Vigil By and Through Vigil v. Payne
| Decision Date | 07 August 1986 |
| Docket Number | No. 85CA0197,85CA0197 |
| Citation | 725 P.2d 1155 |
| Parties | Heather VIGIL, By and Through her next friend and father, Charles VIGIL, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. Ray PAYNE and Helen Payne, Defendants-Appellees. . I |
| Court | Colorado Court of Appeals |
Paul Radosevich, Robert M. Maes, Denver, for plaintiff-appellant.
Bayer, Carey & McGee, P.C., Terry L. Lutts, Denver, for defendants-appellees.
In this personal injury action arising from an incident in which plaintiff, Heather Vigil, was attacked by two dogs, plaintiff appeals from the trial court's dismissal of her complaint and entry of judgment in favor of defendants, Ray and Helen Payne (landlords). Plaintiff asserts that the trial court erred in refusing to recognize the existence of a cause of action against a landlord for injuries caused to third parties by a tenant's dogs under circumstances in which the landlord had personal knowledge of the vicious actions of the tenant's animals before entering into the lease. We reverse and remand for further proceedings.
The facts as set forth in plaintiff's complaint are as follows. The landlords were the owners and lessors of a residential rental unit located in the City of Englewood. Patrick and Theresa Sherraden were the lessees of these premises on a month-to-month basis, and were the owners of two Chow dogs, kept at that location with the knowledge of the landlords.
Prior to entering into the lease, and prior to the Sherradens' taking possession of the premises, the landlords took care of the Sherradens' two dogs for a period of two-and-one-half weeks. During this time, "the dogs threatened the landlords' two-year-old grandson, and the landlords otherwise came to know of the vicious propensities of the Sherradens' dogs." Despite this knowledge, the landlords entered into the lease with the Sherradens, and allowed them to move into the unit, and "made no effort to remedy this dangerous situation."
Thereafter, while plaintiff, age six, was playing on the rented premises with the Sherradens' daughter, the two Chow dogs attacked her, causing severe permanent physical and psychological injuries.
The complaint against the Sherradens and the landlords alleged, among other things, negligence and recklessness for keeping vicious dogs. The landlords filed a C.R.C.P. 12(b) motion seeking dismissal of the complaint for failure to state a claim upon which relief could be granted. The trial court granted the motion and entered judgment in favor of the landlords.
Plaintiff contends that the facts alleged in the complaint state a claim in negligence against the landlords. We agree.
In reviewing a motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim, only those allegations stated in the complaint may be considered by the court and such allegations must be considered true. Abts v. Board of Education, 622 P.2d 518 (Colo.1980).
The existence of a cause of action here hinges upon whether the landlords owed a duty of care to plaintiff relative to the tenants' dogs. The imposition of a duty of care requires consideration of the risk involved, the foreseeability and likelihood of injury as weighed against the social utility of the conduct, the magnitude of the burden of guarding against the harm, and the consequences of imposing liability. Iverson v. Solsbery, 641 P.2d 314 (Colo.App.1982).
Generally, where a landlord is out of possession of leased premises and the tenant has exclusive control of those premises, the landlord is not responsible for attacks by animals kept by the tenant on the leased premises. See Collins v. Otto, 149 Colo. 489, 369 P.2d 564 (1962); see generally Annot., 81 A.L.R.3d 638 (1977). However, the jurisdictions which have recently addressed this issue have adopted clearly defined exceptions to the general rule.
In ...
To continue reading
Request your trial
-
Deveneau v. Wielt
...have abated danger by terminating tenancy upon two weeks' notice, minor child bitten by dog had cognizable claim); Vigil v. Payne, 725 P.2d 1155, 1157 (Colo.App.1986) (reversing trial court's dismissal of claim against landowners by minor plaintiff who had been attacked by tenants' dogs on ......
-
Gentle v. Pine Valley Apartments
...on the demised premises themselves. See, e.g., Uccello v. Laudenslayer, 44 Cal.App.3d 504, 118 Cal.Rptr. 741 (1975); Vigil v. Payne, 725 P.2d 1155 (Colo.App.1986); Strunk v. Zoltanski, 62 N.Y.2d 572, 479 N.Y.S.2d 175, 468 N.E.2d 13 (1984); and Palermo v. Nails, 334 Pa.Super. 544, 483 A.2d 8......
-
Shields v. Wagman
...holding that landlord had a duty to remove dangerous dog kept by tenant on commercial premises); Vigil by and through Vigil v. Payne, 725 P.2d 1155, 1157 (Colo.Ct.App.1986); Strunk v. Zoltanski, 62 N.Y.2d 572, 479 N.Y.S.2d 175, 468 N.E.2d 13, 15 (1984); Cronin v. Chrosniak, 145 A.D.2d 905, ......
-
Feister v. Bosack
...lease); Duhaime v. Mills, 1992 WESTLAW 154896 (ConnSuper, June 30, 1992) (landlord liable if he knew of dog at time of lease); Virgil v. Payne, 725 P.2d 1155, 1157 (ColoApp, 1986) (landlord's duty of care is limited to instances in which landlord actually knows of "vicious actions" of anima......
-
Liability for Damages Caused by Escaped Livestock
...1989); see also Edwards v. Chadwick, 321 A.2d 792 (Md. 1974). 13. Salazar v. Webb, 618 P.2d 706 (Colo.App. 1980); Vigil v. Payne, 725 P.2d 1155 (Colo.App. 1986). 14. Egan v. Douglas Park, et al., Douglas County District Court, 93CV258 (1994). Column Ed.: William P. Godsman of Salmon, Godsma......