Vandenberg v. Loseth

857 F. Supp. 1193, 1994 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10083, 1994 WL 383928
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Michigan
DecidedJuly 13, 1994
DocketNo. 1:92-CV-862
StatusPublished

This text of 857 F. Supp. 1193 (Vandenberg v. Loseth) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Michigan primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Vandenberg v. Loseth, 857 F. Supp. 1193, 1994 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10083, 1994 WL 383928 (W.D. Mich. 1994).

Opinion

OPINION

QUIST, District Judge.

Plaintiff Jack VanDenBerg was severely burned when propane gas exploded in a well-pit he entered while helping to open a summer cottage in April 1991. This diversity action for personal injury damages includes claims against the owners of the cottage in which the accident occurred, H. Benjamin and Diane Loseth (the Loseth defendants); the owners of the neighboring cottage whose gas line was the source of the leak, Thomas and Lou Anne Miller (the Millers); Ziehm LP Gas Sales and Service, Inc. (Ziehm), the company that installed the Miller’s propane tank and routed the gas lines to the two cottages; and Petrolane Gas Services (Petro-lane), the company that provided propane gas services to the Miller’s at the time the leak occurred. The Loseth defendants and the Millers have moved for summary judgment on all the claims against them. Plaintiff opposes summary judgment. The issues have been fully briefed. There is no dispute that Michigan law applies.

Background Information

The well pit where plaintiff VanDenBerg was burned on April 25, 1991, was located in a summer cottage that is, and at all pertinent times was, owned by the Loseth defendants and occupied by Mr. Loseth’s parents. The Miller cottage, which is next door to the Loseth cottage on Ford Lake in Fountain, Michigan, was previously owned by H. Benjamin Loseth’s brother and sold to the Millers in 1980. At the time of the sale, the propane service for the two cottages was provided by a single 500-gallon tank located on the Miller property. The propane gas line crossed to the Loseth property and, within inches of the Loseth cottage, branched by means of a tee fitting. One branch ran to the Loseth cottage and the other traveled a considerably longer distance to the Miller cottage. Shortly after the Millers bought the cottage, defendant Ziehm reconfigured the propane supply system to the cottages and installed a separate 60 gallon tank for the Millers. . Rather than sending a new line straight to the Miller cottage, Ziehm attached the old line to the Millers’ new tank. It disconnected the pipe that ran to the Loseth’s cottage at the tee and closed the opening in the tee with a tee cap. Ziehm then installed a new pipe from the Loseth’s tank and tied it into the existing supply line to the Loseth house.

Plaintiff contends that the Millers’ use of their cottage was fairly consistent from 1982 through 1993 and that, during those years, they used the same propane-fueled appliances — a hot water heater, a furnace, and a stove. Plaintiff alleges, with support from Mr. Millers’ deposition, that the Millers’ consumption of propane remained relatively constant from 1982 to 1987, at an average of approximately 120 gallons per year, that it rose in 1988 to 170 gallons and in 1989 to 200 gallon. Petrolane took over servicing the Millers’ gas system in 1989 and replaced the 60-gallon tank with a 120-gallon tank. In 1990, the Millers ran out of gas on two occasions and consumption remained high. Mr. Miller testified that gas consumption in 1990 was between 175 and 230 gallons. After the second time the Millers ran out of [1196]*1196gas, Petrolane’s records show that it left a notice advising the Millers to have Petrolane check out the system before they turned on the gas. There is no indication that the Millers had the system checked. Petrolane replaced the 120 gallon tank with another 120 gallon tank in December 1990. Between April 7 and April 26, 1991, while the Millers were not at their cottage and had only the pilot lights operating on the furnace and stove, their propane tank went from 80% to 32% full, leaking approximately 55 gallons according to plaintiff. The fire occurred on April 25, 1991.

The gas that leaked from the Millers’ line escaped through the cap in the tee, traveled through the earth, and concentrated in the well pit in the Loseth’s cottage. In traveling through the earth, the gas was scrubbed of its warning odor. When plaintiff entered the well pit, he paused to light a cigarette. As soon as he struck his lighter, the gas exploded. A ball of fire rose above the well pit, catching plaintiffs clothes on fire and preventing his escape. He was severely burnéd and suffers ongoing pain, disfigurement, and physical limitations as a result of the burns. His damages also include loss of income.1

Issues Presented

There is no dispute that Mr. VanDenBerg incurred severe injuries as a result of the fire. Neither is there any dispute that the fire was caused by the explosion of gas from a leak in the tee cap on the gas supply line to the Millers’ cottage. The central issue in dispute is: who is liable for the injuries to VanDenBerg?

Plaintiffs claim against the Loseth defendants is a negligence claim for failure to maintain the premises in a reasonably safe condition or to inspect, discover, or warn others of the dangerous condition. The Lo-seth defendants have moved for summary judgment on the grounds that they cannot be liable under the law of Michigan because they had neither possession nor control of the premises in question. They also argue for summary judgment on the grounds that neither they nor their parents knew or should have known of the gas leak and that no action or inaction by the Loseths was the proximate cause of plaintiffs injury.

Plaintiffs claim against the Millers is also a negligence claim, based on a duty to exercise due care regarding their propane storage and distribution system. Millers argue that they are not liable under any theory of premises liability because neither the gas leak nor plaintiff was on their property and because plaintiff was not their invitee.

Summary Judgment Standard

Summary judgment is appropriate if there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and the moving party is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law. Fed.R.Civ.P. 56. The rule requires that the disputed facts be material. Material facts are facts which are defined by substantive law and are necessary to apply the law. A dispute over trivial facts which are not necessary in order to apply the substantive law does not prevent the granting of a motion for summary judgment. Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 248, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 2510, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986). The rule also requires the dispute to be genuine. A dispute is genuine if a reasonable jury could return judgment for the nonmoving party. Id. This standard requires the non-moving party to present more than a scintilla of evidence to defeat the motion. The summary judgment standard mirrors the standard for a directed verdict. The only difference between the two is procedural. Summary judgment is made based on documentary evidence before trial, and directed verdict is made based on evidence submitted at trial. 477 U.S. at 250-51, 106 S.Ct. at 2511.

A moving party who does not have the burden of proof at trial may properly support a motion for summary judgment by showing the court that there is no evidence to support the non-moving party’s case. Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 324-25, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 2553-54, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 [1197]*1197(1986).

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
857 F. Supp. 1193, 1994 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10083, 1994 WL 383928, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/vandenberg-v-loseth-miwd-1994.