Court Opinion

ID: 9745915
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-27 13:42:29.107987+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T12:25:54.937415
License: Public Domain

JUSTICE COOK, specially concurring: A section 2 — 619 motion is generally not an appropriate vehicle for determining whether a plaintiff has stated a good cause of action in negligence. A section 2 — 619 motion admits the legal sufficiency of plaintiffs complaint and goes on to suggest that the claim asserted is barred by other affirmative matter such as release, satisfaction of judgment, discharge in bankruptcy, or the running of the statute of limitations. Kedzie & 103rd Currency Exchange, Inc. v. Hodge, 156 Ill. 2d 112, 115, 619 N.E.2d 732, 735 (1993). Defendant may not prevail on a section 2 — 619 motion without establishing some affirmative matter that defeats the claim; simply negating the allegations of the plaintiffs complaint is not sufficient. Kedzie, 156 Ill. 2d at 115, 619 N.E.2d at 735. Nevertheless, the trial court in this case did not rule on the motion until discovery had been completed. The motion here is properly viewed as a motion for summary judgment. 735 ILCS 5/2— 1005 (West 2002). As the majority points out, the existence of a duty is a question of law for the court. Issues of breach of duty, however, are questions of fact for the jury. It is possible to view questions of duty broadly (everyone owes everyone else the duty to act reasonably under the circumstances) and to allow most cases to be decided by the jury. Viewed broadly, there is a duty in this case. “Utility companies do have a duty to exercise reasonable care in the installation and maintenance of their utility poles.” Gouge, 144 Ill. 2d at 546, 582 N.E.2d at 114. Taking such a broad approach, however, amounts to an abandonment of the court’s role in determining the important policy questions justifying the imposition of a duty. See Benner v. Bell, 236 Ill. App. 3d 761, 765, 602 N.E.2d 896, 899 (1992). Parties do have some obligation to anticipate the negligence of others. In a case alleging the negligent installation and maintenance of a guardrail, for example, it was held that the fact that the county erected the guardrail, at the location in question, conceded the foreseeability that motorists would deviate from the ordinary course of travel in the direction of the guardrail. Michalak v. La Salle County, 121 Ill. App. 3d 574, 576, 459 N.E.2d 1131, 1132 (1984). The mere fact that vehicle collision with utility poles is foreseeable, however, does not justify the imposition of a broad duty on the utility to prevent such collisions. The more important questions in this case are the magnitude of the burden placed on defendant and the consequences of imposing that burden, questions within the exclusive discretion of the courts. The transmission of electricity by use of utility poles is a matter of considerable benefit to the public. Merlo v. Public Service Co. of Northern Illinois, 381 Ill. 300, 312-13, 45 N.E.2d 665, 673 (1942); Tinder v. Illinois Power Co., 325 Ill. App. 3d 606, 610, 758 N.E.2d 483, 487 (2001). For a duty to exist under the facts of this case, plaintiff must identify some particular defect in the construction, placement, or maintenance of the pole in question. It is not enough to show that it is likely that vehicles will randomly deviate from the highway and strike utility poles; some specific problem must be shown with this particular pole. Finally, I disagree with the majority’s assertions (344 Ill. App. 3d at 1167) that any negligence of Rural Electric must be based on its conduct in 1975, when it placed the utility pole in its current location. Rural Electric had a duty to reasonably maintain the pole. If Rural Electric later became aware of facts indicating improper placement of the pole, it may have had a duty to move the pole. The majority seems to abandon that argument elsewhere. 344 Ill. App. 3d at 1168 (fact that this accident was the only accident since 1975 “weighs against Miller’s claim that it was foreseeable”); Coates, 354 Md. at 523, 731 A.2d at 944 (“experience may be the best guide”).