Court Opinion

ID: 9790551
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-31 01:54:48.726263+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:37:30.164845
License: Public Domain

GRODIN, J.
I concur in the judgment, but wish to make clear my understanding of the narrow basis of the majority opinion’s holding with respect to the liability of Safeway. As I read the opinion, the majority does not purport to hold that under general principles of California law a store *1074owner—or, for that matter, any other private individual—may ordinarily be held liable in tort for simply reporting suspected misconduct to the police. In recognition of the strong public policy in favor of encouraging citizens to report such suspicions to the police—thereby permitting the police to determine whether further action is justified—past California cases have in effect held that such conduct is “conditionally privileged,” so that even if an individual is negligent in concluding that a crime has actually occurred or in identifying the perpetrator, he will incur no liability for simply reporting his suspicions so long as he is acting in good faith. (See, e.g., Peterson v. Robinson (1954) 43 Cal.2d 690, 695 [277 P.2d 19]; Turner v. Mellon (1953) 41 Cal.2d 45, 48-49 [257 P.2d 15]; Hughes v. Oreb (1951) 36 Cal.2d 854, 859 [228 P.2d 550]; Gogue v. McDonald (1950) 35 Cal.2d 482, 484-487 [218 P.2d 542]; Miller v. Fano (1901) 134 Cal. 103, 106-107 [66 P. 183]. See generally 1 Harper et al., The Law of Torts (2d ed. 1986) § 4.11, pp. 512-513; Prosser & Keeton on Torts (5th ed. 1984) §§ 11, 119, pp. 52, 872-873.) The majority does not take issue with these authorities, but refrains from applying them here simply because Safeway never relied on these precedents, or the principle of law embodied therein, either at trial or on appeal.
As the majority notes, with respect to Safeway’s liability the case was submitted to the jury solely on a negligent-infliction-of-emotional-distress theory. Safeway’s sole argument on appeal is that the evidence at trial is insufficient as a matter of law to support a verdict on that theory. I agree with the majority that, on the assumption that the ordinary elements of the tort of negligent infliction of emotional distress are applicable here, the evidence is sufficient to support the verdict. That assumption—the validity of which is not at issue here—is reflected in the instructions to the jury to which Safeway did not object.
Because of the narrow basis of the majority’s ruling, I concur in the judgment.
Lucas, J., concurred.