Court Opinion

ID: 9664563
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 00:21:26.314844+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:15:06.610348
License: Public Domain

COOK, Justice,
concurring.
I join in the court’s opinion. However, I write separately to express my concern regarding the effect of the opinion on the liability of individual members. Before today, the scope of liability of a member of an unincorporated association by virtue of membership in that association was at best unclear. Today’s opinion clarifies some aspects of a member’s liability. However, because many key questions are not before this Court, the opinion could be misinterpreted and produce unintended consequences. One of these consequences could be an expansion of the liability of members.
Typically there will be much more frequent interaction between the members of an unincorporated association than between a member and non-members. Therefore, by abolishing imputed negligence and creating liability between members the liability of individual members could be increased. However, the court’s opinion should not be read to produce that result in every situation.
The same rule that prevents imputation of negligence to a member to bar suit should also prevent imputation of negligence to a member for purposes of individual liability. The implicit holding of today’s opinion is that the individual liability of a member will be based on their actual participation in the tort or ratification of the actions which cause injury. Accordingly, I do not believe that an injured member should be able to recover for their injuries from another member who did not participate in or ratify the conduct leading to the member’s injury. See Dutcher v. Owens, 647 S.W.2d 948 (Tex.1983) (due to lack of real control, liability of member of unincorporated condominium owners association for injury to non-member due to association’s negligence limited to owner’s pro-rata ownership share); United Ass’n of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry v. Borden, 160 Tex. 203, 328 S.W.2d 739, 744 (1959) (compares unincorporated associations to ordinary principal; liability requires collusion, active participation, authorization, or ratification); see also Libby v. Perry, 311 A.2d 527, 534 (Me.1973) (member not liable unless actively participates in negligence; adopts a very broad definition of active participation); Thomas v. Dunne, 131 Colo. 20, 279 P.2d 427, 432 (1955 en banc) (members of unincorporated association are not liable absent active participation in the negligent act); Guyton v. Howard, 525 So.2d 948, 956 (Fla.App.1988) (“The individual members of an unincorporated association are personally liable for tortious acts which they individually commit or participate in, or which they authorize, assent to or ratify.”). The injured member must look to those members who were actively negligent; those who authorized, assented to, or ratified the negligent act; or the unincorporated association itself.
Finally, although the court has abrogated the doctrine of imputed contributory negligence in this context, Cox’s own contributory negligence is still a consideration to the extent she actively participated in the negligence or authorized, assented to, or ratified the association’s actions that caused her injuries.
HECHT, J., joins in this opinion.