Vanesko v. Marina District Development Co.

38 F. Supp. 3d 535, 2014 WL 3843888, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 107060
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Pennsylvania
DecidedAugust 5, 2014
DocketCivil Action No. 13-01181
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 38 F. Supp. 3d 535 (Vanesko v. Marina District Development Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Vanesko v. Marina District Development Co., 38 F. Supp. 3d 535, 2014 WL 3843888, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 107060 (E.D. Pa. 2014).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM

O’NEILL, District Judge.

Plaintiff Kristopher Vanesko sued defendant Marina District Development Company, LLC (“MDDC”), d/b/a the Borgata and defendant Strike Force Protective Services, Inc. after he was injured during a Stone Temple Pilots (“STP”) concert at the Borgata on August 6, 2011. Plaintiff claims that defendants negligently breached their duties of care to protect him from foreseeable injury. Presently before me [538]*538are defendant MDDC’s motion for summary judgment (Dkt. No 23), defendant Strike Force’s motion for summary judgment (Dkt. No. 22) and plaintiffs answer thereto (Dkt. No. 25). For the following reasons I will deny Strike Force’s motion and grant MDDC’s motion.

BACKGROUND

While attending a STP concert at the Borgata in Atlantic City, New Jersey on August 6, 2011, plaintiff allegedly suffered “serious and permanent injuries including but not limited to [injuries to] his left knee .... ” which “require[ed] two (2) surgeries.” Dkt. No. 25 at ECF p. 1, 2, 5-6. He brings this negligence suit against protective services company Strike Force and venue company MDDC, claiming that defendants breached their duties of care proximately causing his foreseeable injuries. Plaintiff claims that Strike Force provided guards for the event, but inadequately trained its employees. Dkt. No. 25 at ECF p. 16. Plaintiff also claims that MDDC negligently omitted to confirm that Strike Force provided the appropriate number of licensed guards. Id. at 17.

I. Plaintiffs Injuries

Plaintiffs claimed injuries occurred when he was, in his words, “knocked over” while standing near the front of the venue trying to take a photograph of the band. See Dkt. No. 25-7 at ECF p. 18-21. Plaintiff described the incident in his deposition:

Q. Well, you’re just standing there?
A. Enjoying myself.
Q. Enjoying yourself. Then what happens?
A. Then at some point I was face down on the ground. Something or someone struck me from behind, or ran into me in some fashion and caused me to get knocked over. Then I remember I turned over, I’m sitting there. At. some point I’m looking at the stage, at the other point I’m looking up at the ceiling from the floor. The people were nice enough to help me up. I turned around to see if there was something going on behind me.
Q: What did you see?
A: Just more people. I thought maybe there was a fight or something happening behind me.
Q: But there wasn’t?
A: No there was not ...
Q: And you didn’t see it coming?
A: I had no idea.

Id. at 3, 21. Plaintiff also stated in his deposition that prior to his fall he felt safe approaching the front of the venue and that the floor area of the event was crowded but typical for a concert. See id. at 19.

II. Defendants’ Security Measures

Since March 2009, MDDC has contracted with independent security company Strike Force to provide protective services for events held at the Borgata on an event by event basis.1 See Dkt. No. 25-3 at ECF p. 12-15. The contract between them stipulates that Strike Force “recognizes that it is engaged by MDDC as an independent contractor and acknowledges that all persons performing Services hereunder shall be employees or agents of [Strike Force]....” Id. at 5. In addition to requiring that Strike Force provide security during the show, the contract also required that prior to each event “Strike Force [ ] make recommendations to MDDC as to the appropriate security staffing levels ...” and that after each event, Strike Force provide post-event documentation including sign in/sign out [539]*539sheets for all security personnel and incident reports. Id. at 14. At the STP concert, MDDC also supplied Strike Force with a 2-way radio “in order [for Strike Force] to communicate with MDDC Command Post....” Dkt. No. 25-2 at ECF p. 11; see also Dkt. No. 25-3 at ECF p. 14.

According to the deposition of Strike Force supervisor William Anderson, prior to the STP concert the Borgata provided Strike Force with an Entertainment Schedule that called for Strike Force to employ twenty-eight guards and two supervisors at the show.2 See Dkt. No. 25-2 at ECF p. 19; Dkt. No. 25-3 at ECF p. 21. It is undisputed, however, that the STP concert was staffed with only twenty-seven guards and two supervisors. See Dkt. No. 25-3 at ECF p. 21. Plaintiff and his expert claim that the absent additional guard could have been assigned to roam the concert floor area and if the guard had been on the floor he or she would have been in an opportune position to prevent plaintiffs injuries.3 See Dkt. No. 25-9 at ECF p. 12. Anderson testified that, before the concert, he did not instruct the guards assigned to the concert to monitor the floor area to ensure it did not get too crowded. Dkt. No. 25-2 at ECF p. 52:23-53:5.

Plaintiffs expert also submits that the Strike Force guards who worked the STP event were inadequately trained and in some cases unlicensed. See Dkt. No. 25-9 at ECF p. 24, 28. As of 2008, minimum licensing is required by the New Jersey Security Officer/Industry Registration Act (“SORA”) and a mandatory standardized 24-hour training is required for all security practitioners.4 See Dkt. No. 25 at ECF p. 9. Of the twenty-nine employees that Strike Force staffed the STP concert with, the record provides evidence demonstrating that up to seven guards were not licensed at the time of the STP concert and that one guard was working his first job and had been issued a temporary license immediately prior to the show. See Dkt. No. 25-9 at ECF p. 16; Dkt. No. 26 at ECF p. 1. Anderson’s deposition further revealed that Strike Force does not provide its guards with any training beyond that required by SORA and that it is Strike Force policy that so long as a guard is SORA certified he or she can work. See Dkt. No. 25-2 at ECF p. 6. Plaintiffs expert, however, found the SORA training “simply inadequate to train a security officer for Event Security.” Dkt. No. 25-9 at [540]*540ECF p. 19. Plaintiffs expert concluded that plaintiffs injuries “should have been [] avoidable [] had Strike Force Protective Services properly planned, managed and supervised the event.” Id. at 22.

Defendants counter that plaintiffs injuries were unforeseeable and could not have been prevented. See Dkt. No. 22 at ECF p. 6-10; Dkt. No. 23 at ECF p. 6-13. They contend that summary judgment should be granted in their favor because they did not breach their duties of care and even if so, their alleged breaches could not have thwarted plaintiffs unforeseeable injuries. See id.

LEGAL STANDARD

Summary judgment will be granted “against a party who fails to make a showing sufficient to establish the existence of an element essential to that party’s case, and on which that party will bear the burden of proof at trial.” Celotex Corp. v. Catrett,

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
38 F. Supp. 3d 535, 2014 WL 3843888, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 107060, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/vanesko-v-marina-district-development-co-paed-2014.