Opinion ID: 1953320
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: intentional invasion nuisance

Text: We next address the Vogels' argument that the circuit court erred in not submitting a question to the jury determining whether GLEC's invasion was intentional. [4] The Restatement differentiates between intentional and unintentional invasions of a person's interest in the private use and enjoyment of land as follows: One is subject to liability for a private nuisance if, but only if, [his or her] conduct is a legal cause of an invasion of another's interest in the private use and enjoyment of land, and the invasion is either (a) intentional and unreasonable, or (b) unintentional and otherwise actionable under the rules controlling liability for negligent or reckless conduct, or for abnormally dangerous conditions or activities. Restatement (Second) of Torts § 822. According to the Restatement, [w]hen the harm is intentional or the result of recklessness, contributory negligence is not a defense. Restatement (Second) of Torts § 840B(2). [5] At the instructions conference the Vogels requested that their nuisance claim be submitted to the jury on the theory that the stray voltage constituted an intentional invasion. The circuit court denied their request. In a motion after verdict, the Vogels sought judgment in the amount of $300,000 without reduction for their contributory negligence. They argued as a matter of law that the nuisance found by the jury constituted an intentional invasion, and therefore contributory negligence could not be used by GLEC as a defense. The court denied this motion. [6, 7] Whether the circuit court erred by not submitting an intentional invasion question to the jury raises the same standard of review principles that we applied with respect to the court's decision to submit the nuisance issue generally. Although the circuit court has discretion in the way that it structures both the instructions and the verdict, it has a duty to instruct a jury and submit a verdict with due regard to the facts of the case. D.L. v. Huebner, 110 Wis. 2d 581, 624, 329 N.W.2d 890 (1983). Therefore, it is error for a court to refuse to instruct on an issue raised by the evidence. Lutz v. Shelby Mut. Ins. Co., 70 Wis. 2d 743, 750, 235 N.W.2d 426 (1975). The circuit court gave the following rationale for its decision not to include an intentional invasion instruction: In this case ... what we are dealing with is an allegation of stray voltage: that is voltage which for lack of a better term escapes from the defendant utility's distribution system and causes injury to the plaintiff's property. Now that is not an intentional act. Obviously the supplying of the electricity is intentional and that is a service that is subscribed for by the plaintiff himself. But the stray voltage phenomenon is an act of nature or perhaps, or certainly an act of negligence maybe and is not an intended act. The intended act is for the defendant here to supply electricity to the plaintiffs' farm. And what happens by way of stray voltage, if in fact that phenomenon occurred, is not an intentional act. It appears that the court declined to submit the intentional invasion question on the theory that stray voltage may never constitute an intentional invasion. The Restatement defines intentional invasion as follows: An invasion of another's interest in the use and enjoyment of land or an interference with public right, is intentional if the actor (a) acts for the purpose of causing it, or (b) knows that it is resulting or is substantially certain to result from his conduct. Restatement (Second) of Torts § 825. In addition, the comments to § 825 explain: To be intentional, an invasion of another's interest in the use and enjoyment of land, or of the public right, need not be inspired by malice or ill will on the actor's part toward the other. An invasion so inspired is intentional, but so is an invasion that the actor knowingly causes in the pursuit of a laudable enterprise without any desire to cause harm. It is the knowledge that the actor has at the time he acts or fails to act that determines whether the invasion resulting from his conduct is intentional or unintentional. It is not enough to make an invasion intentional that the actor realizes or should realize that this conduct involves a serious risk or likelihood of causing the invasion. He must either act for the purpose of causing it or know that it is resulting or is substantially certain to result from his conduct. Restatement (Second) of Torts § 825 cmt. c. Based on the above commentary to § 825, we disagree with the circuit court that stray voltage may never constitute an intentional invasion. For example, even absent a desire to cause harm, a provider of electricity could be liable for intentional invasion if it knows that excessive levels of stray voltage are resulting or certain to result from the operation or maintenance of its system. The Vogels argue that the uncontradicted testimony of their expert was that GLEC knew