Opinion ID: 3184455
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Later statutory amendments

Text: Although we have determined that ORS 30.950 (1979) was not intended to create a statutory right of action that exists independently of a common law negligence claim for licensees or hosts who serve alcohol to visibly intoxicated patrons or guests, our review would be incomplete without considering whether any subsequent amendments to that statute created such liability. In 1987, the legislature combined former ORS 30.950 (1979) and former ORS 30.955 (1979) into one statue, which continued as former ORS 30.950 (1987), renumbered as ORS 471.565 (2001).21 Or Laws 1987, ch 774, § 13. That legislation also added a requirement that plaintiffs prove 20 Unlike the dictum in Chartrand, this court’s statements in Solberg and Grady that the plaintiffs there could maintain claims for statutory liability based on former ORS 30.950 (1979) were actual holdings of those cases. However, in neither of those cases did the court actually decide that any such claim has different elements than a common law negligence claim. Accordingly, we need not reconsider those cases here except to disavow any suggestion in them that, in enacting HB 3152 (1979), the legislature intended to create an independent statutory right of action with different elements from a common-law negligence claim. We further conclude that we need not reconsider this court’s decision in Gattman. As discussed, although the court in Gattman did acknowledge the dictum in Chartrand, it also warily treated it as such and ultimately distinguished Chartrand in concluding that the plaintiff was not entitled to recover on a statutory liability theory. Gattman, 306 Or at 23-24. 21 Former ORS 30.950 (1987) provided: “No licensee, permittee or social host is liable for damages incurred or caused by intoxicated patrons or guests off the licensee, permittee or social host’s premises unless: 790 Deckard v. Bunch visible intoxication by “clear and convincing evidence.” Id. In 1997, a pre-action notice requirement was added for any action against a social host or commercial alcohol provider for alcohol-related injury or damage. Or Laws 1997, ch 841, § 1. Then, in 2001, the statute was amended to read as it does now, and it was renumbered as ORS 471.565. Or Laws 2001, ch 534, § 1. The 2001 amendments were enacted in response to two decisions by this court, Grady, which we already have discussed, and Fulmer v. Timber Inn Restaurant and Lounge, Inc., 330 Or 413, 9 P3d 710 (2000). In Fulmer, the plaintiffs sought recovery from a restaurant that served one of the plaintiffs while he was visibly intoxicated, after which he had injured himself in a fall on the restaurant’s premises. Id. at 416. The plaintiff asserted claims for common-law negligence and negligence per se based on ORS 471.410(1), but did not allege statutory liability under former ORS 30.950 (1993). Id. at 417. This court affirmed dismissal of the negligence per se claim. Id. at 418-19 (citing Stachniewicz, 259 Or at 586-87; Hawkins, 307 Or at 265). On the common-law negligence claim, the court concluded that an intoxicated patron could assert a claim against an alcohol provider for damages caused by the patron’s intoxication. Id. at 427. In response to Grady and Fulmer, the 2001 legis- lature amended former ORS 30.950 (1999), renumbered as ORS 471.565 (2001). As a result, ORS 471.565 now provides, in part: “(1) A patron or guest who voluntarily consumes alcoholic beverages served by a person licensed by the Oregon Liquor Control Commission, a person holding a permit issued by the commission or a social host does not have a cause of action, based on statute or common law, against the person serving the alcoholic beverages, even though the alcoholic beverages are served to the patron or guest while the patron or guest is visibly intoxicated. The provisions of this subsection apply only to claims for relief based on “(1) The licensee, permittee or social host has served or provided the patron alcoholic beverages to the patron or guest, while the patron or guest was visibly intoxicated; and “(2) The plaintiff proves by clear and convincing evidence that the patron or guest was served alcoholic beverages while visibly intoxicated.” Cite as 358 Or 754 (2016) 791 injury, death or damages caused by intoxication and do not apply to claims for relief based on injury, death or damages caused by negligent or intentional acts other than the service of alcoholic beverages to a visibly intoxicated patron or guest. “(2) A person licensed by the Oregon Liquor Control Commission, person holding a permit issued by the commission or social host is not liable for damages caused