Stehl v. Brown's Sporting Goods, Inc.

603 N.E.2d 48, 236 Ill. App. 3d 976, 177 Ill. Dec. 267, 1992 Ill. App. LEXIS 1631
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedOctober 5, 1992
Docket3-91-0682
StatusPublished
Cited by20 cases

This text of 603 N.E.2d 48 (Stehl v. Brown's Sporting Goods, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Court of Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Stehl v. Brown's Sporting Goods, Inc., 603 N.E.2d 48, 236 Ill. App. 3d 976, 177 Ill. Dec. 267, 1992 Ill. App. LEXIS 1631 (Ill. Ct. App. 1992).

Opinion

JUSTICE McCUSKEY

delivered the opinion of the court:

Plaintiff, Susan L. Stehl, appeals (1) the trial court’s grant of summary judgment in favor of defendants Brown’s Sporting Goods, Inc. (Brown’s), and Darien Raiter, and (2) the denial of her motion for leave to further amend her complaint.

We conclude that the defendants were entitled to judgment as a matter of law and that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in denying plaintiff’s motion to amend. Accordingly, we affirm.

Plaintiff injured her right leg and knee while downhill skiing. Plaintiff’s ski equipment was rented from Brown’s and had been fitted by their employee, Darien Raiter. Plaintiff alleged that Raiter had improperly adjusted the bindings so they would not release when she fell while skiing.

Plaintiff’s initial six counts for negligence and breach of contract were dismissed because of an exculpatory clause in the equipment rental agreement. Plaintiff then added four new counts, which alleged causes of action against Brown’s and Raiter for willful and wanton conduct, and against Brown’s only for consumer fraud and products liability. These are the only counts at issue in this appeal.

The trial court granted the defendants’ motion for summary judgment. The court found that the defendants’ conduct did not rise to a level of willful and wanton conduct. The court also found that any misrepresentation sufficient to support a claim of consumer fraud had not been relied upon by the plaintiff. Additionally, the court found that Baiter’s act of adjusting the ski bindings did not constitute an alteration, modification or change to the product. Therefore, the court disallowed plaintiff’s claim for products liability. The court also found that the plaintiff had failed to present any evidence which showed a proximate cause between the defendants’ conduct and the plaintiff’s injury. Following entry of summary judgment for the defendants, the court denied the plaintiff’s motion for leave to file three additional counts for willful and wanton breach of contract and fraud. Plaintiff appeals both orders.

The plaintiff first contends that the court erred in its entry of summary judgment. To resolve this issue, we must determine whether the trial court correctly found that no genuine issues of material fact existed and whether summary judgment was correctly entered for the defendants as a matter of law. (Zale Construction Co. v. Hoffman (1986), 145 Ill. App. 3d 235, 241, 494 N.E.2d 830, 834.) Our review of the record includes an examination of the discovery depositions of the plaintiff and Darien Baiter.

Baiter had worked in Brown’s field and stream department for three years. His training included participation in equipment demonstrations and attendance at a meeting on fitting ski equipment. He stated he was familiar with the manufacturer’s specifications for ski binding settings, and that he had examined manuals and videotapes provided by Brown’s regarding the sale and rental of skis.

The skis the plaintiff rented had a quick-release Look binding. Based upon the plaintiff’s height and weight (5 feet 2 inches tall, 160 pounds), Baiter adjusted the setting on the binding to “four.” Baiter stated that he had determined the proper binding setting based upon information provided by the plaintiff. Baiter stated that the binding setting was consistent with the manufacturer’s specifications.

Plaintiff testified in her discovery deposition that she had skied on only one other occasion prior to renting the skis from Brown’s. She stated she understood that the skis were to break away from the boot when pressure was applied to both the boot and ski.

She stated that while she was being fitted for the skis, Baiter told her to put pressure on her toe and lift her heel. Plaintiff testified that she physically could not cause the ski binding to release. Thereafter, Baiter twice adjusted the binding before the plaintiff’s husband took her hand and pulled her until the ski binding popped open. The plaintiff realized that she did not have enough strength in her legs to release the ski binding in the store. However, we note from the record that the plaintiff believed the ski binding would “pop” from her weight if she fell on the slopes.

Prior to the accident, the plaintiff fell about 10 times on the tow rope slope. Her skis did not release from the bindings. However, she was able to manually release the ski bindings each time by depressing the release mechanism with her pole. After three hours on the tow rope slope, she attempted to snow plow down the shortest slope. About one-third down the slope, her skis crossed and she fell. She injured her right leg and knee when her skis did not release from the bindings.

Plaintiff alleged in the willful and wanton counts of her fourth amended complaint (1) that Brown’s and Raiter knowingly adjusted the bindings so that she was unable to pull the boots out of the bindings using the strength of her own muscles; and (2) that the defendants willfully and intentionally informed her that the bindings had been properly adjusted when, in fact, the defendants knew that the bindings were too tight.

Defendants argue that the alleged conduct of Darien Raiter did not rise to the level of an intentional act and, therefore, at most constituted only negligence. Defendants further argue that Raiter’s conduct did not exhibit a reckless disregard for plaintiff’s safety. Defendants finally argue that the plaintiff submitted no evidentiary facts in support of her claim of willful and wanton conduct.

In distinguishing willful and wanton conduct from negligence, our supreme court has determined that willful and wanton conduct is conduct that is either intentional or done with a conscious disregard or indifference for the consequences when the known safety of other persons is involved. (Burke v. 12 Rothschild’s Liquor Mart, Inc. (1992), 148 Ill. 2d 429, 451, 593 N.E.2d 522, 532.) Our supreme court has approved the Restatement’s qualitative difference between negligence and willful and wanton conduct. (Burke, 148 Ill. 2d at 450, 593 N.E.2d at 531.) According to section 500 of the Restatement (Second) of Torts:

“ ‘[Willful and wanton conduct] requires a conscious choice of a course of action, either with knowledge of the serious danger to others involved in it or with knowledge of facts which would disclose this danger to any reasonable man. *** [T]he actor *** must recognize that his conduct involves a risk substantially greater in amount than that which is necessary to make his conduct negligent.’ ” Burke, 148 Ill. 2d at 449, 593 N.E.2d at 531, quoting Restatement (Second) of Torts §500, Comment g, at 590 (1965).

Raiter’s discovery deposition does not disclose any predisposition which would subject the plaintiff to serious danger. Raiter’s training and experience in fitting skis also argue against a conscious disregard or indifference for plaintiff’s safety. Neither deposition reveals any evidence of intentional conduct. At most, plaintiff stated a cause of action for negligence.

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Bluebook (online)
603 N.E.2d 48, 236 Ill. App. 3d 976, 177 Ill. Dec. 267, 1992 Ill. App. LEXIS 1631, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/stehl-v-browns-sporting-goods-inc-illappct-1992.