Court Opinion

ID: 9731637
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 15:53:07.564691+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:26:20.148174
License: Public Domain

REYNOSO, J.
I dissent as to Spink Corporation. The cross-complaint charged that the Spink Corporation was “negligent in regards to the designing, planning and construction of Fee Drive and the intersection of Fee Drive and Tribute Road. Because of said negligent designing, planning and construction, said areas were and are unsafe for the operation of motorcycles and vehicles. Said dangerous condition exposes the public to a foreseeable risk of harm.” The cross-complaint must be liberally construed with a view to substantial justice between the parties. (Code Civ. Proc., § 452.) Nothing in the complaint establishes or concedes that the dangerous condition was patent. Latent deficiencies in the planning or construction of improvements to real property are controlled by Code of Civil Procedure section 337.15.1
The express language of Code of Civil Procedure section 337.15, unlike section 337.1, does not bar an action for personal injury or death arising *931out of the latent deficiency. This omission is significant. When it was introduced in the Legislature the original bill contained a reference to personal injury and wrongful death arising from latent defects (Assem. Bill No. 2742, Apr. 15, 1971), but that reference was deleted by amendments and the section was enacted in its present form. (Stats. 1971, ch. 1569.) An action for personal injury or wrongful death is not barred by section 337.15.
Inasmuch as the complaint failed to establish that the deficiency was patent rather than latent, the demurrer of the Spink Corporation should have been overruled. We are aware that in proving that the deficiency was latent rather than patent, Wagner will bring the defect within a governmental immunity (see Van Alstyne, Cal. Government Tort Liability (Cont.Ed.Bar 1964) §§ 6.10-6.25, pp. 190-211), and that if he proves that the deficiency was patent rather than latent Spink Corporation will have the benefit of Code of Civil Procedure section 337.1. However, a plaintiff may plead alternative causes of action against different defendants. (Lambert v. Southern Counties Gas Co. (1959) 52 Cal.2d 347, 352-354 [340 P.2d 608].)
The judgment in favor of Spink Corporation should also be reversed.
A petition for a rehearing was denied November 30, 1978, and appellant’s petition for a hearing by the Supreme Court was denied January 3, 1979.

Code of Civil Procedure section 337.15 provides:
“(a) No action may be brought to recover damages from any person who develops real *931property or performs or furnishes the design, specifications, surveying, planning, supervision, testing, or observation of construction or construction of an improvement to real property more than 10 years after the substantial completion of such development or improvement for any of the following:
“(1) Any latent deficiency in the design, specification, surveying, planning, supervision, or observation of construction or construction of an improvement to, or survey of, real property.
“(2) Injury to property, real or personal, arising out of any such latent deficiency.
“(b) As used in this section, ‘latent deficiency’ means a deficiency which is not apparent by reasonable inspection.
“(c) As used in this section, ‘action’ includes an action for indemnity brought against a person arising out of his performance or furnishing of services or materials referred to in this section, except that a cross-complaint for indemnity may be filed pursuant to Section 442 in an action which has been brought within the time period set forth in subdivision (a) of this section.
“(d) Nothing in this section shall be construed as extending the period prescribed by the laws of this state for bringing any action.
“(e) The limitation prescribed by this section shall not be asserted by way of defense by any person in actual possession or the control, as owner, tenant or otherwise, of such an improvement, at the time any deficiency in such improvement constitutes the proximate cause for which it is proposed to bring an action.
“(f) This section shall not apply to actions based on willful misconduct or fraudulent concealment.”