Opinion ID: 3064734
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: State Law Torts

Text: Plaintiffs next allege that Bennett’s lecture to the students constituted intentional infliction of emotional distress. The elements of a prima facie case of intentional infliction of emotional distress in California are: ‘(1) extreme and outrageous conduct by the defendant with the intention of causing, or reckless disregard of the probability of causing, emotional distress; (2) the plaintiff’s suffering severe or extreme emotional distress; and (3) actual and proximate causation of the emotional distress by the defendant’s outrageous conduct.’ Tekle v. United States, 511 F.3d 839, 855 (9th Cir. 2007) (as amended) (quoting Davidson v. City of Westminster, 32 Cal. 3d 197, 209 (1982)) (internal quotation omitted). “Outrageous” conduct is that which is “so extreme as to exceed all bounds of that usually tolerated in a civilized community.” Tekle, 511 F.3d at 856. Bennett’s statements in warning the students of the real consequences of their continued violation of laws he did not write was not extreme and outrageous conduct. The Plaintiffs’ own expert report states that “[p]art of an educator’s responsibility is to use the decisions made by students as a powerful learning opportunity to ensure that decisions made later in life 6482 CORALES v. BENNETT are more thoughtful.” Here, Bennett was faced with the task of disciplining Anthony, an almost fifteen year-old student who had already been placed on probation for possessing a knife at school and who faced a three year sentence in juvenile hall for a probation violation. His stern warning, while perhaps unduly harsh, was not extreme and outrageous.12 Under these circumstances, a decision by this court that exposes an administrator to liability for sternly warning students of the consequences of their continued actions would severely handicap his or her ability to set children back on the correct path. This is especially true during the critical middle school years. [22] Plaintiffs cite examples of ostensibly similar behavior that was found to be extreme and outrageous. But these cases are inapplicable, as each relied on the defendant’s intent to harm the threatened party. See, e.g., Alcorn v. Anbro Engineering, Inc., 2 Cal.3d 493, 498 (1970) (supervisor shouting insulting racial epithets and terminating employment to humiliate plaintiff); Golden v. Dungan, 20 Cal.App.3d 295, 305 (Ct. App. 1971) (process server knowingly and maliciously banging on door at midnight); Agarwal v. Johnson, 25 Cal.3d 932, 947 (1979) (use of racial epithet used with intention to humiliate and recommendation of termination of employee on unsupported grounds), overruled on other grounds by White v. Ultramar, Inc., 21 Cal.4th 563, 574 n.4 (1999). In contrast, Plaintiffs have established no evidence to suggest that Bennett was motivated by ill will or a desire to harm the students. Plaintiffs have also not shown that the “scared” feelings the students felt were measurably different than those they claimed they had before meeting with Bennett. See supra note 8. Accordingly, we affirm the district court’s grant of summary judgment to Defendants as to the claim for intentional infliction of emotional distress. 12 Plaintiffs’ reliance on the statements of district educators and administrators, who opined that if the students’ version of events were true then Bennett’s statements were “inappropriate,” does not alter this conclusion. CORALES v. BENNETT 6483
Plaintiffs’ final cause of action is for negligence. Plaintiffs argue that Defendants’ conduct negligently caused Anthony’s suicide. Under California law, “[t]he elements of negligence are: (1) defendant’s obligation to conform to a certain standard of conduct for the protection of others against unreasonable risks (duty); (2) failure to conform to that standard (breach of the duty); (3) a reasonably close connection between the defendant’s conduct and resulting injuries (proximate cause); and (4) actual loss (damages).” McGarry v. Sax, 158 Cal.App.4th 983, 994 (Ct. App. 2008) (internal quotations omitted). Defendants argue that Anthony’s suicide was an intervening cause that broke the chain of causation, negating the element of proximate cause. Generally, an act is an intervening cause where it is unforeseeable or extraordinary. See Maupin v. Widling, 192 Cal.App.3d 568, 571 (Ct. App. 1987). Plaintiffs cannot show that Bennett’s harsh lecture proximately caused Anthony’s death. Plaintiffs rely on Tate v. Canonica, 180 Cal.App.2d 898 (Ct. App. 1960). In that case, the California Court of Appeal allowed a widow and her children to overcome a demurrer where her deceased husband allegedly committed suicide after the defendants harassed, embarrassed, and humiliated him in the presence of others. Id. at 900. The Tate case primarily addressed situations in which the defendant intended to cause serious mental distress to the decedent, which is inapplicable here. The Tate case also addresses negligent acts that are the proximate cause of suicide, however, setting up a distinction between situations in which the decedent can control the impulse to commit suicide, and when he cannot control that impulse: “where the negligent wrong only causes a mental condition in which the injured person is able to realize the nature of the act of suicide and has the power to control it if he so desires, the act then becomes an independent intervening force and the wrongdoer cannot be held liable for the death.” Id. at 915. 6484 CORALES v. BENNETT [23] Although Plaintiffs’ expert report opines on the cause of Anthony’s suicide, attributing it, through the process of elimination, to Bennett’s actions, the report does not give an opinion regarding whether Anthony had an uncontrollable impulse to commit suicide. Anthony attended classes after his meeting with Bennett, spoke with Annette and his mother, and wrote a detailed suicide note before committing suicide. Thus, the record seems to show he had the opportunity to appreciate the nature of his actions. Plaintiffs have failed to establish proximate causation between Bennett’s statements and Anthony’s suicide. Plaintiffs confuse this issue by arguing that the causation finding supported by their experts show that Anthony’s death was foreseeable. This argument ignores the purpose of proximate causation, which seeks to avoid hindsight bias by limiting causation to those results which were foreseeable at the time of the action. Because Anthony’s action in committing suicide was unforeseeable and extraordinary, plaintiffs have failed to raise a triable issue of fact as to the element of proximate cause. We affirm the district court’s grant of summary judgment to Defendants as to the negligence claim.