EISMANN, Justice.
This personal injury action arising out of a traffic accident was dismissed against the owners of the truck driven by the person who
Christian Rivas-Del Toro is a Mexican citizen who was residing and working in the United States illegally. In the summer of 2005, he began working as a truck driver for Willard, Michael, and Douglas Cranney, who are collectively called "Cranney Farms," the name under which they did business. When he began work for Cranney Farms, Rivas-Del Toro had a valid Mexican chauffeur license.
On January 30, 2006, Rivas-Del Toro was driving for Cranney Farms and received a citation at a weigh station for failing to stop at an open port of entry and driving a vehicle that was over length for that section of highway. Rivas-Del Toro showed his Mexican license to the officer, who stated that Rivas-Del Toro had three months within which to obtain an Idaho license and warned him that it would be worse if the officer stopped him again. Rivas-Del Toro gave the ticket to the secretary in Cranney Farms's office, and Cranney Farms apparently paid it.
Ryan Cranney was Rivas-Del Toro's supervisor and Raymond Sanchez was the foreman. On June 15, 2007, during the lunch hour, Ryan Cranney and Raymond Sanchez came to the shop where Rivas-Del Toro was eating lunch. With Sanchez interpreting, Cranney told Rivas-Del Toro to drive a truck with a trailer to a particular farm to load bales of hay.
Rivas-Del Toro checked the truck and the trailer, and determined that he needed to fill the truck with diesel fuel and to have two tires on the trailer repaired. He went to the office to talk to the secretary, and had someone in the office interpret for him. Through the interpreter, he asked the secretary if she could call the tire shop to authorize fixing the tires, and she said it was fine and to go ahead. That procedure to authorize tire repairs had been used in the past.
After filling the truck with diesel, Rivas-Del Toro drove towards the tire store. The most direct route would have been to use State Highway 27. Because the speedometer on the truck was not accurate and he wanted to avoid problems with the police, Rivas-Del Toro took an alternate route. The distance would have been 15.1 miles using Highway 27, and 17.9 miles using the alternate route. After traveling about 4.6 miles, Rivas-Del Toro failed to stop at a stop sign and struck another vehicle in an intersection. He contended that the trailer brakes malfunctioned.
Beatriz Nava was driving the other vehicle, and her minor daughter was a passenger. She filed this action seeking to recover for property damage and personal injuries to herself and her daughter. In her amended complaint, she alleged that Cranney Farms was liable because it was the registered owner of the truck and Rivas-Del Toro was driving with Cranney Farms's permission and that Cranney Farms had recklessly allowed the vehicle to become unsafe to operate.
Cranney Farms moved for summary judgment on the ground that pursuant to Idaho Code section 6-1607 it was not liable for the negligence of its employee because he was outside the course and scope of his employment at the time of the accident. After the motion was briefed and argued, the district court held that because Rivas-Del Toro chose a longer route to the tire store in order to avoid law enforcement because he was in the country illegally, Plaintiffs failed to satisfy Idaho Code section 6-1607(2). It ordered that Cranney Farms was entitled to a judgment dismissing the action as to it. Plaintiffs and Rivas-Del Toro moved for reconsideration, which the court denied. It entered judgment dismissing the action with prejudice as to Cranney Farms, and it certified
When reviewing on appeal the granting of a motion for summary judgment, we apply the same standard used by the trial court in ruling on the motion. Infanger v. City of Salmon, 137 Idaho 45, 46-47, 44 P.3d 1100, 1101-02 (2002). We construe all disputed facts, and draw all reasonable inferences from the record, in favor of the non-moving party. Id. at 47, 44 P.3d at 1102. Summary judgment is appropriate only if the evidence in the record and any admissions show that there is no genuine issue of any material fact regarding the issues raised in the pleadings and that the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Id.
Under the doctrine of respondeat superior, "an employer is liable in tort for the tortious conduct of an employee committed within the scope of employment." Finholt v. Cresto, 143 Idaho 894, 897, 155 P.3d 695, 698 (2007). Scope of employment "refers to those acts which are so closely connected with what the servant is employed to do, and so fairly and reasonably incidental to it, that they may be regarded as methods, even though quite improper ones, of carrying out the objectives of the employment." Richard J. and Esther E. Wooley Trust v. DeBest Plumbing, Inc., 133 Idaho 180, 183-84, 983 P.2d 834, 837-38 (1999) (quoting W. Page Keeton et al., Prosser And Keeton On Torts § 70, at 502 (5th ed. 1984)).
Idaho Code section 6-1607 does not change the standard for determining whether a current employee was acting within the scope of his or her employment. The statute gives the employer the right to obtain a pretrial hearing to determine whether there is sufficient evidence for the case to proceed. At that hearing, the employer can require the plaintiff to "establish a reasonable likelihood of proving facts at trial sufficient to support a finding that liability for damages should be apportioned to the employer under the standards set forth in this section." I.C. § 6-1607(3).
