Opinion ID: 2143062
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 8

Heading: The Complaint and Summary Judgment

Text: With regard to Sheahan, plaintiffs' third amended complaint contained a wrongful-death claim and a survival claim. Plaintiffs alleged that Sheahan assumed and exercised control over David Swan as Sheahan's employee and servant with regard to the safe and secure handling and storage of David's duty firearm and ammunition. Plaintiffs alleged, inter alia, that David Swan negligently stored his firearm, as well as his ammunition, in a manner that allowed his 13-year-old son to gain access to it; negligently failed to store his firearm in a separate location from the ammunition; negligently failed to childproof the firearm by securing it with a locking device; negligently failed to lock the container in which he stored his firearms; and negligently provided insufficient, as well as inappropriate, firearm instruction to Billy. Plaintiffs alleged that, as a result of one or more of David's negligent acts, Billy accessed David's firearm and bullets, and used the firearm to shoot and kill Josh. In addition, the wrongful death of Josh was proximately caused by David's negligence in the course of his employment as a deputy Cook County sheriff, while motivated to serve Sheahan's interests and the terms of David's employment. Plaintiffs asserted that Sheahan was vicariously liable for David's negligent acts and/or omissions in the scope of his employment as an officer of the Cook County sheriff's office, both at common law and pursuant to statute. Sheahan moved for summary judgment on the ground that the shooting did not occur within the course and scope of David's employment as a Department of Corrections officer, that Sheahan owed no duty to Josh, and that the storage of the gun was at most a condition and not the cause of the shooting. In the alternative, Sheahan argued that if the court determined that David's storage of the gun was within the course and scope of David's employment, Sheahan was immune from suit pursuant to sections 2-109, 2-201, and 2-204 of the Local Governmental and Governmental Employees Tort Immunity Act (745 ILCS 10/2-109, 2-201, 2-204 (West 2000)). In addressing Sheahan's motion for summary judgment, the trial court held that Sheahan's arguments concerning weapon storage and scope of employment presented questions of fact sufficient to preclude summary judgment. However, the trial court found that the issue of whether Sheahan owed a duty to protect Josh from the criminal acts of Billy was dispositive. The trial court noted that Billy had been convicted of involuntary manslaughter and reckless discharge of a firearm, and had been adjudicated a delinquent minor. Citing Estate of Johnson v. Condell Memorial Hospital, 119 Ill.2d 496, 117 Ill.Dec. 47, 520 N.E.2d 37 (1988), the trial court noted that Illinois law does not impose a duty to protect another from a criminal attack by a third person unless the criminal attack is reasonably foreseeable and the parties have a special relationship. The trial court held that Sheahan and Josh had no special relationship that would impose a duty on Sheahan to protect Josh from Billy's criminal act. The trial court further held that even if Sheahan, through his agent David Swan, owed a duty to Josh, there was no proximate cause because the cause of harm to Josh was not reasonably foreseeable. The trial court therefore entered summary judgment in favor of Sheahan. With regard to Beretta, plaintiffs' third amended complaint contained claims for product liability design defect, negligent design, failure to warn, and breach of the implied warranty of merchantability. Specifically, plaintiffs alleged that the Beretta was inherently dangerous and defective because it did not incorporate safety features, including: a magazine disconnect safety that would prevent the gun from being fired if the magazine is removed; an effective chamber-loaded indicator to make users aware of when a bullet is loaded into the gun's chamber; and other safety devices such as a built-in lock, a child-resistant manual safety, a grip safety, and personalized gun technology that would have prevented unauthorized users, such as children, from firing the gun. Plaintiffs also alleged that the gun was defective because it did not include adequate warnings concerning the foreseeable use of the gun by unauthorized persons, including children. Plaintiffs asserted that the defects included a failure to warn that: the gun may be loaded and can be fired even if the magazine is empty or disconnected from the gun; that the gun is loaded when there is red showing on the extractor; that the gun is loaded when the extractor is protruding; that the gun can be fired by children and other unauthorized users; that the gun automatically loads bullet cartridges into the gun's chamber after being fired or after the gun is released from a lockback position; and that the gun should not be used or stored without additional safety devices. In its summary judgment motion, Beretta argued that its product was not unreasonably dangerous, and that the Beretta 92FS performed as safely as ordinary consumers of firearms would expect. Beretta also argued that it had no duty to warn because the dangers of pointing a firearm at another human being and pulling the trigger are open and obvious. Finally, Beretta contended that Billy's actions were an intervening and superceding cause. The trial court granted Beretta's motion in its entirety, based upon the record and for all the reasons stated by Defendant Beretta and all relevant law.