Opinion ID: 1429255
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Utah Case Law

Text: AMS argues that Utah case law also imposes a duty of care on Mag Corp in this case. AMS cites several cases that it claims support its view. However, these cases are inapplicable in this case. Most of these are immediately distinguishable because they refer to the duty of care imposed upon owners of irrigation canals or ditches. See Dougherty v. California-Pacific Util. Co., 546 P.2d 880 (Utah 1976); Erickson v. Bennion, 28 Utah 2d 371, 503 P.2d 139 (1972); Jensen v. Davis & Weber Counties Canal Co., 44 Utah 10, 137 P. 635 (1913); Lisonbee v. Monroe Irr. Co., 18 Utah 343, 54 P. 1009 (1898). These ditches and canals were not created to alleviate flood conditions but rather were created by the defendants to manipulate the normal flow of water for commercial purposes. Consequently, these cases are irrelevant for our purposes. The other Utah case to which AMS refers is somewhat more applicable, but not much. In McKell v. Spanish Fork City, 6 Utah 2d 92, 305 P.2d 1097 (1957), a landowner brought suit against the city of Spanish Fork after flood waters damaged the landowner's property. When it became apparent that a flood was coming, the city determined to enlarge the bed of the Spanish Fork River to contain the imminent flow of water and to raise a dike to keep water from damaging city-owned properties. When the flood actually arrived, its magnitude was far beyond anything that reasonably might have been anticipated even for a flood. Id., 305 P.2d at 1100. The water diverted by the dike flowed onto the plaintiff's property, damaging it. This court cautioned against obstructing the flow of a natural water course (e.g., a river) by negligently constructing protective devices. In the end, however, the court held that the city was not liable to the landowner because of the exceptional circumstances created by the flood: The rule ... which allows the owner of lands threatened by the waters of an extraordinary flood to erect defensive barriers without liability to adjoining landowners whose lands may be damaged thereby, is supported not only by the weight of authority but by sound reasoning as well. To impose liability for such damage would be to leave property holders to the mercy of the elements and compel surrender to the force of rampant waters. Id. The cases relied upon by AMS, therefore, are either inapplicable or they support the view that Mag Corp should be relieved of any duty to AMS in this case.