We have construed a similar requirement in Idaho Code section 6-1606, which provides that a party seeking permission to assert a claim for punitive damages must, at a pretrial hearing, establish "a reasonable likelihood of proving facts at trial sufficient to support an award of punitive damages." I.C. § 6-1604(2). With respect to punitive damages, we have held that a party seeking to add such a claim "needed to show a reasonable likelihood that they could prove by a preponderance of the evidence that [the opposing party] acted oppressively, fraudulently, wantonly, maliciously or outrageously." Vaught v. Dairyland Ins. Co., 131 Idaho 357, 362, 956 P.2d 674, 679 (1998). In section 6-1607, the plaintiff likewise need only establish a reasonable likelihood of proving by a preponderance of the evidence that the employer is liable for the tortious conduct of the employee, unless the presumption in subsection (2) applies. If it does, then the plaintiff would have to establish a reasonable likelihood of proving, by clear and convincing evidence, that the "employer's acts or omissions constituted gross negligence or, reckless, willful and wanton conduct as those standards are defined in section 6-904C, Idaho Code, and were a proximate cause of the damage sustained." I.C. § 6-1607(2).
Subsection (2) of the statute creates a presumption of nonliability on the part of the employer where the action in tort is based upon an employer-employee relationship for any act or omission of a current employee. It then specifies four circumstances in which that presumption does not apply.
First, the presumption created by subsection (2) does not apply where "the employee was wholly or partially engaged in the employer's business." I.C. § 6-1607(2). "[U]nder the `dual-purpose' doctrine, . . . an employee's tortious conduct may be within the scope of employment even if it was partly performed to serve the purposes of the employee or a third person." 27 Am.Jur.2d Employment Relationship § 385 (2004). "`An employee's purpose or intent, however misguided in its means, must be to further the employer's business interests. If the employee acts from "purely personal motives. . . in no way connected with the employer's interest" . . . then the master is not liable.'" Wooley Trust, 133 Idaho at 184, 983 P.2d at 838 (quoting Podolan v. Idaho Legal Aid Services, Inc., 123 Idaho 937, 945, 854 P.2d 280, 288 (Ct.App.1993)) (emphasis added). "Thus, in order for the employer to be liable, service to the employer need not have been the employee's only or even primary purpose." 27 Am.Jur.2d Employment Relationship § 385 (2004) (footnote omitted). Two Idaho cases illustrate an employer being liable where an employee was at least partly engaged in the employer's business.
In Manion v. Waybright, 59 Idaho 643, 86 P.2d 181 (1938), the employee had permitted a friend to ride with him when the employee drove from Coeur d'Alene to Kellogg on a business trip so that the friend could look for work in Kellogg. The employee had to be in Spokane, Washington, the next morning as part of his employment. That night, the employee began the return trip with his friend as a passenger. Had the employee been alone, he would have driven to his home in Coeur d'Alene to spend the night. However, he decided to drive to Spokane in order to take his friend to his home and to then spend the night in Spokane. Between Coeur d'Alene and Spokane, the employee ran off the road, killing his friend. Even though "[the employee's] main purpose in going to Spokane that night was to take [his friend] home," Id. at 651, 86 P.2d at 184, this Court held that the employee was in the scope of his employment when doing so. "Whether he went that night or the next morning was for him to decide and his going when he did was neither departure from, nor inconsistent with, the duties of his employment." Id. at 657, 86 P.2d at 187.
In Van Vranken v. Fence-Craft, 91 Idaho 742, 430 P.2d 488 (1967), a mill manager would regularly drive from Weippe to Lewiston to obtain parts for the mill. On the day
Second, the presumption created by subsection (2) does not apply if the employee "reasonably appeared to be engaged in the employer's business." I.C. § 6-1607(2). The district court incorrectly held that "[t]his exception is the apparent authority or detrimental reliance exception."
This provision should be construed according to its plain language. The presumption created by subsection (2) does not apply if the employee "reasonably appeared to be engaged in the employer's business." I.C. § 6-1607(2). Whether or not it reasonably appeared that the employee was engaged in the employer's business must be determined from all of the facts shown in the record. If the employee reasonably appeared to be so engaged, then it is for the trier of fact to determine, based upon the evidence presented at trial, whether the employee was actually engaged in the scope of his or her employment. In determining whether it reasonably appears that an employee was engaged in the employer's business, the trial court should keep in mind the statement approved by this Court in Manion v. Waybright, 59 Idaho 643, 656, 86 P.2d 181, 186 (1938):
That is not to say that there would still be a presumption in such a case, but such facts, standing alone, could certainly create a reasonable inference.
