Court Opinion

ID: 9736449
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 18:57:09.016947+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:27:06.781669
License: Public Domain

HOOD, Associate Judge
(dissenting).
I am not at all sure that the trial court found, or was required to find, that the defendant was negligent in backing his car against plaintiff’s car in an effort to get enough room to pull away from the curb. However, assuming that the court did so find, it did not find that defendant intentionally damaged plaintiff’s car.
Plaintiff without justification or excuse deliberately parked his car in an unlawful manner for his own personal convenience, and I think the trial court was justified in finding as a fact that this act was negligence and was a contributing cause of the damage. Aside from negligence, I think the trial court could have denied plaintiff" a recovery on the ground of assumption of risk. Plaintiff’s own testimony was. that he parked nine inches behind defendant’s car after noting that there was about three feet of clearance in front of defendant’s car. He evidently thought defendant had enough room to get out and assumed that such effort would be made. He knew that in making such effort defendant’scar might and probably would be backed against his car. He voluntarily created the situation which brought about the damage.
It seems to me that the effect of the court’s opinion is that plaintiff assumed the risk of some damage to his car by the use of some force but did not assume the risk of this much damage by this much force. If plaintiff’s freedom from fault and right to recover are to depend on how much force was used and how much damage was done, then the question is one of fact for the trial court and not of law for this court. However, except when damage is intentionally caused, I think the amount of force and amount of damage are relevant only on the question of defendant’s negligence. Plaintiff’s negligence, or assumption of risk, is to be determined by his acts and the situation he created.
Contributory negligence and assumption of risk are closely related. Weber v. Eaton, 82 U.S.App.D.C. 66, 160 F.2d 577. I think the trial court’s finding can be supported on either ground and the judgment should be affirmed.