Seacrist v. S. Cal. Edison Co.

197 Cal. Rptr. 3d 834, 244 Cal. App. 4th 308, 2016 Cal. App. LEXIS 56
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal, 4th District
DecidedJanuary 27, 2016
DocketE061294
StatusPublished

This text of 197 Cal. Rptr. 3d 834 (Seacrist v. S. Cal. Edison Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Court of Appeal, 4th District primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Seacrist v. S. Cal. Edison Co., 197 Cal. Rptr. 3d 834, 244 Cal. App. 4th 308, 2016 Cal. App. LEXIS 56 (Cal. Ct. App. 2016).

Opinion

MILLER, J.

*310In a Fourth Amended Complaint, Kathy Seacrist and her son, John McDonald, sued (1) Southern California Edison (Edison); (2) the City of Palm Desert; (3) J.R. Roberts; and (4) Does 5 through 100. The Fourth Amended Complaint included seven causes of action against Edison: (a) negligence; (b) nuisance; (c) trespass; (d)

*836strict liability/products liability; (e) strict liability/implied warranty of fitness; (f) strict liability/ultra hazardous activity; and (g) intentional infliction of emotional distress.

Seacrist owned a home near an Edison substation. Seacrist and McDonald (collectively, "plaintiffs") alleged stray electrical currents from the substation were causing them to suffer various medical issues. The trial court sustained Edison's demurrer to the Fourth Amended Complaint without leave to amend. The trial court concluded, "Plaintiffs claims are within the exclusive jurisdiction of the California Public Utilities Commission," and thus, the trial court did not have jurisdiction over the dispute with Edison. The trial court sustained the demurrer on March 5, 2014.

On February 9, 2015, the Second District, Division Four, Court of Appeal held the California Public Utilities Commission (PUC) does not have exclusive jurisdiction over a case involving injuries resulting from stray electrical currents from a substation. (Wilson v. Southern California Edison Company (2015) 234 Cal.App.4th 123, 129, 151, 184 Cal.Rptr.3d 26 (Wilson ).) On appeal, plaintiffs contend the trial court erred by sustaining Edison's demurrer because the PUC does not have exclusive jurisdiction over claims related to injuries from stray electrical currents. Edison asserts, among other things, that Wilson was wrongly decided. We reverse the judgment.

*311FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

A. FOURTH AMENDED COMPLAINT

The facts in this paragraph are taken from plaintiffs' Fourth Amended Complaint (FAC). In 1992, Edison's Indian Wells substation was constructed. Seacrist's home was in the Desert Rose development, in Palm Desert, which was next to the Indian Wells substation. In 1997, Seacrist purchased and moved into her home in Palm Desert. McDonald moved into Seacrist's home in 2006, and moved out in 2009. Stray electrical currents from the substation caused dangerously high voltage "in the ground and in and about and throughout" Seacrist's home. The stray electrical currents caused plaintiffs to suffer serious health issues.1

In the first cause of action for negligence, plaintiffs alleged Edison was negligent because it permitted "excessive electric current from the Indian Wells Substation" to enter plaintiffs' land. Plaintiffs alleged Edison "negligently, carelessly, recklessly, unlawfully, and with gross negligence, managed, owned, operated, leased, possessed, secured, designed, modified, installed, constructed, engineered, and controlled the Indian Wells Substation."

*837In the second and third causes of action (for nuisance and trespass) plaintiffs alleged "residential properties and homes located adjacent to the Indian Wells Substation, were, and are, subject to entry by stray, uncontrolled electrical currents that are generated, emitted, and traveling from said substation, and there were, and continue to be, excessive electric currents and voltage from said adjacent substation resulting in dangerously high levels of current and magnetic frequency in, about, and throughout adjacent residential properties and homes, including the Home of Plaintiffs."

In the fourth cause of action (for products liability), plaintiffs alleged Edison was subject to strict liability "for personal injuries caused by the straying of electricity at dangerously high current levels due to the improper grounding of the Indian Wells Substation." In the fifth cause of action (for *312breach of the implied warranty of fitness), plaintiffs asserted they were harmed "[a]s a direct, proximate, and legal result of the defective Indian Wells Substation due to its improper grounding."

In the sixth cause of action (for strict liability based upon an ultra hazardous activity), plaintiffs alleged Edison's "use, maintenance, and operation of an electrical substation emitting large amounts of electrical currents and voltage when not properly grounded and located immediately adjacent to a residential neighborhood constitutes ultra[ ]hazardous activity." Plaintiffs further alleged that stray electrical currents were in and throughout their residence.

In their seventh cause of action (for intentional infliction of emotional distress), plaintiffs asserted their home was "subject to stray, uncontrolled electrical currents, generated, emitted and traveling from the Indian Wells Substation." Plaintiffs asserted the substation was "improperly grounded."

Plaintiffs sought damages, punitive damages, disgorgement, an injunction prohibiting Edison from further harming plaintiffs, costs, interest, and any other proper relief.

B. DEMURRER

Edison demurred to the FAC. Edison asserted the Superior Court lacked jurisdiction to decide plaintiffs' seven claims. Edison argued plaintiffs' claims fell within the exclusive jurisdiction of the PUC.

Our Supreme Court has articulated a three-prong test for determining whether a claim falls within the PUC's exclusive jurisdiction: (1) whether the PUC has the authority to adopt a policy on (a) the alleged problematic/risky condition, e.g., stray voltage, and (b) "what action, if any, the utilities should take to minimize that risk"; (2) whether the PUC has exercised its authority to adopt a policy concerning the problematic/risky condition; and (3) whether the lawsuit would hinder or interfere with that policy. (San Diego Gas & Electric Co. v. Superior Court (1996) 13 Cal.4th 893, 923, 926, 935, 55 Cal.Rptr.2d 724, 920 P.2d 669 (Covalt ).)

First, in its demurrer, Edison asserted the PUC has the authority to issue regulations related to substation safety and "all aspects of electrical distribution facilities." Second, Edison asserted that in General Order 174, the PUC adopted safety regulations governing substations. Third, Edison argued plaintiffs' lawsuit would interfere with the PUC's policy because plaintiffs were essentially challenging the safety regulations issued by the PUC.

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Bluebook (online)
197 Cal. Rptr. 3d 834, 244 Cal. App. 4th 308, 2016 Cal. App. LEXIS 56, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/seacrist-v-s-cal-edison-co-calctapp4d-2016.