Opinion ID: 2823461
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Trip to China

Text: During her freshman year, Cara Munn (“Munn”), then a fifteen‐ year‐old student at the Hotchkiss School (“Hotchkiss”), a private boarding school, decided to participate in a summer program in Tianjin, China, organized by Hotchkiss. The month‐long program immersed students in Chinese language classes and included weekend trips to cultural landmarks. Jean Yu, the school’s Chinese Language and Culture Program Director, served as the trip leader. In preparation for the trip, in March 2007, she sent parents a packet outlining activities and a set of legal forms for the participants and parents to waive legal claims against the school. The packet mentioned a visit to Mount Panshan, referred to by the parties as “Mt. Pan.” The school also sent medical advice for the trip, including a link to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”) webpage and a note that the school’s infirmary could “serve as a travel clinic.” Special App’x 16. The webpage linked to the CDC’s Central America site instead of its China site, however, and the infirmary was unable to provide independent medical advice. Finally, the school sent an itinerary, packing list, and a handbook on international travel. The packing list mentioned 4 No. 14‐2410‐cv bug spray in its “miscellaneous” category, but included no warning about insect‐borne diseases in the section where other health risks were mentioned. On June 23, 2007, while on the trip, the students went for a weekend excursion to the Great Wall and to Mt. Pan. Mt. Pan is a forested mountain. Again, no warnings to wear bug spray were given. Trip leader Yu left her bug spray on the bus. After hiking to the top of the mountain, a group of three or four students, including Munn, decided to hike down, while the others took a cable car. Yu pointed them to the path and said that she would wait for them at the bottom. Munn testified that the students decided to leave the paved path and follow narrow dirt trails instead. The students got lost and walked among trees and through brush. Munn testified at trial that after the trip to Mt. Pan she had many insect bites and an itchy welt on her left arm. Ten days later, she awoke with a headache, a fever, and wooziness. Her condition deteriorated rapidly and she was taken to a local hospital. Munn was then transferred to a Beijing hospital and her parents came from the United States. Severely ill and partially paralyzed, Munn was soon airlifted back to New York. Munn was diagnosed with tick‐borne encephalitis (“TBE”), a viral infectious disease which affects the central nervous system. Because of her illness, Munn lost the ability to speak. At trial, she testified through a machine into which she typed her answers. She has difficulty controlling her facial muscles, causing her to drool. Her mother 5 No. 14‐2410‐cv testified about Munn’s frustration with her inability to speak and stated that Munn experiences “a lot of rejection.” Joint App’x 1191‐92. Munn has also lost some cognitive function, particularly in terms of reading comprehension and math. Still, Munn has managed to live a functional life. She finished high school and attended Trinity College. She can play sports, still travels, and has held summer internships.