Jay Kurowski f/n/f Christopher Kurowski v. Town of Chester
Jay Kurowski f/n/f Christopher Kurowski v. Town of Chester
Opinion
**309 This case arises out of an accident occurring at a pond owned by the defendant, the Town of Chester, where Christopher Kurowski suffered injuries after being struck by a person using a rope swing attached to a tree on the shore. The plaintiff, Jay Kurowski, as father and next friend of his minor son, Christopher, appeals an order of the Superior Court ( Anderson , J.) dismissing his negligence and intentional tort claims against the Town, as barred by the recreational use immunity statutes. See *524 RSA 212:34 (Supp. 2016) ; RSA 508:14 (2010). Because we conclude that the Town is entitled to immunity under RSA 212:34, we affirm.
The following facts are found either in the plaintiff's allegations, which we accept as true for the purposes of this appeal, or in the trial court order. The Town owns and maintains the Wason Pond Conservation and Recreation Area, which includes walking paths and Wason Pond, and is open to the public free of charge. Since approximately 2012, a rope swing has been attached to a tree overhanging the pond. Neither the plaintiff nor the Town constructed or maintained the swing. People use the rope swing to fling themselves over and into the pond. Sometimes an individual swings over the water on the rope and a second person stands near the rope's path and attempts to slap the feet of the person holding the rope before that person splashes into the water.
In 2012, a Town resident told the Town Board of Selectman that he was concerned about the safety of the rope swing. The resident asked the Board to install "no swimming" signs near the swing area. During the meeting, one Board member observed that the swing was a hazard. In response to a question from the Board as to what the Town was doing with regard to the swing, the police chief reported that the practice had been for the police to take the names of individuals using the swing and list them in a report. The Board heard similar safety concerns about the swing during meetings in 2013 and 2015. At no time between 2012 and 2015 did the Town remove the swing or post signage.
On August 20, 2015, Christopher was at the pond, standing in the path of a person using the swing. While Christopher was attempting to touch the feet of the person swinging on the rope, the two collided, and Christopher was seriously injured.
The plaintiff filed a complaint against the Town on Christopher's behalf. He claimed that the Town acted negligently and willfully or intentionally by failing to remove the rope swing or post warning signs. The Town filed a motion to dismiss, arguing that the plaintiff's suit was barred by one or both of the recreational use immunity statutes- RSA 212:34 and RSA 508:14.
The trial court granted the Town's motion to dismiss. It ruled that RSA 212:34 barred both of the plaintiff's claims, and that RSA 508:14 barred the plaintiff's negligence claim. It also rejected the plaintiff's argument that it **310 should postpone ruling on the motion to dismiss to allow discovery to proceed. The trial court denied the plaintiff's motion to reconsider. This appeal followed.
In reviewing a trial court's grant of a motion to dismiss, our task is to determine whether the allegations in the complaint are reasonably susceptible of a construction that would permit recovery.
See
Coan v. N.H. Dep't of Env't Servs.
,
On appeal, the plaintiff argues that the trial court erred when it found the Town immune from suit under both recreational
*525
use statutes. Because the parties do not argue otherwise, we assume, without deciding, that both RSA 212:34 and RSA 508:14 apply to municipalities.
See
Dolbeare v. City of Laconia
,
The plaintiff argues that the trial court erred when it: (1) found that Christopher's conduct qualified as an "outdoor recreational activity" under RSA 212:34, I(c); (2) found that, because the Town did not act willfully or intentionally, neither of the relevant exceptions to immunity under RSA 212:34, V applied; and (3) refused to postpone ruling on the motion to dismiss to allow discovery to proceed.
The resolution of these issues requires statutory interpretation; therefore, our review is
de
novo
.
Dolbeare
,
RSA 212:34 provides:
**311 II. A landowner owes no duty of care to keep the premises safe for entry or use by others for outdoor recreational activity or to give any warning of hazardous conditions, uses of, structures, or activities on such premises to persons entering for such purposes, except as provided in paragraph V.
....
V. This section does not limit the liability which otherwise exists:
(a) For willful or malicious failure to guard or warn against a dangerous condition, use, structure or activity;
...
(d) When the injury suffered was caused by the intentional act of the landowner.
RSA 212:34, II, V(a), (d). We have found the legislative intent underlying this statute to be to "encourage private landowners to make their land available for public recreational uses by limiting their liability."
Estate of Gordon-Couture v. Brown
,
The plaintiff first argues that the trial court erred when it found that Christopher was engaged in an "outdoor recreational activity," as that term is used in RSA 212:34, I(c). We disagree. RSA 212:34, I(c) defines "outdoor recreational activity" as "outdoor recreational pursuits
including, but not limited to
, hunting, fishing, trapping, camping, horseback riding, bicycling, water sports, winter sports, snowmobiling ..., operating an OHRV ..., hiking, ice and rock climbing or bouldering, or sightseeing upon or removing fuel wood from the premises." RSA 212:34, I(c) (emphasis added). By its plain terms, the statute's list of outdoor recreational activities is not exhaustive. Indeed, we have previously applied the principle of
ejusdem
generis
to this provision and concluded that an activity not specifically enumerated-but similar in nature to the activities listed in the statute-may constitute an "outdoor recreational activity."
See
Dolbeare
,
Applying this principle here, we conclude that the activity at issue is similar in nature to the enumerated activity of "water sports." RSA 212:34, I(c). We have held that RSA 212:34 bars an action against a landowner for injuries sustained by a plaintiff who dove into a lake, striking his head on a submerged rock.
