City of Miami v. Cisneros

• Citation: 662 So.2d 1272
• Decision Date: 13 September 1995
• Docket Number: No. 94-2545,94-2545
• Parties: 20 Fla. L. Weekly D2086 CITY OF MIAMI, Appellant, v. Ricardo CISNEROS, et al., Appellees.
• Court: Court of Appeal of Florida (US)

Page 1272

662 So.2d 1272

20 Fla. L. Weekly D2086

CITY OF MIAMI, Appellant, v. Ricardo CISNEROS, et al., Appellees.

No. 94-2545.

District Court of Appeal of Florida,

Third District.

Sept. 13, 1995.

Rehearing Denied Dec. 6, 1995.

A. Quinn Jones III and Theresa L. Girten, for appellant.

Thomas W. Headley, for appellees.

Before BARKDULL, NESBITT and LEVY, JJ.

NESBITT, Judge.

In this negligence action, the city of Miami appeals a final judgment entered in favor of a child and his parents. We affirm.

During the 1989 football season, Ricky Cisneros, age eleven and weighing between seventy and seventy-five pounds, was a member of the city-sponsored Golden Knights football team. Ricky, one of the smaller players, played in only several games during the season, and was assigned a cornerback position. With the score twenty to zero in the Golden Knights' favor, the coach put Ricky in at an exhibition game. Ricky broke his leg when he attempted to tackle an opposing Tiger player weighing approximately 128 pounds. According to Ricky's father, the coach had promised him that Ricky would not play against players weighing over ninety pounds. The coach denied making that promise. According to the coach, the Cisneroses had signed a player consent form. The whereabouts of that form was unknown, however, and was not part of this record. ¹

After providing notice of Ricky's claim under section 768.28 Florida Statutes (1993), Mrs. Cisneros, in her capacity as Ricky's mother and next friend, filed this negligence action against the city. On the morning of trial the Cisneroses moved to amend their son's complaint to add themselves as parties, solely for the purpose of claiming Ricky's medical expenses. Over the city's objection the motion was granted. The trial judge found there would be no surprise or prejudice to the city in permitting the amendment. The trial judge also granted the city's motion to amend to allow a counterclaim against the parents.

At trial, the city's main defense was the doctrine of express assumption of risk. The city also argued that the coach's actions were not the proximate cause of Ricky's injury. The city's motion for directed verdict was denied and a jury returned a verdict in Ricky's and the Cisneroses' favor. The city's post-trial motions were denied and this appeal followed. We find the points raised by the city are unmeritorious.

Under the "relation-back" approach, for limitations considerations, the addition of a party is allowed if it can be said that the new and former parties have an identity of interest so as to not prejudice the opponent by the addition. R.A. Jones & Sons, Inc. v. Holman, 470 So.2d 60 (Fla. 3d DCA 1985), review dismissed, 482 So.2d 348 (Fla.1986); see Williams v. United States, 405 F.2d 234 (5th Cir.1968). In the instant case, the Cisneroses waived any loss of services claim and sought solely the medical expenses they had incurred. For a significant period of time the city was aware of the outstanding medical bills and thus had fair notice that such a claim was involved. Accordingly, we conclude that the Cisneroses were properly permitted to amend their claim even though that claim otherwise would have been barred by the statute of limitations.

Under this same analysis, we find that the trial court properly permitted the Cisneroses to amend the complaint notwithstanding the city's defense of noncompliance with section 768.28(6), Florida Statutes (1993), which requires notice to the Department of Insurance. It is uncontroverted that by the Cisneros' original claim letter, the city was placed on notice of the boy's medical bills. This written notice effectively described the occurrence giving rise to the distinct cause of action, and thus, as the trial court concluded, acted as sufficient written notice for maintaining the added claim. See Franklin v. Department of Health & Rehab Serv., 493 So.2d 17 (Fla. 5th DCA 1986); see L.S.T., Inc. v. Crow, 834 F.Supp. 1355 (M.D.Fla.1993), reversed on other grounds, 49 F.3d 679 (11th Cir.1995).

Next, the trial court properly concluded that the defense of express assumption of risk was not a bar to this action. The Florida Supreme Court has held that knowing and voluntary participation in contact sports constitutes an express assumption of risk "essential to protect the other participants from unwarranted liability for injuries due to bodily contact inherent in the sport." Mazzeo v. City of Sebastian, 550 So.2d 1113, 1116 (Fla.1989). See also Ashcroft v. Calder Race Course, Inc., 492 So.2d 1309 (Fla.1986). "When a participant [in a contact sport] volunteers to take certain chances he waives his right to be free from those bodily contacts inherent in the chances taken. Our judicial system must protect those who rely on such a waiver and engage in otherwise prohibited bodily contacts." Zalkin v. American Learning Sys., Inc., 639 So.2d 1020 (Fla. 3d DCA 1994), citing Kuehner v. Green, 436 So.2d 78, 80 (Fla.1983). The decision to permit Ricky to participate in the instant sporting event, standing alone, however, could not act as a complete defense to all claims of negligence. Here, Ricky was a minor; had he been sui juris, his participation alone in this contact sport might well have supported the defense of express assumption of risk.

While Ricky testified he knew the weights of the Tiger players, the thrust of his claim was that the coach had acted in direct contravention of his promise to Mr. Cisneros and thus had failed to properly supervise the sport. After listening to the testimony, the jury was free to conclude that the coach had promised Mr. Cisneros that Ricky would not play under such conditions. Although the Cisneros may have chosen to waive those risks inherent in the sport itself--the risks that arise from the bodily contact with other players--those risks did not include negligent supervision, the claim at issue herein. See, e.g., Nova Univ., Inc. v. Katz, 636 So.2d 729 (Fla. 4th DCA 1993), review denied, 639 So.2d 979 (Fla.1994).

In sum, the risks that the Cisneros assumed by their son's participating in the sport "did not absolve [the coach of his] responsibility for proper instruction and to properly supervise the activity." Zalkin, 639 So.2d at 1021. Thus, the claims were properly evaluated by the jury under principles of comparative negligence. Mazzeo, 550 So.2d at 1117.

Finally, the foreseeability of the injury in light of the city's actions was for the jury to decide. Stahl v. Metropolitan Dade County, 438 So.2d 14 (Fla. 3d DCA 1983). The testimony at trial was that the weight differential was what overwhelmed Ricky and caused him to fall backwards, whereupon Tiger team members piled upon him. It was for the jury to conclude whether, under these...