Court Opinion

ID: 9860121
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-24 23:11:28.815945+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T11:18:05.869356
License: Public Domain

JUSTICE STOUDER, dissenting: I must respectfully dissent. Illinois Pattern Jury Instruction Civil 2d Number 10.05 does not take into account the many cases which have established a range between the ages of 7 and 14 as being the ages of those who are presumed to be held to a minor’s standard of care. Generally, the case law holds that when the plaintiff is between the ages of 7 and 14, the defendant must introduce evidence indicating that the plaintiff should not be held to the lower standard of care. However, I have found no cases indicating whether the plaintiff or the defendant must present evidence of the plaintiff’s experience, intelligence, and capacity when the plaintiff is over the age of 14. Moreover, it seems the notes accompanying IPI Civil 2d No. 10.05 ignore the case law to hold that instead of there being a range of between 7 and 14 years of age, now any minor over the age of seven is presumed to be held to a child’s standard unless otherwise shown. The only case I found concerning a plaintiff over the age of 14 is Dickeson v. Baltimore & Ohio Chicago Terminal R.R. Co. (1965), 73 Ill. App. 2d 5, 220 N.E.2d 43. In Dickeson, the court held that when determining the question of due care the factors of experience, intelligence, and capacity must be considered in the case of a minor over 14 years of age. At any rate, if the previously mentioned factors are to be considered, it has yet to be decided who has the burden to present the evidence in favor of or against applying the adult standard of care in these instances. I agree that a minor is not held to the adult standard of care unless the trier of fact determines that his age, abilities and experience require application of the adult standard. Again, however, this does not answer the question of who has the burden of presenting evidence of either diminished capacity or the intelligence and experience of the minor. I note that once comparative negligence arises, it is the plaintiff’s responsibility to show diminished responsibility. Therefore, would it not follow that a plaintiff over the age of 14, who is no longer within the range of those presumed to be minors, must present evidence establishing diminished responsibility in order to warrant application of the minor’s standard of care? The point I wish to make is why does the draft in the instant case seemingly overlook the past case law which utilized a 7- through 14-year-old range? This is a question without an answer yet in Illinois. There are recent cases from other jurisdictions involving plaintiffs who are 14 years or older. In a North Carolina case involving a pedestrian plaintiff, the court held: “[Ajfter a youth reaches the age of 14 there is a rebuttable presumption that he possesses the capacity of an adult to protect himself; therefore, *** he is presumptively chargeable with the same standard of care as if he were an adult.” (Annot., 32 A.L.R.4th 56, 71 (1984).) The court further noted that when a youth reaches the age of 14 years he no longer has the benefit of the rule that a person between the ages of 7 and 14 is presumed to be incapable of contributory negligence. Golden v. Register (1981), 50 N.C. App. 650, 274 S.E.2d 892. See also Annot., 32 A.L.R.4th 56 (1984). As applied to the instant case, the 15-year-old plaintiff ought not to have the benefit of the rebuttable presumption in favor of a minor’s standard of care which does not apply to individuals over the age of 14. In the record, the trial court seems to indicate that if indeed it was the plaintiff’s duty to present evidence of diminished capacity, then its decision was wrong. I think its decision was wrong and a new trial should be granted in this case with instructions pertaining to the plaintiff’s obligation to present evidence of diminished capacity in order to apply a minor’s standard of care. Accordingly, I must respectfully dissent.