Opinion ID: 884980
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Police officer's duty to protect an individual for whom he or she has voluntarily undertaken to provide some service

Text: ¶ 36 In his brief to the District Court, Stephen relied upon Stewart v. Standard Publishing Co. (1936), 102 Mont. 43, 55 P.2d 694, as support for his argument that Officer Driscoll owed Trina a special duty to protect her because he took affirmative steps to prevent Trina from driving and to ensure her safety in reaching her home. In Stewart, the plaintiff brought a negligence action to recover damages for injuries she sustained after falling on the icy sidewalk abutting the defendant's place of business. The plaintiff conceded that the city had the initial duty to maintain the sidewalk, but alleged the defendant assumed this duty when it undertook to remove the ice and snow from the sidewalk. We agreed. We applied the established rule that: [W]here a person undertakes to do an act or discharge a duty by which the conduct of another may be properly regulated and governed, he is bound to perform it in such a manner that those who are rightfully led to a course of conduct or action on the faith that the act or duty will be properly performed shall not suffer loss or injury by reason of negligent failure so to perform it. Stewart, 102 Mont. at 50, 55 P.2d at 696. ¶ 37 The above rule echos the long-standing principle of tort law that one who assumes to act, even though gratuitously, may thereby become subject to the duty of acting carefully, if he acts at all. Speiser, supra, § 9:22 at 1140. See also Restatement (Second) of Torts § 323. The rule has been applied in several Montana cases where this Court has imposed a duty of reasonable care in the performance of an undertaking. See Jackson v. State (1998), 287 Mont. 473, 490, 956 P.2d 35, 46 (holding that adoption agency assumed a duty to refrain from making negligent misrepresentations when it began volunteering information to potential adoptive parents); Kopischke v. First Continental Corp. (1980), 187 Mont. 471, 481-82, 610 P.2d 668, 673-74(holding that retail dealer who undertook to repair and recondition a used truck for resale owed a duty to the public to use reasonable care in the making of tests for the purpose of detecting defects and in the making of repairs necessary to render the truck reasonably safe for use upon the public highways); Sult v. Scandrett (1947), 119 Mont. 570, 573-77, 178 P.2d 405, 406-07 (holding that seller of cattle assumed a duty to either continue its weighing service, or give reasonable notice of its discontinuance, when he undertook the performance of the weighing service); Vesel v. Jardine Mining Co. (1939), 110 Mont. 82, 92, 100 P.2d 75, 80 (holding that employer who gratuitously assumed to render medical services to injured employee, though no duty to do so was imposed by statute or contract, was bound to exercise reasonable care in performance of such services). ¶ 38 Stephen contends that the rule in Stewart applies to the instant case. He argues that while Officer Driscoll may not have initially owed Trina a duty to protect her from harm, Officer Driscoll assumed this duty when he prevented Trina from driving her vehicle and kept a close eye on her from his car to ensure that she did not attempt to drive. We agree. The uncontroverted facts show that Officer Driscoll knew Trina had been drinking and thought there was a possibility she might be impaired. He thought it unwise for Trina to drive home given the icy conditions and her possible impairment. He directed Trina to park her vehicle and told her that she and Stephen could either walk home or he would give them a ride. After Trina indicated she would call a friend for a ride, Officer Driscoll circled the block three times to ensure that Trina did not drive home. We conclude, as a matter of law, that by taking these affirmative steps to ensure Trina's safety, Officer Driscoll assumed a duty to protect Trina from harm. ¶ 39 Although we agree with the application of Stewart to this case, an analysis concerning legal duty is incomplete without a discussion of foreseeability. See Busta v. Columbus Hosp. Corp. (1996), 276 Mont. 342, 916 P.2d 122. In Busta, we held that absent foreseeability, there is no duty.... Busta, 276 Mont. at 363, 916 P.2d at 134 (citation omitted). We conclude that the foreseeability component of duty does not weigh against the existence of a duty in this case. Given the fact that Trina had been drinking, was headed for a busy street, and was alone, coupled with the icy conditions, the frigid temperature, and the darkness, any negligent exercise of Officer Driscoll's actions in ensuring Trina's safety involved a foreseeable risk of harm to Trina. ¶ 40 Having concluded, as a matter of law, that Officer Driscoll assumed a duty to protect Trina from harm, the question now becomes whether Officer Driscoll breached that duty, or in other words, whether Officer Driscoll failed to exercise reasonable care in his undertaking. Ordinarily, breach of a legal duty to exercise reasonable care is a question of fact for the jury. Smith v. Kerns (1997), 281 Mont. 114, 117, 931 P.2d 717, 719. Thus, summary disposition of this case is improper. We hold that the District Court erred in granting the County's summary judgment motion on Stephen's negligence claim.