Opinion ID: 2268228
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: to protect them against unreasonable risk of physical harm....

Text: (2) An innkeeper is under a similar duty to his guests. (3) A possessor of land who holds it open to the public is under a similar duty to members of the public who enter in response to his invitation. (4) One who is required by law to take or who voluntarily takes the custody of another under circumstance such as to deprive the other of his normal opportunities for protection is under a similar duty to the other. RESTATEMENT (SECOND) OF TORTS § 314A (1965) [10] ; see Southland Corp. v. Griffith, 332 Md. 704, 719, 633 A.2d 84, 91 (1993). While this list was not intended to provide an exhaustive or inclusive description of the relationships between two parties such that it might give rise to a duty, a review of our previous cases reveals that the type of relationships where we have found such a duty require an element of dependence not present in the case sub judice. See, e.g., Todd v. MTA, 373 Md. 149, 165, 816 A.2d 930, 939 (2003) (finding that an employee of a common carrier has a legal duty to take affirmative action for the aid or protection of a passenger under attack by another passenger); Southland, 332 Md. at 720, 633 A.2d at 91 (finding that a convenience store, through its employee and by virtue of special relationship between the business and its customers, owed a legal duty to a customer being assaulted in store parking lot to call the police for assistance when requested to do so). While we have permitted some flexibility in defining this limited exception, such as including the employer-to-employee relationship and also that of the business owner-to-patron, we have been careful not to expand this class of special relationships in such a manner as to impose broad liability for every group outing. In the case sub judice, there is no relationship of dependance between Remsburg Sr. and the Montgomerys sufficient to establish a duty to protect. The fact that Remsburg Sr. had a history of interactions with the Montgomery family regarding hunting rights and work arrangements does not make Charles or Brian Montgomery dependent upon Remsburg Sr. for protection against the negligent acts of third parties. The Montgomerys, as the landowners, had complete control of their property and chose to hunt upon it. The Montgomerys contend that they lacked even the knowledge that the Remsburgs intended to hunt on the property that morning. Thus, there clearly was no dependence upon Remsburg Sr. to protect the Montgomerys from the negligent acts of other hunters. Remsburg Sr.'s presence on the neighboring Payne property did not affect the Montgomerys' control of their property.