Court Opinion

ID: 7700956
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2022-07-30 18:55:02.634012+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T13:36:45.803875
License: Public Domain

I respectfully dissent from the denial of certiorari review. I believe the Court of Civil Appeals erred in holding thatYoung v. Huntsville Hospital, 595 So.2d 1386 (Ala. 1992), which created a "special relationship" between a hospital and its patients, applies to the facts of this case. I believe the rule announced in Young created a narrow exception to the general rule that an entity cannot be held liable for the criminal acts of a third party absent a "special relationship" between that entity and the injured party. This case involves a claim by a tenant against a premises owner based on injuries sustained as a result of a third party's criminal act on the premises. Because Young created a "special relationship" only between a hospital and its patients, I believe the holding of Young to be entirely inapplicable to the fact situation presented in this case.