Opinion ID: 2334723
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: Negligence Claim Against IPC

Text: Although a contract may not generally be the source of a tort duty by one of the contract parties to a third party, Missouri law recognizes an exception in situations involving the safety of other persons. In Wolfmeyer v. Otis Elevator Co., 262 S.W.2d 18, 21 (Mo.1953) [13] , the Court stated: The contract is of interest to us because it shows what defendant undertook to do. Some of the things defendant undertook to do were such as might affect the safety of third persons, including plaintiff. And in doing the things which the defendant knew or should have known affecting the safety of third persons, defendant had a duty to such third persons to do carefully what it undertook to do. A security company assumes such a duty when it enters into a security contract. Brown, 679 S.W.2d at 309; see also Erickson v. Curtis Investment Co., 447 N.W.2d 165, 170 (Minn.1989) (security company liable because it undertook for another to perform a duty owed by the other to a third person); Jones v. Tokhi, 193 Wis.2d 514, 535 N.W.2d 46 (App.1995); Professional Sports, Inc. v. Gillette Security, Inc., 159 Ariz. 218, 766 P.2d 91 (App.1988); Restatement (Second) of Torts s. 324A. The existence of a duty will turn on the terms of the contract and the circumstances. Id. [T]he proper inquiry is simply whether the defendant has assumed a duty to exercise reasonable care to prevent foreseeable harm to the plaintiff. Eaves Brooks Costume Company Inc. v. Y.B.H. Realty Corp., 76 N.Y.2d 220, 557 N.Y.S.2d 286, 556 N.E.2d 1093, 1096 (1990). The provisions of the contract, as well as portions of the training manual and the policy and procedures manual, as indicated above, clearly set out IPC's general duty to exercise reasonable care to prevent foreseeable harm to plaintiff, Eaves Brooks, 557 N.Y.S.2d 286, 556 N.E.2d at 1096, and this general duty is sufficient to support plaintiff's claim. In this case, however, a more specific duty is alleged when A.G. approached two separate IPC guards, to seek help for L.A.C., to no avail. A security company has a duty to take reasonable measures to protect business invitees if the company or officer is notified of a specific danger to a business invitee. In such a case, the first special circumstances exception applies. When a criminal episode on the premises has begun to unfold and the possessor or his employees are, or should be, aware of it, the issue of foreseeability disappears. It would seem logical that the possessor would then owe entrants a duty of reasonable care under the circumstances. The Law of Premises Liability sec. 11.11.