Opinion ID: 1596550
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: appellees' contentions for an applicable liability standard

Text: Understandably, the position advanced by Appellees is a plea for application of the doctrine of stare decisis: To establish liability for damage allegedly caused by blasting operations, the burden is upon the Plaintiff to allege and prove that such damage was the result of Defendant's negligence and not the result of blasting conducted in accordance with usual methods and a reasonable standard of care. Mitchell v. Richardson, 277 Ala. 651, 173 So.2d 814 (1964); Vulcan Materials Co. v. Grace, 274 Ala. 653, 151 So.2d 229 (1963); Ledbetter-Johnson Co. v. Hawkins, 267 Ala. 458, 103 So.2d 748 (1958). As a corollary, Appellees urge that strict liability is an unnecessary and unreasonable standard to impose in blasting cases in that: 1) Blasting is a reasonable and necessary activity in developing land, Cratty v. Samuel Aceto & Co., 151 Me. 126, 116 A.2d 623 (1955); 2) Liability without fault is an unreasonable and unnecessarily restrictive doctrine, Klostermann v. Houston Geophysical Co., 315 S.W.2d 664 (Ct.App.Tex.1958); 3) Rylands v. Fletcher, L.R. 3 H.L. 330 (1868), as proposed by Appellants, arguably adopts a negligence standard as opposed to one of strict liability, Toy v. Atlantic Gulf & Pacific Co., 176 Md. 197, 4 A.2d 757 (1939); 4) To apply a standard of liability without fault would amount to judicial legislation, Coalite, Inc. v. Weeks, 284 Ala. 219, 224 So.2d 251 (1969); 5) Proof of negligence is not an unreasonable burden in blasting cases, Crawford Coal Co. v. Stephens, 382 So.2d 536 (Ala.1980).