Court Opinion

ID: 9567359
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-21 19:53:04.545687+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T10:00:34.357085
License: Public Domain

SOSA, Senior Justice, dissenting. I respectfully dissent. The majority opinion incorrectly expands the holding of Acquisto v. Joe R. Hahn Enterprises, Inc., 95 N.M. 193, 619 P.2d 1237 (1980), to allow courts to construe lease agreements to find an implied agreement as to which party will bear the risk of loss due to negligence. This is clearly contrary to the ruling in Acquisto which requires an express exculpatory provision before a negligent party will be allowed to escape liability. As in Acquisto, the parties in the case at bar failed to expressly agree that the pilot would purchase flight insurance; therefore, the pilot must bear the loss for his own negligent conduct. This result falls squarely within paragraph 17 of the lease agreement which states that the pilot agrees to pay for any damage “not covered by insurance,” and with paragraph 18 in which the pilot agrees to indemnify the lessor against “any and all loss ... and/or liability.” Under the majority’s ruling, the negligent lessee is allowed to escape liability for his negligence. For the foregoing reason, I respectfully dissent.