Wallace v. Busch Entertainment Corp.

837 F. Supp. 2d 1093, 2011 WL 3607232, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 91120
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. California
DecidedAugust 16, 2011
DocketCivil No. 09cv2785-L(RBB)
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 837 F. Supp. 2d 1093 (Wallace v. Busch Entertainment Corp.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Wallace v. Busch Entertainment Corp., 837 F. Supp. 2d 1093, 2011 WL 3607232, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 91120 (S.D. Cal. 2011).

Opinion

ORDER GRANTING IN PART AND DENYING IN PART DEFENDANT’S MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT

M. JAMES LORENZ, District Judge.

In this personal injury action, Defendant filed a motion for summary judgment, which Plaintiff opposed. For the reasons which follow, Defendant’s motion is GRANTED IN PART AND DENIED IN PART.

Plaintiff, a California attorney proceeding pro se, was injured at SeaWorld San Diego, which is allegedly owned and operated by Defendant. Plaintiff purchased a ticket to use the bungee trampoline (“Equipment”) at the Xtreme Zone of the park. Before obtaining permission to use the Equipment, Plaintiff was required to and did read and sign a liability waiver (“Release”). A SeaWorld employee (“Attendant”) was then assigned to Plaintiff. He outfitted Plaintiff with a harness, which was placed around his waist, and two bungee cords, one connected to each hip. The Attendant instructed Plaintiff not to flip until the Attendant determined that it was safe to do so. When the Attendant instructed him to do so, Plaintiff started to flip. Before and when he began to flip, Plaintiffs arms were outstretched as he held on to the bungee cords. On his first and only flip, Plaintiff experienced pain in his left arm. He immediately stopped and left the Equipment to seek first aid. Plaintiff later learned he had torn a tendon in his left biceps.

Plaintiff filed a negligence action in state court. Defendant removed it to this court based on diversity. Subsequently, Plaintiff amended the complaint. In the operative complaint, Plaintiff alleged claims for strict products liability — design defect, strict products liability — failure to warn, breach of express warranties — intended use, breach of implied warranties — intended use, negligent products liability — design defect, negligent products liability — failure to warn, declaratory judgment, gross negligence, negligence per se and negligence.

Defendant moved for summary judgment. Rule 56 of Federal Rules of Civil Procedure empowers the court to enter summary judgment on factually unsupported claims or defenses, and thereby “secure the just, speedy and inexpensive determination of every action.” Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 325, 327, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986). Summary judgment is appropriate if the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions on file, together with the affidavits, if any, show that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that the moving party is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law. Fed. R.Civ.P. 56(c).

The moving party’s burden on summary judgment depends on whether it bears the burden of proof at trial with respect to the claim or defense at issue. ‘When the party moving for summary judgment would bear the burden of proof at trial, it must come forward with evidence which would entitle it to a directed verdict if the evidence went uncontroverted at trial. In such a case, the moving party has the initial burden of establishing the absence of a genuine issue of fact on each issue material to its case.” See C.A.R. Transp. Brokerage Co., Inc. v. Darden Restaurants, Inc., 213 F.3d 474, 480 (9th Cir.2000) (citations omitted). If the moving party does not bear the burden at trial, it can meet its burden on summary judgment by pointing out the absence of evidence with respect to any one element of the [1098]*1098claim or defense. See Celotex, 477 U.S. at 325, 106 S.Ct. 2548.

If the movant meets its burden on summary judgment, the burden shifts to the nonmovant to show summary adjudication is not appropriate. Celotex, 477 U.S. at 317, 324, 106 S.Ct. 2548. In this regard, the nonmovant must “go beyond the pleadings” and rely on “evidentiary materials” such as his “own affidavits, or ... the depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions on file” to designate specific facts in opposition to the summary judgment motion. Celotex, 477 U.S. at 324, 106 S.Ct. 2548 (internal quotation marks omitted). These evidentiary materials must show that genuine factual issues remain which “can be resolved only by a finder of fact because they may reasonably be resolved in favor of either party.” Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 250, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986). The nonmovant does not meet this burden by showing “some metaphysical doubt as to material facts.” Matsushita Elec. Indus. Co., Ltd. v. Zenith Radio Corp., 475 U.S. 574, 586, 106 S.Ct. 1348, 89 L.Ed.2d 538 (1986).

When ruling on a summary judgment motion, the nonmovant’s evidence is to be believed, and all justifiable inferences are to be drawn in his or its favor. Anderson, 477 U.S. at 255, 106 S.Ct. 2505. Determinations regarding credibility, the weighing of evidence, and the drawing of legitimate inferences are jury functions, and are not appropriate for resolution by the court on a summary judgment motion. Id.

Defendant moved for summary judgment, arguing essentially that the claims are precluded by the doctrine of assumption of risk, that the products liability and breach of warranty doctrines do not apply to it and that, to the extent not barred by these legal theories, Plaintiff lacks evidence to prove his claims. California substantive law applies in this diversity action. See Intri-Plex Technol., Inc. v. Crest Group, Inc., 499 F.3d 1048, 1052 (9th Cir.2007) & Erie R.R. Co. v. Tompkins, 304 U.S. 64, 58 S.Ct. 817, 82 L.Ed. 1188 (1938).

Defendant argues Plaintiffs gross negligence claim should be dismissed for lack of evidence and that his remaining negligence claims are barred by the doctrine of contractual express assumption of risk. “An express assumption of risk is a complete defense to a negligence claim.” Moser v. Ratinoff, 105 Cal.App.4th 1211, 1217, 130 Cal.Rptr.2d 198 (2003). It is undisputed that Plaintiff signed a Release waiving claims connected to his use of the Equipment.

Plaintiff argues that the Release should not be enforced under California’s public policy to protect consumers from injuries caused by defective products.1 Generally California courts have “concluded categorically that private agreements made in the recreational sports context releasing liability for future ordinary negligence do not implicate the public interest and therefore are not void as against public policy.” City of Santa Barbara v. Super. Ct. (Janeway), 41 Cal.4th 747, 760, 62 Cal.Rptr.3d 527, 161 P.3d 1095 (2007) (“Janeway”) (citing cases) (internal quotation marks and citations omitted).

Plaintiff specifically contends, however, that his case presents a public safety issue rather than a recreational activity issue because Defendant’s activity was regulated under the Permanent Amusement Ride Inspection Program, Cal. Labor Code § 7920 et seq.,

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Bluebook (online)
837 F. Supp. 2d 1093, 2011 WL 3607232, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 91120, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wallace-v-busch-entertainment-corp-casd-2011.