Opinion ID: 2117209
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 11

Heading: Comparing Molachek's fault.

Text: Kirby contends that the trial court erred in ruling that Molachek's fault would not be compared with that of Urie and Kirby. The trial court submitted the case to the jury to attribute the negligence of Uric and Kirby under the statute that was in effect at the time of McLean's rape: Contributory negligence does not bar recovery in an action by any person or his legal representative to recover damages for negligence resulting in death or in injury to a person or property, if such negligence was not as great as the negligence of the person against whom recovery is sought, but any damages allowed must be diminished in proportion to the amount of negligence attributable to the person recovering. The court may, and when requested by either party shall, direct the jury to find separate special verdicts determining the amount of damages and the percentage of negligence attributable to each party; and the court shall then reduce the amount of such damages in proportion to the amount of negligence attributable to the person recovering. When there are two or more persons who are jointly liable, contributions to awards must be in proportion to the percentage of negligence attributable to each; provided, however, that each shall remain jointly and severally liable for the whole award. Upon the request of any party, this section must be readby the court to the jury and the attorneysrepresenting the parties may comment to the jury regarding this section. NDCC 9-10-07. This section addresses only negligence and does not authorize or require a diminution in the amount of damages awarded to an injured party by any amount that might be attributable to another person's non-negligent, intentional, and criminal act. So, under NDCC 9-10-07, Molachek's criminal act could not be compared with the negligence of Urie and Kirby to reduce McLean's recovery. Legislation enacted in 1987 directs comparison of fault, rather than comparison of negligence, and it includes within fault both negligence and reckless or willful conduct. NDCC 32-03.2-02. That statute, however, applies only to claims accruing after July 8, 1987. Butz v. Werner, 438 N.W.2d 509, 516 (N.D.1989). Because NDCC 32-03.2-02 is inapplicable, Molachek's criminal act may not be compared with the negligence of Urie and Kirby to reduce McLean's recovery. In Mauch v. Manufacturers Sales & Serv., Inc., 345 N.W.2d 338 (N.D.1984), we held that NDCC 9-10-07 was not applicable in a products liability suit under the doctrine explained in Restatement (2d) of Torts § 402A. We did, however, adopt comparative causation as a method of balancing a plaintiff's and a defendant's concurring causes of injury: However, in view of the Legislature's acceptance of comparative-negligence principles as demonstrated by its enactment of Section 9-10-07, N.D.C.C., and in following a course which we believe is most fair and just to all parties, we hold that where an unreasonably dangerous defect of a product and the plaintiff's assumption of risk or unforeseeable misuse of the product are concurring proximate causes of the injury suffered, the trier of fact must compare those concurring causes to determine the respective percentages by which each contributed. (Citations omitted.) We further hold that the comparison of causations under a products-liability claim should be on a pure comparative-causation basis, unlike the statutory scheme of modified comparative negligence under Section 9-10-07, N.D.C.C. Thus the plaintiff's misuse of the product will reduce the recovery by the percentage of damage attributable to the misuse but, even though equal to or greater than the causation attributable to the defective condition of the product, will not act as a total bar to the plaintiff's claim. 345 N.W.2d at 348. In Day v. General Motors Corp., 345 N.W.2d 349 (N.D.1984), we reached a similar conclusion that causes should be compared between a manufacturer and a user. Kirby contends that [i]n order to determine the amount owed by Kirby to McLean, if any, it was necessary for the jury to assign relative percentages of fault to Molachek, Uric and Kirby. Kirby argues that NDCC 32-03.2-02 further reflects the legislature's acceptance of fault comparison... identified ... in ... Mauch and Day ; and that, under Mauch and Day, the fault of Molachek, Uric and Kirby should, in fairness and justice to all the parties, be compared. We disagree. Mauch and Day are inapposite. We adopted comparative causation in those cases as a way of adjusting damage liability when a manufacturer and a consumer in a products liability action were both at faultwhere an unreasonably dangerous defect in the defendant's product and the plaintiff's assumption of risk or unforeseeable misuse of the defendant's unreasonably dangerous defective product were concurring proximate causes of the injury suffered by the plaintiff. Here, no one has suggested that McLean was in any way responsible for her injury. There is no reason to apply Mauch and Day to reduce McLean's recovery. Kirby argues that the fault of Molachek... should, in fairness and justice ... be compared with that of Urie and Kirby. We do not agree. The negligence of Urie and Kirby placed Molachek in McLean's apartment, thereby enabling Molachek to rape McLean. It does not strike us as fair or just that McLean's recovery should be diminished by allowing Kirby to have its liability reduced by any relative percentage[] of fault that a jury might attribute to Molachek, who did not appear in the action and who was in McLean's apartment on behalf of Urie and Kirby and as a result of their negligence. Relying on Horejsi v. Anderson, 353 N.W.2d 316 (N.D.1984), Kirby contends that Molachek's fault was imputed to Urie and was released when McLean entered into a settlement agreement with Urie. In Horejsi, this court held that a plaintiff's release of a servant also released the servant's masters from any liability based upon respondeat superior. The plaintiff's negligent hiring claim against the masters was pending and not involved in the Horejsi decision. Horejsi dealt with vicarious liability. This case involves direct, not vicarious, liability. We are not persuaded by Kirby's argument that we should extend Horejsi and rule that the release of Urie released Molachek. Urie's liability to McLean, but for the settlement, would have been based upon respondeat superior, a vicarious liability, and negligent hiring, a direct liability. Kirby's liability under the doctrine described in Restatement § 413 is a direct liability. We are not persuaded that the release of a master for direct liability based upon the acts of a servant should affect possible direct liability of the one who employs the master as an independent contractor.