trial court's grant of summary judgment to Porter's Parking Area Maintenance, LLC ("Porter's Parking"). The Appellants raise three issues, which we consolidate and restate as whether the trial court erred by granting the motion for summary judgment filed by Porter's Parking. We affirm.

The relevant facts designated by the parties follow. In 2004, Travis Moore was serving a four year sentence for robbery through Vanderburgh County Community Corrections.[1] Moore was eligible to participate in the work release program, and, around October of 2004, Porter's Parking hired Moore to clean parking lots. Moore's father, Roderick Moore, who also worked for Porter's Parking, informed Gregory Porter, one of the owners of Porter's Parking, that Moore had been incarcerated for robbery but assured him that he would make a good employee.

In January 2005, as a result of a drug screen administered by the Vanderburgh County Community Corrections facility, Moore tested positive for THC and methamphetamine. On February 2, 2005, a petition for revocation was filed against Moore citing the results of his drug screen and alleging, in addition, that he had over three hours of unaccountable time on January 30, 2005. Moore was placed in Vanderburgh County Jail until February 18, 2005, when he resumed working for Porter's Parking. Roderick Moore informed Gregory Porter that Moore had tested positive for THC.

On the evening of April 21, 2005, Moore drove himself to Porter's Parking to report for his shift at 8:00 p.m. Moore and another employee of Porter's Parking worked from 8:00 p.m. until around 2:00 a.m. cleaning parking lots throughout the Evansville area. According to the other employee, Moore seemed "pleasant and normal" while working that night. Appellants' Appendix at 214. Afterwards, instead of driving himself back to the Vanderburgh County Correctional Center, as required by the terms of his work release program, Moore drove to the apartment of Sheena Sandage-Shofner, broke into the apartment, and shot and killed Sandage-Shofner, *510 Alfonzo Small, and Tara Jenkins. Moore then shot and killed himself.

On April 20, 2007, the Appellants filed a complaint for damages against Porter's Parking alleging that it had breached its duty to supervise Moore, had negligently hired and retained Moore, and was vicariously liable for the wrongful deaths of Sheena Sandage-Shofner and Alfonzo Small.[2] On June 21, 2007, Porter's Parking filed its response. On January 2, 2008, Porter's Parking filed a motion for summary judgment arguing that it had no duty to protect third parties from the criminal acts of a work-release inmate employee who was acting outside the scope of his employment. After a hearing, the trial court granted the motion.[3]

The issue is whether the trial court erred by granting the motion for summary judgment filed by Porter's Parking. Summary judgment is appropriate only where there is no genuine issue of material fact and the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Ind. Trial Rule 56(c); Mangold ex rel. Mangold v. Ind. Dep't of Natural Res., 756 N.E.2d 970, 973 (Ind.2001). All facts and reasonable inferences drawn from those facts are construed in favor of the nonmovant. Mangold 756 N.E.2d at 973. Our review of a summary judgment motion is limited to those materials designated to the trial court. Id. We must carefully review a decision on summary judgment to ensure that a party was not improperly denied its day in court. Id. at 974. The Appellants argue that Porter's Parking is liable as a matter of law for the wrongful deaths of Sandage-Shofner and Small because Porter's Parking: (1) assumed a duty to supervise Moore; (2) negligently hired and retained Moore; and (3) is vicariously liable under the theory of respondeat superior. We will address each argument separately.

A. Duty to Supervise

The Appellants argue that Porter's Parking "gratuitously assumed a duty to properly supervise [Moore], a person they should have known was a dangerous individual." Appellant's Brief at 13. They cite Estate of Mathes v. Ireland, 419 N.E.2d 782 (Ind.Ct.App.1981), reh'g denied in support of their argument.

In Estate of Mathes, Kenneth Pierce, recently released from psychiatric care, abducted the victim at knife point from a laundromat, drove her to a river, and drowned her. The victim's estate brought a wrongful death action against Pierce's parents and grandparents as well as two psychiatric centers that had treated Pierce. All the defendants filed motions for summary judgment, which the trial court granted. On appeal, we reversed the grant of summary judgment as concerned Pierce's mother and grandparents,[4] reasoning as follows:

Mathes' argument as to the parents and grandparents can be simply stated. He asserts Pierce resided with his mother and grandparents. He believes they knew that Pierce was insanely violent *511 and dangerous. Mathes contends that as a result they had a responsibility to supervise Pierce and control his activities. He contends the breach of that duty resulted in Brenda Mathes' abduction and death.
As s 319, Restatement (Second) of Torts makes clear, the premise upon which the sought-for duty rests is not any familial relationship of the parties. It depends instead upon the actual assumption of care and control of one known to be dangerous:
"One who takes charge of a third person whom he knows or should know to be likely to cause bodily harm to others if not controlled is under a duty to exercise reasonable care to control the third person to prevent him from doing such harm."
See also Sego v. Mains (1978), 41 Colo.App. 1, 578 P.2d 1069; Fisher v. Mutimer (1937), 293 Ill.App. 201, 12 N.E.2d 315; Whitesides v. Wheeler (1914), 158 Ky. 121, 164 S.W. 335.
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Bluebook (online)
897 N.E.2d 507, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/sandage-v-board-of-comrs-of-vanderburgh-indctapp-2008.