See
Fish v. Homestead Woolen Mills
,
In arguing for a contrary conclusion, the plaintiff asserts that Christopher's conduct does not constitute an "outdoor recreational activity" because it involved a man-made apparatus rather than a naturally occurring feature of the land. However, we have held that "outdoor recreational activity" includes not only the use of land in its natural state, but also the use of man-made equipment or structures on the land.
See
Dolbeare
,
The plaintiff next argues that, because the Town did not supply or maintain the rope swing, Christopher's conduct does not constitute an "outdoor recreational activity." However, the identity of the person or entity providing the equipment or structure used in an outdoor recreational activity is immaterial.
See
id.
at 56,
The plaintiff also argues that Christopher's conduct did not constitute an "outdoor recreational activity" because, in order to qualify as such an activity, it must be authorized by the landowner, and not identified as hazardous. We are not persuaded. The plain language of the statute provides no support for the plaintiff's position. In fact, the statute specifically contemplates that immunity will apply even if the activity at issue involves a known hazardous condition. See RSA 212:34, II ("A landowner owes no duty of care to keep the premises safe for entry or use by others for outdoor recreational activity or to give any warning of hazardous conditions , uses of, structures, or activities on such premises .... (emphasis added)). Accordingly, we conclude that the trial court did not err when it found that the activity that Christopher was engaged in was an "outdoor recreational activity" under RSA 212:34.
**313 The plaintiff next argues that the trial court erred when it found that his allegations were insufficient to establish that either of two statutory exceptions to recreational immunity applied to the Town. The first exception concerns a landowner's "willful" failure to guard or warn against a *527 dangerous condition, use, structure, or activity, see RSA 212:34, V(a); the second exception concerns the landowner's "intentional" conduct, see RSA 212:34, V(d). We address each exception in turn.
The plaintiff argues that the trial court erred by finding that he had alleged insufficient facts to show that the Town's alleged conduct was willful. He asserts that, because the Town knew of the hazard posed by the swing and took no action to remove it or post warning signs, the Town "willful[ly] ... fail [ed] to guard or warn against a dangerous condition, use, structure or activity," RSA 212:34, V(a). We disagree.
RSA 212:34 does not define the word "willful," and we have never had occasion to interpret "willful" in the context of this statute. At oral argument, the plaintiff urged us to adopt the definition used by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in analyzing claims under California's recreational use statute.
See
Spires v. United States
,
Here, even if we assume, without deciding, that the plaintiff's pleadings established elements one and three of the Ninth Circuit's definition of willful conduct, we agree with the trial court that the plaintiff did not allege sufficient facts to establish the second element-that the Town had "actual or constructive knowledge that injury [was] a
probable
, as opposed to a
possible
, result of the danger."
Spires
,
An allegation that a landowner knew about a particular hazard and did nothing is insufficient to establish that the landowner knew or should have known that injury would
probably
result from that hazard.
Cf
.
Collins
,
The plaintiff next argues that the trial court erred when it found that he alleged insufficient facts to show that Christopher suffered injury as a result of the Town's intentional acts.
See
RSA 212:34, V(d) (providing that RSA 212:34 does not limit liability of landowners "[w]hen the injury suffered was caused by the intentional act of the landowner"). Although RSA 212:34 does not define "intentional act,"
see
RSA 212:34, I, V, both parties argue that we should interpret "intentional act" under RSA 212:34 in the same fashion as we did when construing the Workers' Compensation Law: for a tort to be an "intentional tort" the tortfeasor must act with the knowledge that "his conduct [is]
substantially
certain
to result in injury."
Thompson v. Forest
,
The plaintiff argues that the Town's conduct constituted an intentional act for the same reasons he asserts the Town's conduct was willful-because the Town acknowledged that the rope swing was a hazard, was warned about that hazard on three occasions between 2012 and 2015, did nothing to remove it, and did not post warning signs. We disagree.
The plaintiff's allegations are insufficient to demonstrate that the Town had actual or constructive knowledge that its conduct was
substantially
certain
to result in injury.
See
Finally, the plaintiff argues that the trial court erred when it denied the plaintiff's request to postpone ruling on the Town's motion to dismiss so that discovery could proceed. Decisions concerning pretrial discovery are within the sound discretion of the trial judge.
N.H. Ball Bearings v. Jackson
,
The plaintiff asserts that the trial court erred when it denied his request to postpone ruling on the motion to dismiss to allow discovery because discovery on certain topics would allow him "to demonstrate that [Christopher's] injury was not just [a] possible, but [a] probable" result of the rope swing hazard. Again, we are not persuaded.
"The underlying purpose of discovery ... is to reach the truth and to reach it as early in the process as possible
by narrowing the issues
pertaining to the controversy between the parties."
Sawyer v. Boufford
,
The trial court found, and we agree, that the plaintiff's complaint fails, as a matter of law, to allege sufficient facts to defeat the immunity **316 provided by RSA 212:34. Because discovery is not intended to provide the plaintiff with the opportunity to obtain additional information that might cure deficiencies in the complaint, the trial court did not err when it concluded that the plaintiff was not entitled to discovery in this case.
To the extent that the plaintiff contends that the trial court erred when it refused to allow discovery to proceed because this court "has not yet directly addressed whether the issue of statutory immunity under RSA 212:34... can be determined prior to the commencement of discovery," he has not sufficiently briefed that issue to warrant our review. Accordingly, we deem that argument waived.
See
State v. Blackmer
,
Affirmed .
DALIANIS, C.J., and HICKS and LYNN, JJ., concurred.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Jay KUROWSKI F/N/F Christopher Kurowski v. TOWN OF CHESTER
- Cited By
- 10 cases
- Status
- Published