Opinion ID: 2321640
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Duty Arising Under a Common-Law Tort Theory

Text: Appellants next contend that CRSS, by virtue of the services it undertook and performed under the CQM contract, assumed a duty of care to Presley under a common-law tort theory. [14] See Haynesworth, supra, 645 A.2d at 1097-98. The thrust of appellants' argument is that CRSS assumed a duty of exercising reasonable care in carrying out its contractual obligations that extended to workers on the site, irrespective of whether contractual privity with those workers existed. Specifically, appellants argue that CRSS assumed the duties owed by [the] GSA to [] Presley as controlling employer once CRSS undertook the responsibility pursuant to the CQM contract to monitor labor and safety requirements. However, an examination of our case law demonstrates why appellants' arguments are unpersuasive. [A] defendant is liable to a plaintiff for negligence only when the defendant owes the plaintiff some duty of care. Youssef v. 3636 Corp., 777 A.2d 787, 792 (D.C.2001) (citing Kerrigan v. Britches of Georgetowne, Inc., 705 A.2d 624, 628 (D.C.1997)). [A] determination of whether a duty exists is the result of a variety of considerations and not solely the relationship between the parties. Bd. of Trs. of Univ. of District of Columbia v. DiSalvo, 974 A.2d 868, 871 (D.C.2009). In the absence of contractual privity with an unrelated third party, whether a party should have foreseen that its contractual undertaking was necessary for the protection of the third party is important. See Haynesworth, supra, 645 A.2d at 1098-99. Thus, even in the absence of contractual privity, we still look to the contract to determine the scope of the undertaking as it relates to the protection of the third party. See id. at 1098; Caldwell v. Bechtel, Inc., 203 U.S.App.D.C. 407, 418-19, 631 F.2d 989, 1000-01 (1980). In addition, [t]he existence of a duty is also shaped by considerations of fairness and `results ultimately from policy decisions made by the courts and the legislatures.' DiSalvo, supra, 974 A.2d at 871 n. 2 (quoting Williams v. Baker, 572 A.2d 1062, 1064 (D.C.1990) (en banc)). In our jurisdiction, we have acknowledged that a legal duty arises when a party undertakes to render[ ] services to another which he should recognize as necessary for the protection of a third person or his things. . . . Haynesworth, supra, 645 A.2d at 1097 (quoting RESTATEMENT (SECOND) OF TORTS § 324A (1965)) (internal quotation marks omitted). In Haynesworth, we looked to § 324A, Liability to Third Person for Negligent Performance of Undertaking, of the RESTATEMENT (SECOND) OF TORTS, in determining whether a party who performs services under a contract for one party assumes a duty to an unrelated third party. Id. Section 324A recognizes that: One who undertakes, gratuitously or for consideration, to render services to another which he should recognize as necessary for the protection of a third person or his things, is subject to liability to the third person for physical harm resulting from his failure to exercise reasonable care to protect his undertaking, if (a) his failure to exercise reasonable care increases the risk of such harm, or (b) he has undertaken to perform a duty owed by the other to the third person, or (c) the harm is suffered because of reliance of the other or the third person upon the undertaking. § 324A, RESTATEMENT (SECOND) OF TORTS. In Haynesworth, we determined that a plumber who contracted with the owner to repair a broken pipe in a common area of a building did not assume a duty to warn the management company or the public of the dangerous conditionice in a nearby alleycaused by the broken pipe. 645 A.2d at 1099. We reasoned that neither the contract nor the practice in the plumbing industry extended the plumber's legal obligation beyond repairing the faulty plumbing. Id. at 1098-99. Thus, the plumber could not have foreseen that his undertaking, the fixing of a broken pipe, was necessary for the protection of a passerby such that a legal duty of care would arise to warn third parties. Id. at 1099. In the present case, finding a common-law duty depends primarily on whether CRSS should have recognized that its undertakings pursuant to the CQM contract were necessary for the protection of Presley. See id. at 1098-99. Though appellants' claim is premised upon a tort theory, the CQM contract nevertheless remains central to our analysis of duty, as it defines the scope of the undertaking and the services rendered by CRSS. See id. at 1098; Caldwell, supra, 203 U.S.App.D.C. at 418-19, 631 F.2d at 1000-01. By examining the scope of CRSS' undertaking and services pursuant to the CQM contract, we can then determine whether CRSS assumed a duty to exercise reasonable care in carrying out its contractual obligations that extended to workers such as Presley on the site. We are not persuaded that any evidence shows CRSS should have foreseen that its obligation under the CQM contract to anticipate problems and to monitor safety compliance was  necessary for the protection of Presley. See Haynesworth, supra, 645 A.2d at 1097 (emphasis added) (quoting RESTATEMENT (SECOND) OF TORTS § 324A) (internal quotation marks omitted). The renovation of the main State Department building was a significant undertaking with a broad scope, spanning several years and involving numerous contracting parties to ensure that the contracts were being performed on time and according to specifications. The GSA, through Grimberg, a skilled construction contractor, implemented safety standards and procedures that were to be followed by the construction workers and contractors on the site at all times. In contrast, CRSS undertook to perform only the limited duties of a contract compliance consultant, not the more extensive duties of a safety engineer or general construction manager, and was not required to have safety personnel on site at all times. Cf. Caldwell, supra, 203 