Smith v. Sno Eagles Snowmobile Club, Inc.

Citation625 F. Supp. 1579
Decision Date31 January 1986
Docket NumberCiv. A. No. 84-C-859.
PartiesMarlene SMITH and Gerald Smith, Plaintiffs, v. SNO EAGLES SNOWMOBILE CLUB, INC.; General Casualty Company of Wisconsin; Headwater Trails, Inc.; Western World Insurance Company, Inc.; Michelle M. Hafer; and State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company, Defendants.
CourtU.S. District Court — Eastern District of Wisconsin

Michael Tarnoff, Warshafsky, Rotter, Tarnoff, Gesler & Reinhardt, Milwaukee, Wis., for plaintiffs.

Michael Eckert, Rhinelander, Wis., L. William Staudenmaier, Cook & Franke, S.C., Timothy Mentkowski, Riordan, Crivello, Carlson & Mentkowski, Milwaukee, Wis., D.J. Weis, Johnson, Weis, Paulson & Priebe, Rhinelander, Wis., for defendants.

DECISION and ORDER

TERENCE T. EVANS, District Judge.

This personal injury case, here because there is diversity jurisdiction, is before me on the motion for summary judgment of two non-profit corporate defendants, Headwater Trails, Inc. and the Sno Eagles Snowmobile Club. Sno Eagles is a snowmobiling club and Headwater is a snowmobile trail grooming organization. They operate in the Eagle River, Wisconsin, area. The accident in question occurred, according to the complaint, at a place where a snowmobile trail, which runs parallel to Wisconsin State Highway 70 in Vilas County, intersects with a private driveway.

Marlene Smith was injured in the accident when an automobile driven by Michelle Hafer struck her snowmobile while it was running on the trail. Smith has sued Hafer, Sno Eagles, Headwater, and their respective insurance companies, contending that each party's negligence was a substantial factor contributing to her damages. At the time of the accident, Smith was snowmobiling along the 2 East Trail which was drawn on a trail map, but was unmarked by signs. The trail was planned and constructed by Sno Eagles and groomed by Headwater; and according to them, it was not yet open to the public. Smith specifically alleges that Sno Eagles and Headwater were negligent in the maintenance of the trail, and in failing to mark the site of the Hafer driveway. Moreover, since the defendants assert that the 2 East Trail was not yet open, Smith argues that they were negligent in not so marking the trail.

Sno Eagles is a volunteer organization; its funds come from donations made by tourists and by local businesspersons who wish to encourage tourism. The bulk of organization funds are provided by local businesses. Similarly, Headwater Trails is a non-profit volunteer organization. It works with Sno Eagles, grooming the trails which Sno Eagles constructs. Headwater consists of representatives from five organizations: Sno Eagles, the Lions and Rotary Clubs of Eagle River, the Eagle River Chamber of Commerce, and the city of Eagle River itself. These organizations all contribute money to Headwater: the money collected is used to pay individuals who groom the snowmobile trails. Sno Eagles and Headwater are closely intertwined, and they share a purpose: to construct and groom snowmobile trails.

The land upon which Sno Eagles and Headwater build and groom snowmobile trails consists of government and private land. Sno Eagles secures permission from the landowners to construct trails across their property. Sno Eagles then does whatever is physically necessary to create snowmobile trails on the property. Once the trail is constructed, signs are placed. After a trail is built and the signs placed, Headwater personnel groom it on a regular basis.

Although Headwater's function is to groom snowmobile trails, it engages in activities which could be defined as construction. These include the removal of tree stumps and bulldozing. The personnel of Sno Eagles and Headwater both engage in the placement of signs. The initial placement of signs is a Sno Eagles job, but when Headwater personnel are out grooming snowmobile trails they carry signs, and if they see a sign is missing they will replace it. Because of the close relationship of the two organizations and their complementary functions, I feel that they should be treated similarly under the law. If one is immune from liability under Wisconsin statutes, both should be. Therefore, my decision on this motion will apply to both defendants.

