Opinion ID: 2612437
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Case Law on the Duty of a Possessor of Land Toward His Invitee

Text: In the present case, if the possessor had performed the electrical work himself and done so negligently, he would be liable to his invitee. Because the duty to put and maintain the land in a safe condition is not delegable, under the Restatement rule the possessor is liable for the negligent work of the independent contractor to whom he entrusted repair of his premises. This result is consistent with the larger body of law regarding the duties of a possessor of land toward his invitees. The landowner's duty to his invitee is one of due care under all circumstances to make the premises safe. This duty would be seriously undermined if the possessor of land could escape liability merely by delegating it to an independent contractor. A long line of cases supports the principle that a possessor of land is accountable for the negligent failure of an independent contractor to put or maintain buildings or structures thereon in reasonably safe condition. See, e.g., Little Rock Land Co. v. Raper, 245 Ark. 641, 433 S.W.2d 836, 842 (1968); Knell v. Morris, 39 Cal.2d 450, 247 P.2d 352, 355 (1952); Brown v. George Pepperdine Found., 23 Cal.2d 256, 143 P.2d 929, 930 (1943); O'Gan v. King City Joint Union High School, 3 Cal. App.3d 641, 83 Cal. Rptr. 795, 797 (1970); Connolly, 105 N.W. at 401; Wilkinson, 41 N.W. at 494; Mayer v. Fairlawn Jewish Center, 38 N.J. 549, 186 A.2d 274, 277 (1962); Great American Indem. Co. v. Deatherage, 175 Okl. 28, 52 P.2d 827, 830-31 (1936). We see no reason to depart from this settled principle. We join the courts of other jurisdictions that have decided in similar cases to apply the rule in section 422(b) and hold a possessor of land liable for the negligence of his independent contractor. See, e.g., Patton v. Spa Lady, Inc., 772 P.2d 1082 (Alaska 1989) (employer of independent contractor held liable for injuries resulting from electrical shock from a negligently installed outlet); Pappas v. Carson, 50 Cal. App.3d 261, 123 Cal. Rptr. 343 (1975) (possessor held liable for damages resulting from a fire caused by the independent contractor's negligence in electrical rewiring); West End Corp. v. Royals, 450 So.2d 420 (Miss. 1984) (developer held liable for damage caused by flooding from negligently constructed drainage ditch); Thomassen v. J. & K. Diner, Inc., 152 A.D.2d 421, 549 N.Y.S.2d 416 (App.Div. 1989), appeal dismissed, 76 N.Y.2d 771, 559 N.Y.S.2d 979, 559 N.E.2d 673 (1990) (vicarious liability for negligence of independent contractor in constructing a staircase may be imposed on landowner when invitee injured by fall on defective staircase). We further believe that many of the policies set forth in Koepke apply with equal force in the circumstances of a section 422(b) case. While it is true that the rule of vicarious liability often seems harsh, it is also true that the possessor bargains for repairs from the independent contractor, receives the primary benefit of the repairs, and assumes the duty to make the premises safe by holding them open to invitees. It is often said that a landowner may not be held as the insurer of his invitee's safety. We agree with the court in Koepke that this principle goes to the fact that absent negligence in the performance of a duty, whether performed by the landowner or delegated to another, a landowner may not be held liable. Our decision today does no violence to this principle. In addition, from a risk allocation perspective, it seems just to place responsibility with the landowner, who is in the best position to select a competent and solvent contractor, can insure against the risk, and can further insist that the contractor indemnify him for any losses occasioned by the latter's negligence. Further, the landowner can retain sufficient control over his contractor's employment and performance to monitor safety procedures and minimize the risk of negligent performance. Finally, we believe that subsections (a) and (b), when applied together, support the policy goals of public safety and employer responsibility that our tort law seeks to further. For the above reasons, we adopt Restatement § 422(b) without qualification with respect to the liability of a possessor of land for the negligence of his independent contractor when such negligence results in injury to an invitee.