by intoxicated patrons or guests unless the plaintiff proves by clear and convincing evidence that: “(a) The licensee, permittee or social host served or provided alcoholic beverages to the patron or guest while the patron or guest was visibly intoxicated; and “(b) The plaintiff did not substantially contribute to the intoxication of the patron or guest by: “(A) Providing or furnishing alcoholic beverages to the patron or guest; “(B) Encouraging the patron or guest to consume or purchase alcoholic beverages or in any other manner; or “(C) Facilitating the consumption of alcoholic beverages by the patron or guest in any manner.” Or Laws 2001, ch 534, § 1. Subsection (1) was intended to overturn this court’s holding in Fulmer, and subsection (2) was intended to limit the holding in Grady. See, e.g., Minutes, Senate Committee on the Judiciary, SB 925, Mar 13, 2001, 1 (stating that focus of bill is to eliminate claims for intoxicated persons who injure themselves); Testimony, Senate Committee on Judiciary, SB 925, Mar 13, 2001, Ex A (statement of Bill Perry describing bill as “legislation to ensure than an establishment is not liable if customers who consume alcohol under their own free-will injure themselves”). Defendant and amicus curiae argue that the later amendments to the 1979 legislation mark the legislature’s continuing efforts to limit the liability of alcohol providers. In their view, a plaintiff’s burden was increased by the addition of the clear and convincing evidence standard, and the requirement that plaintiffs prove that they did not substantially contribute to the intoxication of the person that caused the injury. 792 Deckard v. Bunch For his part, plaintiff focuses on the 2001 amend- ments and argues that the phrase “does not have a cause of action, based on statute or common law” indicates that the legislature reaffirmed its previous provision of a statutory liability claim for serving a visibly intoxicated person. Plaintiff argues that, if a statutory liability claim did not already exist, the legislature would not have prohibited statutory claims for persons injured as a result of their own voluntary intoxication. In support of that argument, plaintiff cites the statement of the legislative counsel who drafted that part of the amendment: “[I]t occurred to me that perhaps it would be better to make it clear that this law that—this change to the law—would in fact not allow suits under theories, not only for common-law negligence, which is what is specified in the bill, but also under any theory.” Tape Recording, Senate Committee on Judiciary, SB 925, March 13, 2001, Tape 57, Side A (statement of Dave Heynderickx). In plaintiff’s view, if the legislature had never intended for ORS 471.565 or its predecessors to provide statutory rights of action, then it would not have been necessary—when implementing the change in the law to prohibit first party claims—to expressly deny a statutory liability claim to future plaintiffs. Defendant responds that plaintiff’s argument fails for four reasons. First, defendant notes that subsection (1) concerns first-party claims, not third-party claims, so there was no reason for the legislature to refer to subsection (2) in subsection (1). Second, defendant argues, legislative counsel would have known that this court had previously held that subsection (2) did not create liability in third-party cases. Third, defendant asserts, when explaining the amendment, legislative counsel did not refer to subsection (2), which he likely would have done if that was the statute to which he meant to refer. From defendant’s perspective, the purpose of the “based on statute or common law” phrase was to make clear that first-party claims could not be brought under any theory, including liability under statutes not yet considered by the courts. Finally, defendant argues that whatever the 2001 legislature may have thought about the originally enacted version of the law could not have altered that law’s actual effect; if former ORS 30.950 (1979) and former ORS Cite as 358 Or 754 (2016) 793 30.955 (1979) did not create a statutory claim when enacted, the 2001 legislature’s contrary belief would not matter. In our view, the most that can be said for the provi- sion in the 2001 amendment referring to liability based on “statute” is that, in light of Chartrand, Solberg, and Grady, the legislature was simply clarifying that the limits that it imposed would apply to statutory as well as common law claims. In short, that amendment is not pertinent to the issue of whether the 1979 legislature intended to create statutory liability or the elements that would be included in such a claim, nor did it create new statutory liability itself.