U.S.App.D.C. at 412-13, 631 F.2d at 994-95 (finding a duty because the safety engineer was required to develop and ensure compliance with safety procedures, to maintain a constant presence on the job site, and to direct the contractor to correct any unsatisfactory condition); Brady v. Ralph M. Parsons Co., 82 Md.App. 519, 572 A.2d 1115, 1118-19 (1990) (finding a duty because the contract required the construction manager to provide safety engineering services. . . necessary to develop and ensure the application of a uniform system of safety and accident prevention and reporting procedures[,] . . . to provide safety engineering services as required to ensure compliance with . . . applicable guidance[,]. . . [and to] also direct contractors to correct any unsafe acts or conditions that may be detected.). The limited scope of CRSS' undertaking included non-exhaustive and occasional inspections, which ultimately benefitted Presley and the other Grimberg workers. However, these inspections were not the primary means of ensuring that safety precautions were taken at all times. Under the contractual scheme, that was the primary obligation of Grimberg and the other contractors charged with performing the actual construction work. Cf. Brady, supra, 572 A.2d at 1121. Thus, it was not reasonably foreseeable to CRSS that its responsibility under the CQM contract, limited as it was to occasional inspections and reports, was necessary to protect Presley. See Long v. District of Columbia, 261 U.S.App.D.C. 1, 3, 10, 820 F.2d 409, 411, 418 (1987) (holding that PEPCO acquired a duty to foreseeable plaintiffs, traveling members of the general public, by enter[ing] into a contract to perform services within its field of expertise, which included repair of malfunctioning traffic signal controls and notification of the repair or continuing malfunction of this safety equipment); Caldwell, supra, 203 U.S.App.D.C. at 418, 420, 631 F.2d at 1000, 1002 (determining that safety engineer's duty arose from a contractual relationship from which it was foreseeable that a negligent undertaking. . . might injure the appellant, and noting the superior skills of the safety engineer to take steps reasonable under the circumstances to protect appellant from the foreseeable risk of harm. . . .); Brady, supra, 572 A.2d at 1121 (holding that construction manager's duty arose from the notion that one who assumes the contractual obligation to supervise and enforce safety on a multi-employer worksite owes a duty of reasonable care to a worker even though he or she has no contractual privity). Furthermore, policy considerations of fairness counsel against imposing a duty on CRSS where doing so would effectively restructure the contractual relationships and obligations undertaken by the parties. See DiSalvo, supra, 974 A.2d at 871 n. 2. The GSA hired CRSS not as a guarantor, but to monitor the projects and report to the GSA. CRSS' CQM contract with GSA made clear that it was not intended to supplant the obligations of Grimberg, as general contractor, and the other contractors that had operational charge of construction. ([CRSS] is not responsible for and will not have control or charge of construction means, methods, techniques, sequences or procedures; safety programs or procedures; or for acts or omissions of other contractors, agents or employees, or any other persons performing any of the work.). The GSA and CRSS also made clear in the CQM contract that the GSA was not delegating, and CRSS was not assuming, any of the duties of the architect-engineer or construction contractors. (Nothing in this contract shall be construed to mean that [CRSS] assumes any of the contractual responsibilities or duties of the architect-engineer or construction contractors.). To impute the claimed duty to CRSS, despite the explicit disclaimers and specified contractual responsibilities in the CQM contract, would improperly realign the allocation of risks and responsibilities structured in private contractual agreements. See Haynesworth, supra, 645 A.2d at 1099. There is no cause to do so where the evidence does not show that the GSA or Presley relied on CRSS to patrol and control the worksite, which would have been beyond the scope of CRSS' limited undertaking in the CQM contract. We have noted that one who assumes to act, even though gratuitously, may thereby become subject to the duty of acting carefully, if he acts at all. Sec. Nat'l Bank v. Lish, 311 A.2d 833, 834 (D.C.1973) (quoting Glanzer v. Shepard, 233 N.Y. 236, 135 N.E. 275, 276 (1922)) (internal quotation marks omitted). Notably, there is no evidence that CRSS acted beyond the limited scope of its undertaking at the time of the incident, as its inspectors were not on site when Presley was attaching the fan shroudsnor were they required to beand did not see the dangerous activity. [15] Although Angsten testified that CRSS inspectors' responsibilities with respect to monitoring compliance with safety regulations included walking the site on a daily basis, this was not an explicit obligation of CRSS under the CQM contract. [16] Therefore, CRSS cannot be said to have assumed the GSA's or Grimberg's duty to provide a safe workplace, or their duty to direct and determine the means or methods by which the employees were to perform the work, and we should not extend CRSS' legal obligation accordingly. See Haynesworth, supra, 645 A.2d at 1099. In sum, we are not persuaded that CRSS owed a common-law duty to Presley by virtue of CRSS' obligations under, or as a result of its performance of, the CQM contract. Although imposition of a duty may be appropriate in other cases, with different contractual arrangements, or where the actual performance of the contract indicates a measure of control of the worksite, it is not appropriate to do so based upon the facts in this case. Thus, we discern no error in the trial court's granting of judgment as a matter of law on the basis that CRSS owed no duty to appellants on the facts of this case.