Opinion ID: 2575623
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Do Material Factual Disputes Prevent the Entry of Summary Judgment?

Text: In their petition for review, the Salls contend the Court of Appeals' majority did not apply the correct standard of review for summary judgment because it did not view the facts in their favor and largely ignored the facts surrounding SGC's weather-warning system. According to the Salls, the majority inexplicably concluded that there was compelling evidence that Patrick waited 10 minutes before heading back to the clubhouse after hearing the horn, and the majority, for the most part, ignored the conflicting expert testimony. As noted above, there were disputed material facts and the majority did not always view the evidence in the Salls' favor. The majority stated: It is undisputed that [Chris] Gannan and Patrick continued to golf, even after Gannan spotted lightning off in the distance. There is compelling evidence that Patrick did not immediately head to the clubhouse after hearing the horn, but lingered on the golf course for as long as 10 minutes. 34 Kan. App. 2d at 306. The facts viewed in the Salls' favor show that Patrick and Chris responded to the air horn in a timely manner. In Chris' deposition testimony, he indicated that he had finished his putt and was holding the flag for Patrick when he saw the second bolt of lightning about the same time they heard the horn. Patrick finished the putt, and they headed back to the clubhouse. According to Chris, this took a matter of seconds. The only possible source for finding Patrick and Chris lingered on the golf course after hearing the horn was the deposition testimony of Jeffrey S. Hartzler, the City of Lenexa detective who responded to the accident. According to Hartzler, Jeff Tull told him that Toby Mills, the only other golfer on the course besides Chris and Patrick, was playing the sixth hole when Mills heard the horn and he returned immediately to the clubhouse. On the way, Mills allegedly passed Chris and Patrick while they were walking toward the green for the second hole. Mills allegedly looked at them and wondered why they were still golfing. However, according to Mills' deposition testimony, he saw Patrick and Chris getting ready to tee off on the second hole as he was playing the fifth. Mills stated he had just teed off on the seventh hole when he heard the horn, that he did not immediately return to the clubhouse, and, more importantly, he never saw Patrick and Chris on his way back to the clubhouse. The Court of Appeals' majority stated that due to delays with computerized radar images, it was likely that the thunderstorm cell which produced the lightning bolt that injured Patrick was not visible on radar until after 5 p.m., after the horn had already sounded. 34 Kan. App. 2d at 306. However, according to Tull's own deposition testimony he observed the storm on radar before 5 p.m. SGC's expert, Edmund P. Krider, a professor from the University of Arizona specializing in atmospheric science, stated that radar images are typically delayed 6 to 8 minutes. The Salls' expert, Leslie Lemon, a meteorologist specializing in radar and severe storms, agreed that radar images are typically delayed approximately 10 minutes. However, it was his opinion that by 4:35 p.m., SGC should have been able to visually see the storm clouds and radar data showed these storms were moving rapidly. Lemon agreed that the general public would probably not be able to correctly interpret how rapidly the storm was approaching. Lemon's affidavit stated that any competent person viewing the information available from 2:30 p.m. until the time Patrick Sall was struck by lightning, would have had information showing storms were moving back into the area and the golf course should never have been reopened. The Court of Appeals' majority found SGC used reasonable care under the circumstances in sounding the air horn, providing its customers with approximately 10 minutes' notice, and, therefore, if SGC had a duty, there was no breach. 34 Kan. App. 2d at 306. Mills estimated the time between hearing the horn and seeing the lightning bolt that struck Patrick was between 8 to 10 minutes. According to Chris, it took him 5 to 10 minutes to get back to the clubhouse after regaining consciousness after the lightning strike. Jeff Tull recalled the 911 call was made between 5:16 to 5:17 p.m. There was evidence SGC did not timely sound the air horn. Lemon's affidavit stated: Based on the lightning strike data and the testimony of Christopher Gannan, it is my opinion that the lightning bolt which struck Patrick Sall occurred at 5:06:29 p.m. and the two bolts that Christopher Gannan saw off in the distance near DeSoto, Kansas occurred between 5:02 p.m. and 5:04 p.m. These are the bolts identified 2-3 minutes before Patrick was struck as stated by Christopher Gannan. Based on the affidavit testimony of Christopher Gannan and the lightning strike data, Jeff Tull sounded the warning at approximately 5:04 p.m. It was also Lemon's opinion that had SGC's weather radio been monitored and not set on alert mode, management would have had notice of the incoming storm at 4:25 p.m. According to Bruce Thomas, a meteorologist at KCTV5 Kansas City, on June 14, 2001, the Johnson County and Kansas City metropolitan area had been under a severe thunderstorm watch until 5:20 p.m. At 4:25 p.m. the National Weather Service forecast an area of rain and thunderstorms moving into the metropolitan area with the leading edge moving into Johnson County by 5 p.m. Thomas indicated the NOAA weather radio owners manual states that the radio should be left on monitor mode during stormy weather. Moreover, it was Edward Wankel's deposition opinion that if SGC had been monitoring the weather with its available system that it would have given approximately 30 minutes' advance warning of the storm and, in his opinion, the complex should never have reopened. It was also Wankel's opinion that having a weather radio on the alert mode during a stormy day is below the acceptable standard of care. The standard of review for summary judgment has already been stated. Regarding a negligence action, this court has further stated summary judgment is only proper if the only questions presented are questions of law. `To recover for negligence, the plaintiff must prove the existence of a duty, breach of that duty, injury, and a causal connection between the duty breached and the injury suffered. Whether a duty exists is a question of law. Whether the duty has been breached is a question of fact.' [Citations omitted.] South, 280 Kan. at 94. Patrick may have been comparatively negligent for not heeding the weather conditions that were observable to him; however, SGC's liability would be reduced by Patrick's failure to exercise reasonable care pursuant to K.S.A. 60-258a, the comparative fault statute. See Miller v. Zep Mfg. Co., 249 Kan. 34, 43-44, 815 P.2d 506 (1991). Under the comparative fault statute, the jury determines the percentage of fault. See K.S.A. 60-258a(b); Fitzpatrick v. Allen, 24 Kan. App. 2d 896, 905, 955 P.2d 141, rev. denied 264 Kan. 821 (1998). As demonstrated above, the Court of Appeals failed to apply the correct standard of review in its determination of facts. In fact in many instances, the majority viewed the evidence in favor of the defendants. While the district court granted summary judgment as a matter of law, it also noted that there were questions of fact regarding whether SGC acted negligently; the Court of Appeals' majority did not disagree with that assessment, even though it subsequently stated that SGC did not act negligently. We conclude, as did the trial court, that material factual issues remain on the issue of whether SGC negligently performed the duty it assumed under Restatement (Second) of Torts § 323 (1964) to monitor weather conditions and warn its patrons to come in off the golf course when the manager on duty deemed it prudent. Thus, the summary judgment granted to SGC must be reversed and the case remanded for trial. Reversed and remanded.