Opinion ID: 2365318
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: introduction

Text: ¶ 1 A black bear attacked and killed eleven-year-old Samuel Ives while he was sleeping in a tent with his family during a camping trip in American Fork Canyon. Earlier that morning, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (the DWR) had been alerted to a bear attack at the same location, and state officials had conducted an unsuccessful search for the animal for several hours before Samuel and his family arrived at the campsite. The DWR did not notify potential users of the campsite about the attack or request the United States Forest Service (the USFS) to close the area where the attack had occurred. ¶ 2 Samuel's heirs sued the State of Utah and the DWR (collectively, the State) for negligence. In response, the State argued that it was shielded from suit under the Governmental Immunity Act's permit exception [1] because Samuel's death arose out of, or in connection with, the plaintiffs' claim that the State negligently failed to request the USFS to issue an order closing the area where the bear attack had occurred. Because the State conceded negligence for the purposes of the motion, the district court did not address whether the State owed Samuel a common law duty of reasonable care; the claim also went unaddressed in the State's arguments to the court. Yet, whether Samuel was owed a common law duty of reasonable care became the centerpiece of the State's quest for affirmance on appeal. The State also argued for the first time on appeal that it was immune under the Act's natural condition exception. [2] ¶ 3 We hold that the district court erred when it ruled that the State was immune from suit under the Act's permit exception. We also decline to affirm the district court on alternate grounds proffered by the State.