Sno Eagles and Headwater have moved for summary judgment based on § 895.52, Wis.Stats., or alternatively, § 29.68, Wis.Stats. Section 29.68 was repealed by the Wisconsin Legislature effective May 15, 1984 and was replaced by § 895.52. Sno Eagles and Headwater contend that § 895.52 is applicable to this case, although they believe that they should be dismissed even if § 29.68 applies. Smith's accident occurred on December 30, 1983, prior to the effective date of § 895.52, Wis.Stats. Statutes are generally deemed to apply prospectively, unless there is an express statement to the contrary in the legislative history. Gutter v. Seamandel, 103 Wis.2d 1, 308 N.W.2d 403 (1981); Hunter v. School District of Gale-Ettrick Trempealeau, 97 Wis.2d 435, 443, 293 N.W.2d 515 (1980). The exception to the general rule is that a procedural or remedial statute is applied retroactively. Gutter, id. 103 Wis.2d at 17, 293 N.W.2d 515. This exception is qualified by a corollary which requires that where retroactive application of a statute would deprive a party of a distinct vested right, it must be applied prospectively only. Id.

A tort cause of action arises at the time of the injury. The plaintiff's cause of action here arose on December 30, 1983, and her rights vested at that time. Even if I were to characterize § 895.52 as a remedial or a procedural statute, it could not be applied retroactively to the plaintiff because it would deprive her of her cause of action. Hunter, id., 97 Wis.2d at 446-447, 293 N.W.2d 515.

Had § 895.52, Wis.Stats., been applicable to this case, I would have no difficulty in concluding that Sno Eagles and Headwater were not liable for Smith's injuries as a matter of law. As it stands, I believe that § 29.68, Wis.Stats., exempts these defendants from liability. Section 29.68 was passed in order to limit a landowner's liability for injuries incurred by persons who entered upon land for recreation. It was intended to further the recreational use of land by the general public. LePoindevin v. Wilson, 111 Wis.2d 116, 330 N.W.2d 555 (1983). Section 29.68 declares:

(1) ... An owner, lessee, or occupant of premises owes no duty to keep the premises safe for entry or use by others for hunting ... snowmobiling ... or recreational purposes, or to give warning of any unsafe condition or use of or structure or activity on such premises to persons entering for such purpose except as provided in subdivision 3.

Subdivision 3 states:

This section does not limit the liability which would otherwise exist for willful or malicious failure to guard or to warn against a dangerous condition....

Two questions remain for decision: whether Sno Eagles and Headwater come within the purview of § 29.68 as an owner, lessee, or occupant, and if so, whether there is any evidence of willful or malicious conduct, such that they could be liable in spite of being within § 29.68(1).

Section 29.68, Wis.Stats., does not define the terms owner, lessee, or occupant. It is therefore necessary to ascertain what the Legislature intended by examining the general meaning of these terms. Black's Law Dictionary defines an owner as "the person in whom is vested the ownership, dominion, or title of property." The term "owner" indicates an individual in whom one or more interests are vested for his own...

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7 cases
  • Roberts v. T.H.E. Ins. Co.
    • United States
    • Wisconsin Supreme Court
    • March 30, 2016
    ...at 491, 431 N.W.2d 696 (alterations in original)(quoting Smith, 823 F.2d at 1197, which had quoted Smith v. Sno Eagles Snowmobile Club, Inc., 625 F.Supp. 1579, 1582 (E.D.Wis.1986) ).¶ 103 If the Doane case is controlling, it substantially changed the law in Wisconsin, disregarding prior cou......
  • Langenhahn v. W. Bend Mut. Ins. Co.
    • United States
    • Wisconsin Court of Appeals
    • February 12, 2019
    ...is more transient than either a lessee or an owner. Hall , 146 Wis.2d at 491, 431 N.W.2d 696 (quoting Smith v. Sno Eagles Snowmobile Club, Inc. , 625 F.Supp. 1579, 1582 (E.D. Wis. 1986) (alterations in Hall ) ). Despite the "transient" nature of the possessory interest, our supreme court ha......
  • Edwards v. Lateef
    • United States
    • D.C. Court of Appeals
    • May 9, 1989
    ...that does not impair vested rights), cert. denied, 400 U.S. 1013, 91 S.Ct. 566, 27 L.Ed.2d 627 (1971); Smith v. Sno Eagles Snowmobile Club, Inc., 625 F.Supp. 1579, 1581 (E.D.Wis.1986) (procedural or remedial statute will not apply where vested right is affected), aff'd, 823 F.2d 1193 (7th C......
  • Smith v. Sno Eagles Snowmobile Club, Inc., 86-1413
    • United States
    • U.S. Court of Appeals — Seventh Circuit
    • July 16, 1987
    ...were entitled to judgment as a matter of law since they were exempt from liability under Sec. 29.68. Smith v. Sno Eagles Snowmobile Club, Inc., 625 F.Supp. 1579 (E.D.Wis.1986). The trial court found that "[n]on-profit organizations such as Sno Eagles and Headwater which enter land for a lim......
  • Request a trial to view additional results

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