Hager v. Tire Recyclers, Inc.
Hager v. Tire Recyclers, Inc.
Opinion of the Court
Defendant Groat Brothers, Inc. (Groat) moves for reconsideration of our opinion, 136 Or App 439, 901 P2d 948 (1995), in which we held that the trial court erred in entering a directed verdict in favor of Groat on plaintiffs’ claim for intentional trespass. We grant the motion, modify our opinion and adhere to it as modified.
We state only a brief summary of the relevant facts. Plaintiffs complained that Groat committed intentional trespass when, by removing waste tires from property upstream from plaintiffs’ land, it caused 263 tons of silt to flow onto plaintiffs’ property. Groat asserted the defenses of consent, and two separate types of privilege: a common law privilege based on “public necessity” and a statutory privilege based on ORS 459.780.
Groat now argues that we erred in concluding that the statutory authority defense was not properly before us. It
Plaintiffs’ briefing does mention section 211 of the Restatement, but it does so in response to the allegations of defendant Tire Recyclers’ answer and affirmative defenses, not those of Groat. Tire Recyclers alleged as affirmative defenses the privilege of public necessity, based on Restatement (Second) of Torts § 196 (1965),
As for the oral argument, our careful review of the transcript of proceedings reveals no discussion of section 211 of the Restatement. Tire Recyclers raised plaintiffs’ consent as a basis for its motion for a directed verdict. It later mentioned as an alternative ground for the motion the fact that it was abating a “nuisance” and “averting] an imminent public disaster.” Groat joined in that motion and made no mention of the entirely distinct affirmative defense that it now asserts. Groat insists that, when Tire Recyclers mentioned abating a “nuisance,” it was raising the defense based on section 211 of the Restatement. Tire Recyclers’ briefing on the point, however, is to the contrary. It identifies the nuisance defense as wholly distinct from the section 211 defense.
Groat also requests that we reconsider our decision to reverse the trial court’s entry of a directed verdict on punitive damages. We decline to revisit that issue.
Reconsideration allowed; opinion modified and adhered to as modified.
ORS 459.780(4) provides that the Department of Environmental Quality “may abate any danger or nuisance created by waste tires * * *.”
Section 211 of the Restatement provides:
“A duty or authority imposed or created by legislative enactment carries with it the privilege to enter land in the possession of another for the purpose of performing or exercising such duty or authority insofar as the entry is reasonably necessary to such performance or exercise * * *.”
The privilege of public necessity is limited to action necessary to avert an impending public disaster, “such as a conflagration, flood, earthquake or postilence.” Restatement (Second) of Torts § 196, comment a (1965).
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Randy HAGER and Linda Hager v. TIRE RECYCLERS, INC., a Washington corporation, Developers Insurance Company, a California corporation, and Contractors Bonding and Insurance Company, a Washington corporation, and GROAT BROTHERS, INC., a Washington corporation
- Cited By
- 3 cases
- Status
- Published