Opinion ID: 1202431
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: duty to provide security

Text: Gordon's first argument is that Alaska Pacific had a duty to use reasonable care to provide adequate security at Snyder Park to protect its guests. The Restatement (Second) of Torts § 344 (1965) states: A possessor of land who holds it open to the public for entry for his business purposes is subject to liability to members of the public while they are upon the land for such a purpose, for physical harm caused by the accidental, negligent, or intentionally harmful acts of third persons or animals, and by the failure of the possessor to exercise reasonable care to (a) discover that such acts are being done or are likely to be done, or (b) give a warning adequate to enable the visitors to avoid the harm, or otherwise to protect them against it. The duty of reasonable care includes a duty to provide security forces on premises when necessary to protect the public from foreseeable harm. Since the possessor is not an insurer of the visitor's safety, he is ordinarily under no duty to exercise any care until he knows or has reason to know that the acts of the third person are occurring, or are about to occur. He may, however, know or have reason to know, from past experience, that there is a likelihood of conduct on the part of third persons in general which is likely to endanger the safety of the visitor, even though he has no reason to expect it on the part of any particular individual. If the place or character of his business, or his past experience, is such that he should reasonably anticipate careless or criminal conduct on the part of third persons, either generally or at some particular time, he may be under a duty to take precautions against it, and to provide a reasonably sufficient number of servants to afford a reasonable protection. Id. comment f (emphasis added). See Ollison v. Weinberg Racing Ass'n, 688 P.2d 847, 849-52 (Or. App. 1984); see also Carlson v. State, 598 P.2d 969 (Alaska 1979) (landowner has duty of reasonable care to maintain property in reasonably safe physical condition); Webb v. City and Borough of Sitka, 561 P.2d 731 (Alaska 1977). Alaska Pacific does not argue that it was not a possessor of Snyder Park when it hosted the party there. In our view a jury question is presented as to whether Alaska Pacific should have reasonably anticipated altercations among its guests. If the answer to that question is in the affirmative, the jury could find that Alaska Pacific failed to take reasonable precautions which would have prevented harm to Gordon. The jury could find a duty to anticipate outbreaks of violence on the following facts. There was a large crowd of people to whom large quantities of free liquor were given. No effort was made to limit dispensation of alcohol to those apparently sober. One of the activities was a dance, where jealousies, proposals for sexual transactions, and social slights might play a motivational role. Alaska Pacific argues that AS 04.21.020 relieves it of liability to Gordon. [5] That section exempts from civil liability a person who does not hold a liquor license who furnishes liquor to an intoxicated person who, as a result of his intoxication, injures a third party. This is in general accordance with the majority rule at common law. Fruit v. Schreiner, 502 P.2d 133, 142-43 (Alaska 1972) (rule recognized, but not explicitly adopted or followed). We conclude that the rule of exemption has no application to this case. Gordon's claim is not that Alaska Pacific is liable because it served people who were intoxicated. His claim is that Alaska Pacific had a duty to provide protection, knowing, among other things, that intoxicated people would be on the premises. The source of the intoxicants is not critical to this theory. See D'Amico v. Christie, 518 N.E.2d 896, 899-900 (N.Y. 1987).