Mauch v. Kissling

• Court: Washington Court of Appeals
• Writing for the Court: SHIELDS; THOMPSON, C.J., and GREEN
• Citation: Mauch v. Kissling, 783 P.2d 601, 56 Wn.App. 312 (Wash. App. 1989)
• Decision Date: 14 December 1989
• Docket Number: No. 8966-5-III
• Parties: Marilou MAUCH, as Personal Representative of the Estate of Trent A. LeMaster; and Marilou Mauch and Kenneth LeMaster, individually, as parents of Trent A. LeMaster, a minor child, Appellants, v. Gary J. KISSLING, as Personal Representative of the Estate of William P. Kissling; Defendant, Boy Scouts of America, a corporation; and Fort Simcoe Area Council, Boy Scouts of America, a corporation, Respondents.

Page 312

56 Wn.App. 312

783 P.2d 601

Marilou MAUCH, as Personal Representative of the Estate of Trent A. LeMaster; and Marilou Mauch and Kenneth LeMaster, individually, as parents of Trent A. LeMaster, a minor child, Appellants, v. Gary J. KISSLING, as Personal Representative of the Estate of William P. Kissling; Defendant Boy Scouts of America, a corporation; and Fort Simcoe Area Council, Boy Scouts of America, a corporation, Respondents.

No. 8966-5-III.

Court of Appeals of Washington Division 3 Panel Four.

Dec. 14, 1989.

John A. Moore, Jr., Moore & Hoffman, Yakima, John Sweet, Seattle, for appellants.

Dennis H. Walters, Karr, Tuttle & Campbell, Seattle, for respondents.

SHIELDS, Judge.

Marilou Mauch, as personal representative of her son's estate and individually with his father, Kenneth LeMaster, sued the estate of William Kissling, ¹ the Fort Simcoe Area Council of Boy Scouts and Boy Scouts of America (BSA) alleging theories of vicarious liability and negligence after the accidental death of their son. After considering motions for summary judgment by the boy scout organizations, the trial court granted dismissal of both causes of action. Ms. Mauch appeals and we affirm.

Trent LeMaster, then 12, was a member of Yakima Boy Scout Troop 123, sponsored by the Knights of Columbus. His scoutmaster, William Kissling, had been involved for years with scouting activities in the Fort Simcoe Area Council. Trent was working toward his boy scout aviation badge and had spent time helping Mr. Kissling restore his airplane, a 1946 Piper J-3 C65. An optional requirement to earn the aviation badge was to take a ride in an airplane. Ms. Mauch stated Trent told her that the scout who worked the most hours on the plane would be rewarded with an airplane ride from Mr. Kissling.

On July 14, 1985, Trent told his mother that Mr. Kissling had invited him to fly to Camp Fife, a boy scout camp located near Goose Prairie, Washington, to deliver supplies. Trent further explained that Mr. Kissling had done this every year; other evidence indicated Mr. Kissling had made low altitude overflights in 1981 and 1982 to drop newspapers and ice cream to the scouts at the camp.

William E. Bradley was the field sports director at Camp Fife during July 1985. He had been associated with the scouting program for 26 years as a volunteer, assistant scoutmaster and scouting coordinator. Approximately 2 weeks before the flight, Mr. Kissling drove to Camp Fife to help with the Order of the Arrow induction ceremonies. Mr. Bradley heard him converse about his plane with other leaders who were also pilots and, during the course of the conversation, heard him say it was time to make a "run up" for the boys. Mr. Bradley stated he and the scouts who camped there before were looking forward to the flyover, during which a goodwill package would be dropped from the plane. Brent Nicolai, the camp director, was purported to be present during that conversation.

At 6 p.m. on July 17, the scouts were assembled on the campgrounds to retire the colors. A plane approached at treetop level and made several passes over the campgrounds. Mr. Bradley reported he could see the smiling face of Mr. Kissling and his passenger. On the second flyover, a bag of candy was dropped, and on the third approach Mr. Kissling appeared to tip his wings before departing. Immediately thereafter, the scouts heard the popping noise of broken tree limbs and realized the plane had crashed on the grounds near the camp's infirmary. Mr. Kissling and Trent survived the initial impact, but both died shortly thereafter.

An affidavit filed by Robert L. Jones, an aviation expert, concluded Mr. Kissling operated the plane in a careless and reckless manner in violation of minimum safe altitude regulations. He concluded, given the extremely low altitude of the plane (40 feet), daytime temperature (85 degrees), and the accident site elevation (3500 feet), Mr. Kissling's plane did not have the engine power to recover from a stall.