that a portion of its electric current would travel to the earth through the farm and its structures based on its use of the multi-grounded system with interconnected neutrals. They assert that although GLEC may not have intended to cause harm, the invasion is intentional under § 825(b) because GLEC knew that the stray voltage was substantially certain to result from its conduct by application of basic laws of electricity. GLEC contends that even if it was substantially certain that some level of current would travel through the farm's structures, there is no evidence that any interference with the Vogels' use and enjoyment was certain to result. We agree with GLEC that the mere fact that the systems were interconnected does not create an intentional invasion. As we stated previously, the invasion under the Restatement must be in another's interest in the use and enjoyment of land, not merely an invasion in the land. While some stray voltage may always invade a farmer's land when using a multi-grounded system with interconnected neutrals, the Vogels concede that it does not follow that levels of voltage and current harmful to cows' productivity and health will necessarily result from the use of a multi-grounded system. Petitioner's brief at p. 17. It is the unreasonable levels of stray voltage that may give rise to liability for an intentional invasion, not the use of a multi-grounded delivery system with interconnecting neutrals. The Vogels fail to identify any evidence in the record that GLEC had knowledge prior to March of 1986 that its system was imposing unreasonable levels of stray voltage onto the Vogels' farm. The Vogels also argue that GLEC's conduct constitutes an intentional invasion because it was a continuing invasion of which they had knowledge. See Jost, 45 Wis. 2d at 173-74. The Restatement provides that unintentional invasions that continue may constitute an intentional nuisance: Continuing or recurrent invasions. Most of the litigation over private nuisances involves situations in which there are continuing or recurrent invasions resulting from continuing or recurrent conduct.... In these cases the first invasion resulting from the actor's conduct may be either intentional or unintentional; but when the conduct is continued after the actor knows that the invasion is resulting from it, further invasions are intentional. Restatement (Second) of Torts § 825, cmt. d. The Vogels maintain that in this case, stray voltage arising from a multi-grounded distribution system necessarily involves a continuing invasion because the utility knows that a portion of its current is going to the earth through the farm's structures and the cows. This argument fails in part for the same reason stated above. Intentionally supplying electrical current with the resulting stray voltage may be an invasion of the land but it does not constitute a legal cause of action in nuisance. In order for a nuisance to exist in this fact situation, there must be an unreasonable amount of stray voltage that affects the person's interest in the private use and enjoyment of land. Therefore, GLEC may be liable for an intentional invasion under the continuing invasion rationale expressed in the Restatement if it continued to impose excessive levels of stray voltage onto the Vogels' farm that might endanger their cows after it had knowledge of the problem. However, that is not the case here. In fact, the record indicates the opposite. It is undisputed that GLEC was first notified about the Vogels' stray voltage concerns in March of 1986. The evidence indicates that GLEC immediately responded and worked to alleviate any problems with its delivery system. For example, it installed an isolator on the system sometime in March after the Vogels' initial complaint. According to Mr. Vogel, the problems with their herd improved immediately. Further, Mr. Vogel acknowledged at trial that he could very well have observed GLEC employees working on the system in the vicinity of his farm at least 50 to 60 times after notifying GLEC of his concerns, and that GLEC representatives were actually on his farm less than half of that many times. [8, 9] Based on the record in this case, we conclude as a matter of law that the trial court did not err by construing the nuisance action as an unintentional invasion and otherwise actionable under negligence, and by not submitting the question of intentional invasion to the jury. Because a nuisance claim based on an unintentional invasion is properly subject to the defense of contributory negligence, we affirm the circuit court's judgment reducing the amount of damages for the Vogels' contributorily negligence. [6] Based on our conclusion that the damages for annoyance and inconvenience are recoverable in nuisance in this case, we need not address the third issue presented regarding whether such damages are recoverable in negligence. By the Court. The decision of the court of appeals ordering the circuit court to strike nuisance-related damages from the judgment is reversed.