Opinion ID: 2143062
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 9

Heading: The Appellate Court

Text: Plaintiffs then appealed the trial court's orders. The appellate court affirmed in part and reversed in part. 378 Ill.App.3d 502, 316 Ill.Dec. 823, 880 N.E.2d 559. With regard to Sheahan, plaintiffs argued that the trial court erred in finding that Sheahan owed no duty to Josh, and in finding that Billy's conduct was criminal and was an independent intervening cause of Josh's injury. Plaintiffs argued that because the trial court relied on its finding that Billy's actions were criminal, it failed to examine the proper factors to determine whether one party owes a duty to another. Plaintiffs further argued that the trial court erred in finding that a criminal attack even occurred, as the testimony established that the shooting was an accident. In addressing plaintiffs' arguments, the appellate court stated that because plaintiffs sought damages against Sheahan based on the principle of respondeat superior, it would address scope of employment, even though the trial court denied Sheahan's motion on that issue. 378 Ill. App.3d at 515, 316 Ill.Dec. 823, 880 N.E.2d 559. The appellate court found that the facts in this case were similar to the facts in Gaffney v. City of Chicago, 302 Ill. App.3d 41, 236 Ill.Dec. 40, 706 N.E.2d 914 (1998), so that Gaffney was controlling. 378 Ill.App.3d at 517, 316 Ill.Dec. 823, 880 N.E.2d 559. Based upon Gaffney, the appellate court found that the facts supported a finding that David was acting within the scope of his employment, and that Sheahan was liable for David's allegedly tortious acts. 378 Ill.App.3d at 518, 316 Ill.Dec. 823, 880 N.E.2d 559. The appellate court next considered whether Billy's actions foreclosed a duty on the part of Sheahan to Josh. The appellate court took issue with the trial court's characterization of the proceedings against Billy as a conviction. The appellate court noted that Billy was adjudicated delinquent pursuant to the Juvenile Court Act of 1987 (705 ILCS 405/1-1 et seq. (West 2000)) and that a juvenile adjudication is not a conviction as defined under the Criminal Code of 1961 (720 ILCS 5/2-5 (West 2000)). 378 Ill.App.3d at 518, 316 Ill.Dec. 823, 880 N.E.2d 559. Therefore, Billy was not convicted of a crime. 378 Ill.App.3d at 519, 316 Ill.Dec. 823, 880 N.E.2d 559. Further, because Billy did not intend to hurt Josh, there was a question of material fact of whether Billy's actions were accidental or reckless. 378 Ill.App.3d at 519, 316 Ill.Dec. 823, 880 N.E.2d 559. Accordingly, the appellate court held that the trial court erred in finding that Billy's actions were a criminal attack that foreclosed Sheahan's duty to Josh. 378 Ill.App.3d at 519, 316 Ill.Dec. 823, 880 N.E.2d 559. The appellate court also disagreed with the trial court's finding that this incident was not reasonably foreseeable for purposes of summary judgment. 378 Ill. App.3d at 519, 316 Ill.Dec. 823, 880 N.E.2d 559. The court based its finding on the fact that David stored his Beretta next to ammunition in an unlocked storage case, in an unlocked closet accessible to a 13-year-old boy. The court also noted the evidence concerning Sheahan's awareness of these types of incidents. Moreover, there was sufficient evidence in the record to establish the additional duty factors of the likelihood of injury, the magnitude of the burden to guard against the injury, or the consequences of imposing that burden. 378 Ill.App.3d at 520, 316 Ill.Dec. 823, 880 N.E.2d 559. Finally, the appellate court noted that Sheahan had raised sections 2-109, 2-201 and 2-204 of the Tort Immunity Act (745 ILCS 10/2-109, 2-201, 2-204 (West 2000)) as affirmative defenses to the complaint. The appellate court noted that the trial court did not address the tort immunity issue, and in remanding, stated that its finding that Sheahan was liable under the doctrine of respondeat superior did not end the immunity analysis, as the existence of a duty and the existence of an immunity are distinct issues that must be analyzed separately. 378 Ill.App.3d at 534, 316 Ill.Dec. 823, 880 N.E.2d 559. With regard to Beretta, the appellate court similarly held that the trial court erred in finding that Billy's actions were an independent intervening cause that superseded Beretta's legal responsibility. 378 Ill.App.3d at 523, 316 Ill.Dec. 823, 880 N.E.2d 559. Rather, proximate cause in fact was shown because the shooting would not have occurred if the handgun had been properly stored, and it was reasonably foreseeable that this type of harm would occur if the handgun was not properly stored. 378 Ill.App.3d at 523, 316 Ill.Dec. 823, 880 N.E.2d 559. The appellate court did affirm the trial court's finding that the Beretta was not unreasonably dangerous or defectively designed under both the consumer expectation test and the risk-utility test for product liability claims. 378 Ill.App.3d at 526, 528, 316 Ill.Dec. 823, 880 N.E.2d 559. However, the appellate court reversed the trial court's finding that Beretta did not have a duty to warn. The appellate court held that plaintiffs' failure to warn claim presented a question of fact sufficient to survive summary judgment. 378 Ill.App.3d at 530, 316 Ill.Dec. 823, 880 N.E.2d 559. Finally, the appellate court addressed Beretta's argument that plaintiffs' lawsuit against it should be dismissed pursuant to the recently enacted Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA or the Act) (15 U.S.C. §§ 7901 through 7903 (2006)). The appellate court noted that, pursuant to the PLCAA, plaintiffs must show that they fall within the exceptions to the Act in order to avoid its provisions. 378 Ill.App.3d at 533, 316 Ill.Dec. 823, 880 N.E.2d 559. The appellate court held that plaintiffs failed to show that their claims fell within the PLCAA's exceptions for negligent entrustment or negligence per se, and for breach of contract or warranty. 378 Ill.App.3d at 533, 316 Ill.Dec. 823, 880 N.E.2d 559. The appellate court held that the only exception that applied in this case is the exception for claims alleging a defect in design or manufacturing, absent a volitional criminal act. 378 Ill.App.3d at 533-34, 316 Ill.Dec. 823, 880 N.E.2d 559. The appellate court stated that whether Billy's actions were criminal or unlawful was a question of fact for the trier of fact. If Billy's actions were found to be criminal, the PLCAA would foreclose plaintiffs' claims against Beretta. However, if Billy's actions were found to be purely accidental, the section 7903(5)(A)(v) exception to the PLCAA would apply and the PLCAA would not preclude plaintiffs' claims against Beretta. 378 Ill.App.3d at 534, 316 Ill.Dec. 823, 880 N.E.2d 559.