T hi s di s pos i t i on i s notappr opr i a t e f orpubl i c a t i on a nd i s notpr e c e de nt * e xc e pta s pr ovi de d by 9th C i r . R . 36- 3. NOT F OR P UB L I CAT I ON UN I TE D STATE S C OU RT OF APPE ALS FOR T HE NI NTH CI RC UI T SUSAN LOY E; KENN ET H LOY E, P l ai n t i ffs - A p p el l an t s, v. UN I T E D S T AT E S OF AME R I C A, D ef

endant- A pp el l ee . N o. 11- 17725 D C N o . 1 : 1 0 cv -0 1 5 8 1 L JO ME MOR AN DU M *

A pp ea l fr om the U ni t ed S t at es D i stri ctC ou rt f o rth e E a s te rn D is tr ic t o f C a lif o rn ia L a w r e nc e J . O ’ N e i l l , D i s tr i c tJ udge , P r e s i di ng A r gue d a nd S ubm i tt e d D e c e m be r4, 2012 S a n F r a n c is c o , C a lif

o rn ia B efo re: D . W . N E L S O N , T A S H IM A , an d M U R G U IA , C i rcu i tJu d g es. S u s a n L o y e w a s s e r io u s ly in ju r e d d u r in g av is it to Y o s e m ite N a tio n a l P a rk . S he l os the rba l a nc e a nd f e l l of f the e dge of

r e c e nt l y - c ons truc t e d gr a ni t e tr a i l s t e ps tha tl e d up f

r om ana tur e tr a i l t o the popul a rO l m s t e d P oi ntvi e w i ng a r e a . L oy e a nd he rhus ba nd br oughtc l a i m s of ne gl i ge ntde s i gn a nd l os s of c ons or t i um a ga i ns tthe 

# FI LED DE C 20 2012 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U . S. C O U R T OF APPE ALST h e L o y e s a ls o a s s e r te d af a ilu r e - to - w a rn c la im th a t is n o t a r g u e d in 1 th e iro p e n in g b r ie f

a n d , th e r e f

o r e , is d e e m e d w a iv e d .

2 N at i on al P ark S ervi ce (“ P ark S ervi ce ”) un der the F eder al T ortC l ai m s A ct (“ F T C A ”) , 28 U . S . C . §§ 1346( b) , 2671- 2680. T he L oy e s c l a i m tha tthe tr a i l s t e ps 1 fa i l ed t o com pl y w i th v ar i ou s bui l di ng codes, A D A A cc es si bi l i ty G ui del i nes ( “ A D A A G ” ) , a nd U ni f

orm F e de r a l A c c e s s i bi l i ty S t a nda r ds ( “ U F A S ” ) , be c aus e the st eps l ac ked h andrai l s a nd w er e bui l tw i th an u nu sual ri se -a nd -run . T he di stri ct c our the l d tha tthe s e c l a i m s w e r e ba rr e d by the F T C A ’ s di s c r e t i ona ry f unc t i on e x c e p tio n , 2 8 U .S .C . § 2 6 8 0 ( a ) . L oye v . U ni ted Stat es , 2011 W L 4841604, a t*1 ( E .D . C a l. 2 0 1 1 ) . W e h a v e ju r is d ic tio n u n d e r2 8 U .S .C . § 1291 a n d w e a f f i rm. T he di s c r e t i ona ry f

unc t i on e xc e pt i on pr ot e c t s the gove rnm e ntf r om “ [ a ] ny c l a i m . . . ba s e d upon the e xe r c i s e orpe r f orm a nc e orthe f

a i l ur e t o e xe r c i s e or perf orm a di sc re t i on ary f

un ct i on or du ty on the partof a f eder al agencyor an em pl oyee of the G ov ernm ent , w hether or notthe di sc re t i on i nv ol ved b e abu se d. ” 28 U . S . C . § 2680( a ) . O ura na l y s i s pr oc e e ds i n tw o s t e ps : “ w e m us tde t e rm i ne w he the rthe c ha l l e nge d a c t i ons i nvol ve a n e l e m e ntof j udgm e ntorc hoi c e ” a nd

“ then . . . consi der w hether thatj ud gm enti s of the ki nd thatthe di sc re t i on ary f u n c tio n e x c e p tio n w a s d e s ig n e d to s h ie ld .” T er bu sh v. U

ni ted Stat es , 516 F . 3d 1 1 2 5 , 1 1 2 9 ( 9 th C ir . 2 0 0 8 ) ( in te rn a l q u o ta tio n m a rk s a n d c ita tio n s o m itte d ) .3

G ov ernm entcond uctdo es no ti nv ol ve an el em entof j ud gm entor choi ce

“ w he n af

e de r a l s t a tut e , r e gul a t i on, orpol i c y s pe c i f i c a l l y pr e s c r i be s ac our s e of ac t i on for a n em pl oyee t o fol l ow . ” B erkovi t z v . U ni ted Stat es , 486 U . S . 531, 536 (1 9 8 8 ). T h e ex cep t i o n d o es n o tap p l y w h ere “a st atu t e o r p o l i cy d i rect [s] m a nda t ory a nd s pe c i f

i c a c t i on . . . be c aus e the r e c a n be no e l e m e ntof di s c r e t i on w hen an em pl oyee ‘ has no ri gh t ful op t i on bu tt o adh er e t o the di re ct i ve. ’ ” T erb u sh , 516 F . 3d a t1129 ( quot i ng B e rko v itz , 486 U . S . a t536) . T he A D A A G , U F A S , a nd v ari o u s b u i l d i n g co d es o n w h i ch th e L o yes rel y d o n o t , h o w ev er, b y th ei r t erm s, ap p ly to tr a il s te p s in an a tio n a l p a rk , a n d th e L o y e s p o in t to n o p o lic y s ta te m e n ts c ont a i ni ng “ m a nda t ory a nd s pe c i f i c di r e c t i ve s t o w hi c h the [ P a rk S e rvi c e ] ha d ‘ no r ig h tf u l o p tio n b u t to a d h e r e ’” r e g a r d in g th e d e s ig n o f th e tr a il s te p s . T

erb u sh , 516 F . 4d a t1131 ( quot i ng B e rko v itz , 48 6 U . S . at53 6). T he P ark S ervi ce ’ s dec i si on t o b ui l d the tra i l st eps a s i tdi d, w i th a part i cul ar r is e - a n d - ru n a n d w ith o u t h a n d r a ils , w a s p la in ly r o o te d in p o lic y b e c au s e it b a la n c e d c o m p e tin g c o n s id e r a tio n s o f s a f e ty a n d a c c e s s ib ility a g a in s t an e e d to pr e s e rve Y os e m i t e ’ s na tur a l t e rr a i n a nd pa nor a m i c vi e w s . L e s tw e f or ge t , the purpos e of

ourna t i ona l pa rks i s “ t o c ons e rve the s c e ne ry a nd the na tur a l a nd hi s t or i c obj e c t s a nd the w i l d l i f e the r e i n a nd t o pr ovi de f orthe e nj oy m e ntof

the s a m e i n s uc h m a nne ra nd by s uc h m e a ns a s w i l l l e a ve the m uni m pa i r e d f orthe4

enj oym entof future genera t i on s. ” 16 U . S . C . § 1 . W e c on cl ud e thatdi sc re t i on ary i m m un i ty s hi el ds the P ark S ervi ce ’ s dec i si on t o b al ance these com pet i ng po l i cy i nt e r e s t s a s i tdi d. AF F I RME D.