Opinion ID: 2013455
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: failure to abate a public nuisance as analogous to negligence per se

Text: [30] ¶ 43. As noted earlier, we conclude that for the purposes of comparing and apportioning responsibility, and determining contribution among culpable parties, when all of the elements necessary to establish liability for maintaining a public nuisance have been affirmatively proven, a defendant's failure to abate a public nuisance is analogous to negligence per se. We emphasize that this case comes before the court on review of the circuit court's summary judgment decision. We previously concluded that the circuit court correctly decided that the hazardous condition constituted a public nuisance as a matter of law, and that each defendant had actual or constructive notice of the public nuisance. The remaining element, causation, however, is not appropriately decided on summary judgment here because disputed reasonable inferences remain. The issue of causation remains a question for the jury, so all elements necessary to prove liability for maintaining a public nuisance are not affirmatively decided in this case. We conclude, however, that if causation is established at trial, for the purposes of comparing and apportioning responsibility and determining contribution among the culpable parties, each defendant's failure to abate the public nuisance would be analogous to negligence per se.