Ms. Mauch raised five assignments of error; however, for purposes of this opinion, the issues presented are whether there is a material question of fact (1) on the issue of ostensible/apparent agency; and (2) on the issue of negligence. ²

Summary judgment should be granted only if the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, admissions, and affidavits show there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. CR 56(c); Hontz v. State, 105 Wash.2d 302, 311, 714 P.2d 1176 (1986); Leyendecker v. Cousins, 53 Wash.App. 769, 772, 770 P.2d 675, review denied, 113 Wash.2d 1018 (1989). An affidavit in support of a motion for summary judgment must (1) be made on personal knowledge, (2) set forth facts as would be admissible in evidence, and (3) show affirmatively that the affiant is competent to testify to the matters stated therein. Grimwood v. University of Puget Sound, Inc., 110 Wash.2d 355, 359, 753 P.2d 517 (1988). If there is an issue of credibility, the motion for summary judgment should be denied. Amend v. Bell, 89 Wash.2d 124, 129, 570 P.2d 138, 95 A.L.R.3d 225 (1977). An issue of credibility is present if there is contradictory evidence or the movant's evidence is impeached. Dunlap v. Wayne, 105 Wash.2d 529, 536, 716 P.2d 842 (1986); Amend, 89 Wash.2d at 129, 570 P.2d 138 (citing Balise v. Underwood, 62 Wash.2d 195, 381 P.2d 966 (1963)). There are contradictory assertions by camp personnel whether they knew Mr. Kissling would make an overflight of the camp to drop supplies in 1985. It is undisputed he had done it at least twice in the past, 1981 and 1982, and the subject was discussed 2 weeks before the accident. For purposes of this review, it is assumed they did know the flight would occur.

Ostensible/Apparent Agency

Ms. Mauch contends the doctrine of apparent authority has been applied to cases involving negligent injury to a third person, citing Greene v. Rothschild, 60 Wash.2d 508, 374 P.2d 566 (1962), rev'd, 68 Wash.2d 1, 402 P.2d 356 (1965); Adamski v. Tacoma Gen. Hosp., 20 Wash.App. 98, 579 P.2d 970 (1978); Restatement (Second) of Agency § 267, at 578 (1958); Pierson v. United States, 527 F.2d 459 (9th Cir.1975). The Boy Scouts of America respond that apparent authority does not apply in a tort case, citing Torres v. Salty Sea Days, Inc, 36 Wash.App. 668, 676 P.2d 512, review denied, 101 Wash.2d 1008 (1984). That statement in Torres, 36 Wash.App. at 673, 676 P.2d 512, however, is not supported by authority. Thus, we assume, without deciding, that the doctrine of apparent authority may be used to create a material question of fact with respect to a tort action.

A corporation can act only through its agents, and when its agents act within the scope of their authority, their actions are the actions of the corporation itself. Houser v. Redmond, 91 Wash.2d 36, 40, 586 P.2d 482 (1978). In addition to actual authority, a principal may be liable because of the apparent or ostensible authority of its agent. Apparent authority can only be inferred from the acts of the principal and not from the acts of the agent. Lamb v. General Assocs., Inc., 60 Wash.2d 623, 374 P.2d 677 (1962). See also Pierson, at 462. However, there must be evidence the principal had knowledge of the act which was being committed by its agent. Taylor v. Smith, 13 Wash.App. 171, 177, 534 P.2d 39 (1975) (citing Larson v. Bear, 38 Wash.2d 485, 490, 230 P.2d 610 (1951)). Ordinarily, the question of apparent authority is a factual determination to be made by the trier of fact, unless there is no evidence presented to create that question of fact. Barnes v. Treece, 15 Wash.App. 437, 443, 549 P.2d 1152 (1976).

In Young v. Boy Scouts of America, 9 Cal.App.2d 760, 51 P.2d 191 (1935), a scout was injured while riding a bike in the dark without a headlight under the supervision of his scoutmaster. The court noted, at page 765, 51 P.2d at pp. 193-94:

It may well be doubted whether such a scoutmaster is the agent and servant of these organizations in the sense involved in those cases which have held a charitable organization liable for the negligence of its servants when proper care in selection has not been exercised. In such cases the servant whose negligence is imputed to the organization has been one employed by it to perform certain duties, although these duties may have been incidentally for the benefit of the beneficiary. Strictly speaking, the boy scouts' organization does not perform acts or carry on a service in the sense in which a hospital or similar institution does. The national organization and the local council furnish a program, train leaders in boys' work and encourage individuals in the various communities to carry on certain work of local benefit, but these organizations do not directly carry out these activities. The local councils assist along these lines but the actual work in the respective communities is performed by local scoutmasters under the direction of local troop committees. A scoutmaster is appointed on the recommendation of this troop committee and not on the recommendation of the local council, and he is responsible solely to this local committee. The troop committee and the scoutmaster are volunteer workers whose services are given to the community rather than to the organization which is, in practical effect, merely an adviser rather than an employer.

Accord Davis v. Shelton, 33 A.D.2d 707, 304 N.Y.S.2d 722 (1969); McGarr v. Baltimore Area Coun., Boy Scouts of America, Inc., 74...