Opinion ID: 1613313
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: determination of the appropriate comparative negligence law

Text: Under the most significant relationship approach: (1) The rights and liabilities of the parties with respect to an issue in tort are determined by the local law of the state which, with respect to that issue, has the most significant relationship to the occurrence and the parties under the principles stated in § 6. (2) Contacts to be taken into account in applying the principles of § 6 to determine the law applicable to an issue include: (a) the place where the injury occurred, (b) the place where the conduct causing the injury occurred, (c) the domicil, residence, nationality, place of incorporation and place of business of the parties, and (d) the place where the relationship, if any, between the parties is centered. These contacts are to be evaluated according to their relative importance with respect to the particular issue. Restatement (Second) of Conflict of Laws § 145 (1971). The principles to be considered under § 6 are: (1) A court, subject to constitutional restrictions, will follow a statutory directive of its own state on choice of law. (2) When there is no such directive, the factors relevant to the choice of the applicable rule of law include (a) the needs of the interstate and international systems, (b) the relevant policies of the forum, (c) the relevant policies of other interested states and the relative interests of those states in the determination of the particular issue, (d) the protection of justified expectations, (e) the basic policies underlying the particular field of law, (f) certainty, predictability and uniformity of result, and (g) ease in the determination and application of the law to be applied. Restatement (Second), supra, § 6 (1971). Here, the issue involves the application of rules of contributory and comparative negligence. Those rules do not regulate or determine what is negligent conduct. They only regulate the amount of damages a contributorily negligent plaintiff may recover. With respect to that issue, South Dakota has all of the important contacts. First, the principal conduct which allegedly caused the injury was the distribution of the candy in the bus on the first leg of the trip. Missouri had no contact with that conduct. Even if Missouri could claim some limited contact with Dakota Charter's alleged failure to maintain a safe premises after the candy was distributed, Missouri's contact was relatively unimportant to the issue of comparative negligence because comparative negligence law is not a rule of the road nor does it regulate the conduct of bus companies using Missouri's highways. Second, South Dakota was the domicile, residence, place of incorporation and place of business of the parties, as well as the place where the relationship of the parties was centered. These contacts are important to the issue of comparative negligence because the economic impact of the law applied will be felt where the parties reside. Finally, although the injury did occur in Missouri, it occurred in the bus while on an interstate journey from South Dakota to Arkansas. It was merely fortuitous that Charlotte slipped while the bus was passing through Missouri. Considering these contacts, the two factors relevant to a choice of the appropriate comparative negligence law favor the application of South Dakota law. These two factors are the policies of the interested states and the relative interests of the states in determining the issue. This state's policy has been clearly expressed by the legislature in our comparative negligence statute. Although Missouri also has a comparative negligence policy, South Dakota has the only significant interest in a determination of the comparative negligence issue because all of the contacts are in South Dakota, and Missouri's policy would not be furthered by its application to South Dakota domiciliaries who have no important contact with Missouri. [9] Where the forum's interests are the most deeply affected under these factors, it is generally fitting that forum's law should be applied. Restatement, supra, § 6 comment (f) (1971). The remaining factors have little importance in this negligence action. First, neither Missouri nor South Dakota's laws significantly affect the needs of interstate systems because neither interstate relations nor automobile movement would be influenced by either law. Second, the protection of justified expectancy, although important in consensual relationships, has no importance in this negligence action. Generally, people do not consider the legal consequences of their conduct or how law may be applied prior to becoming involved in an accident. Third, the policy of ameliorating the harsh consequences of common law contributory negligence rules is furthered by both states' comparative negligence laws. Although Chambers argue that Missouri's policy is better, that contention is debatable. Furthermore, even if Missouri's policy could be considered better, conflicts analysis should not be used to apply the law of a state that has no interest in having its rule applied. The proper solution in such cases is to change the forum's inferior law. Fuerste v. Bemis, 156 N.W.2d 831, 834 (Iowa 1968). Finally, little significance can be attached to the ease of determining and applying comparative negligence law or to the certainty, predictability and uniformity of result. Both states' laws are easy to determine and apply. Furthermore, because the differences in the law are so minor, there will be few differences in result. Considering the issue and each state's contacts, South Dakota has the most significant relationship to the occurrence and the parties. This Court holds that the forum's comparative negligence law should be applied to a forum's domiciliaries who are involved in an accident in another state. Other courts have reached the same conclusion under each of the modern approaches. [10] We affirm the trial court's application of South Dakota law and need not reach the issue raised by Dakotah Charter's notice of review. ZINTER, Circuit Judge, for AMUNDSON, J., disqualified. WUEST, HENDERSON and SABERS, JJ., concur. MILLER, C.J., concurs specially.