Opinion ID: 2332619
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: The Claim Against LaRose Individually

Text: Finally, Ruzzo contends that the motion justice erroneously granted summary judgment in favor of Douglas LaRose (LaRose), the president of LaRose Enterprises, the corporation that operatedTaylor. Ruzzo named LaRose in his individual capacity, alleging that LaRose participated in the negligent inspection and maintenance of the snake, and was therefore personally liable for Ruzzo's injuries. Specifically, Ruzzo objected to summary judgment on the grounds that a dispute existed concerning the extent of LaRose's participation, and as a consequence, summary judgment was precluded as a matter of law. We disagree. In regard to the personal liability of an officer or director of a corporation for injuries to third persons arising out of the conduct of other employees, we have recognized that [a]n officer or a director of a corporation is not, merely as a result of his standing as such, personally liable for torts of corporate employees; to incur responsibility he must ordinarily be shown to have in some way participated in or directed the tortious act.  (Emphasis added.) Banks v. Bowens Landing Corp., 652 A.2d 461, 463 (R.I.1995) (quoting W. A. Harrington, Annotation, Personal Civil Liability of Officer or Director of Corporation for Negligence of Subordinate Corporate Employee Causing Personal Injury or Death of Third Person, 90 A.L.R.3d 916, § 2 (1979)). In the case at bar, the motion justice, after examining the evidence, concluded that there was no evidence to support a finding that LaRose participated in the inspection and maintenance of the snake. LaRose submitted an affidavit stating that as a general practice, he did not participate in the inspection and maintenance of power snakes at the time Taylor entered into the lease with Ruzzo in 1994. Further, he stated that to his knowledge, he neither inspected the snake nor performed any repairs on it. In turn, with the lone exception of an answer to an interrogatory in which LaRose stated that any number of people inspected and performed maintenance work on the snake, including himself, Ruzzo presented no other evidence that LaRose participated in the inspection and maintenance of this particular snake. In light of this factual background, we agree with the motion justice and conclude that Ruzzo did not meethis burden of proving by competent evidence that LaRose participated in the inspection and maintenance of the snake in question, and therefore summary judgment was appropriate.