Opinion ID: 3177467
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Negligence Per Se Theory

Text: Plaintiffs claim that Covol is liable to them under a negligence per se theory because (1) Covol violated various coal mine safety statutes and regulations; and (2) KRS 446.070 creates a cause of action for “a person injured by the violation of any statute.” After a thorough review of the relevant statutory provisions, Chapters 351, titled “Department of Natural Resources,” and 352, titled “Mining Regulations,” as well as three regulations, 805 KAR 7:090; 805 KAR 3:020; and 805 KAR 3:100, the Kentucky Supreme Court drew the following conclusions: From our review of KRS Chapters 351 and 352 in their entirety and in context, we conclude that Mr. McCarty was not “within the class of persons intended to be protected by the statute” as required for the application of KRS 446.070 and the principles of negligence per se, as set forth in Straub. We also conclude that the occurrence identified as the cause of McCarty's tragic death— the failure to secure the garage door in accordance with the manufacturer's installation instructions, and its subsequent fall—is not the type of occurrence that the foregoing mining statutes were intended to prevent. Consequently, the Estate's claims cannot be based upon a negligence per se theory predicated upon violations of KRS Chapters 351 and 352. McCarty, 2015 WL 6593081, at . As for the administrative regulations, the court determined that: None of the enabling statutes for the above-mentioned regulations contain language that would support the promulgation of regulations creating a duty owed by Covol to Mr. McCarty or the work in which he was engaged at the time of his accident. Any administrative regulation purporting to reach that hazard would fail as exceeding the scope of its enabling statute. St. Luke Hosp., Inc. v. Straub, 354 S.W.3d 529 (Ky.2011). In summary, the administrative regulations cited by the Estate apply to mining operations, mine workers and the traditional dangers and risks ordinarily -5- Nos. 13-6484/6499, McCarty, et al. v. Covol Fuels associated with coal mining. We find nothing in the text of these administrative regulations which would indicate that McCarty was within the class of persons to be protected, or that his injuries were within the type of harms to be prevented by the regulations. We have examined the additional range of regulations cited in the certified question (Sections 805 and 825), and are unable to locate any provision which would change the result of our discussion as set forth herein. 2015 WL 6593081, at . Although not included in our certified question, the Kentucky Supreme Court also considered and rejected Plaintiffs’ reliance on KRS 350.020, which identifies certain hazards and dangers of “unregulated surface coal mining operations.” Id. The court concluded that “[t]he fortuitous installation of a heavy garage door on a coal mining site has no nexus with unregulated coal mining, and is therefore, not among the hazards addressed by KRS Chapter 350.” Id. Finally, the Kentucky Supreme Court rejected Plaintiffs’ reliance on Hargis v. Baize, 168 S.W.3d 36 (Ky. 2005), to support their assertion that the administrative regulations promulgated to protect the safety of employees in a regulated workplace also protect independent contractors exposed to the same hazards. The state supreme court found Hargis distinguishable because the deceased contractor was engaging in the type of work that was a core function of the regulated business, and here, the installation of a garage door “is entirely unrelated to Covol’s core business.” McCarty, 2015 WL 6593081, at . In sum, for the reasons stated by the Kentucky Supreme Court in its opinion certifying the law, which we quote in part and incorporate in its entirety, Plaintiffs do not have a cause of action for negligence under a negligence per se theory. Thus, the district court did not err in granting summary judgment to Covol on Plaintiffs’ negligence per se claim. -6- Nos. 13-6484/6499, McCarty, et al. v. Covol Fuels