Opinion ID: 2218205
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: metzger's duty to a licensee

Text: Although the attractive nuisance doctrine is inapplicable in Wiles' actions, we must examine the dismissal of the actions as a result of the summary judgments that the undisputed facts, and inferences from those facts, preclude Metzger's liability as a matter of law. From the undisputed evidence presented to the district court, it was an established fact that Mark and Michael Wiles had been to the Metzger cave on occasions before the fatal night. Persons other than the Wiles boys had also ventured into the cave in the past. Although the trial court and counsel seemed relatively sure about the location of some landmarks on the Metzger property, we are not quite as certain about those important features in Wiles' cases. While there is some mention of keep out and no trespassing signs regarding the Metzger land, nothing locates those signs in relation to the boys' route to the cave. In fact, the path taken by the boys en route to the cave is unknown. Deputy Baldassano offered no testimony on the location of the boys' car. Without the specific location of the boys' parked car, we cannot begin to ascertain the boys' route from their car to the Metzger cave. Did the boys follow the same route taken by Baldassano in his course to the cave? If so, there were no signs for exclusion of the boys from the Metzger property. Moreover, the record fails to disclose whether the fence mentioned by Baldassano was a complete perimeter fence notwithstanding Baldassano's testimony that he crawled over a fence and later recalled a fence gate somewhere on the Metzger land. Perhaps counsel's thorough familiarity with the setting contains the locative information, but the record does not. In the state of the record, it is a reasonable inference that the boys parked their car somewhere on the gravel road north of the cave and simply walked south across the adjacent Metzger tract without encountering a fence or observing any sign of the type mentioned in Baldassano's testimony. For that matter, while Metzgers may have posted signs on the premises before the night of the accident, nothing indicates that the signs were actually posted at the time when the boys entered the Metzger premises. We derive no certainty from testimony about signs which were possibly nonexistent when the boys entered the premises and testimony about fences which may not serve as a barrier for anyone seeking to enter the Metzger land. Mark and Michael Wiles, who were repeat visitors to the Metzger cave, may be characterized and legally classified as licensees in view of the record presented. A licensee may be defined as a person who is privileged to enter or remain upon the premises of another by virtue of the possessor's express or implied consent, but who is not a business visitor. Roan v. Bruckner, 180 Neb. 399, 403, 143 N.W.2d 108, 111 (1966). In Guenther v. Allgire, 228 Neb. 425, 428-29, 422 N.W.2d 782, 785 (1988), this court stated: The duty of [a licensor is] only to refrain from injuring ... a licensee by willful or wanton negligence or designed injury, or to warn him as a licensee of a hidden danger or peril known to the owner but unknown or unobservable by the licensee, who is required to exercise ordinary care.... In order for an action to be willful or wanton, the evidence must prove that a defendant had actual knowledge that a danger existed and that the defendant intentionally failed to act to prevent harm which was reasonably likely to result. The term imparts knowledge and consciousness that injury is likely to result from the act done or the omission to act, and a constructive intention as to the consequences.... To constitute willful negligence the act done or omitted must be intended or must involve such reckless disregard of security and right as to imply bad faith. Wanton negligence has been said to be doing or failing to do an act with reckless indifference to the consequences and with consciousness that the act or omission would probably cause serious injury. (Emphasis in original.) See, also, Garreans v. City of Omaha, 216 Neb. 487, 345 N.W.2d 309 (1984). Considering the evidence in a light most favorable to Wiles, especially the absence of any evidence concerning the boys' route to the cave and existence of warning signs, we may reasonably infer that there was no fence or warning sign on the path taken by the boys. Also, Metzger had actual knowledge that people entered his cave and that the cave's ceiling had occasionally collapsed. Under the circumstances, we cannot state as a matter of law that failure to erect a barrier or warning sign would not support a finding of willful or wanton negligence on the part of Metzger. Consequently, there were material issues of fact, so that Metzger was not entitled to judgments as a matter of law regarding Wiles' claims based on premises liability. Therefore, we affirm the district court's summary judgments that the doctrine of attractive nuisance is inapplicable in Wiles' actions, but we reverse the summary judgments of the district court on the question of the liability concerning the Metzger premises. AFFIRMED IN PART, AND IN PART REVERSED AND REMANDED FOR FURTHER PROCEEDINGS.