Third, the presumption created by subsection (2) does not apply if the employee "was on the employer's premises when the allegedly tortious act or omission of the employee occurred." Id. The fact that the tortious act occurred on the employer's premises merely makes the presumption inapplicable. It does not establish that the conduct was within the scope of employment. For example, in Scrivner v. Boise Payette Lumber Co., 46 Idaho 334, 268 P. 19 (1928), an employee who was employed as a watchman in a town owned by the employer shot and killed a man at a dance hall with a pistol provided by the employer. As this Court stated, "The fact that [the employee] was engaged in his general line of duty in going about the premises as a watchman, and even as such carrying the pistol, does not of itself serve to render the [employer] liable for his act in drawing and pointing it at deceased, if that were done as a joke." Id. at 343, 268 P. at 21.
Fourth, the presumption created by subsection (2) does not apply if the employee "was otherwise under the direction or control of the employer when the act or omission occurred." I.C. § 6-1607(2). Because this is prefaced with the word "otherwise," this category refers to circumstances, not included in the first three categories, if the employee is under the direction or control of the employer.
Finally, the four circumstances in which the presumption of nonliability does not apply are stated in the disjunctive. Therefore, if one of the circumstances exists, the presumption does not apply. It is not necessary to find that all of the circumstances exist.
Idaho Code section 6-1607(2) applies in an action against an employer based upon a claim "in tort based upon an employer/employee relationship for any act or omission of a current employee." I.C. § 6-1607(2). We need not address the district court's erroneous analysis of the scope of employment because it erred in even applying section 6-1607(2) to the causes of action alleged in this case.
"`[T]he only issues considered on summary judgment are those raised by the pleadings.' A cause of action not raised in the pleadings may not be raised on appeal, even if the trial court considered the issue." Nelson v. Big Lost River Irrigation Dist., 148 Idaho 157, 160, 219 P.3d 804, 807 (2009) (quoting Vanvooren v. Astin, 141 Idaho 440,
The amended complaint in this case does not allege a tort claim based upon the employer-employee relationship. The language alleging causes of action is as follows:
Under the doctrine of respondeat superior, "an employer is liable in tort for the tortious conduct of an employee committed within the scope of employment." Finholt v. Cresto, 143 Idaho 894, 897, 155 P.3d 695, 698 (2007). There is no allegation in the amended complaint that Rivas-Del Toro was an employee of Cranney Farms. There is no allegation that Cranney Farms is liable in tort based upon any employer-employee relationship. Absent that allegation, the amended complaint does not allege a cause of action under the doctrine of respondeat superior.
The amended complaint alleged two causes of action. First, it alleged that Rivas-Del Toro was driving a motor vehicle owned by Cranney Farms with its permission and that he negligently caused the accident. That alleges a cause of action under Idaho Code section 49-2417(1).
Second, the amended complaint alleged that Cranney Farms knowingly permitted a vehicle in a dangerous condition to be operated on the public roadway. The allegation is broad enough to include not only an allegation of common-law negligence, but also negligence per se for violating Idaho Code
Because neither of the causes of action alleged in the amended complaint was a tort claim based upon the employer-employee relationship, Idaho Code section 6-1607(2) had no application to this case. Therefore, the district court erred in applying the statute to this case.
Cranney Farms moved for summary judgment and filed a memorandum setting forth the basis of the motion. The memorandum commenced by stating the issue as follows: "The present motion arises from the fact that Defendant Rivas-Del Toro (hereafter Del Toro) was not acting within the course and scope of his employment under Idaho statutory and common law at the time of the accident, and therefore, Cranney Farms is not vicariously responsible for Del Toro's actions." Cranney Farms then stated facts and presented argument supporting its assertion that Rivas-Del Toro was not acting within the scope of his employment at the time of the accident. It summarized its argument as follows:
In its motion for summary judgment, Cranney Farms made no mention of the Plaintiffs' claim that Cranney Farms was liable for knowingly permitting a dangerous vehicle to be operated on the roadway. In its memorandum opposing summary judgment, Plaintiffs brought that fact to the district court's attention, stating, "As an initial matter, the Cranney Defendants have not moved for summary judgment on Plaintiffs' claims for direct negligence. ..." Plaintiffs then quoted the portion of their amended complaint alleging the claim of negligent maintenance. In its memorandum decision, the district court did not address this claim, but it nevertheless ordered that "[t]he Cranneys' motion for Summary Judgment dismissing the action against them is granted."
Plaintiffs and Rivas-Del Toro filed motions for reconsideration. In support of their motion, Plaintiffs pointed out in their supporting memorandum that "[t]he Court Has Not Addressed Plaintiffs' Direct Claim Against Cranney Farms." Plaintiffs again quoted the above-quoted portion of their amended complaint and pointed out that in its motion for summary judgment Cranney Farms had not presented any evidence opposing that claim. After the motions for reconsideration were argued, the district court denied them on the ground that "Mr. Rivas-Del Toro was not engaged in his employer's business at the time of the subject accident." The court again did not mention the claim based upon knowingly permitting a dangerous vehicle to be operated upon the roadway.
When filing a motion for summary judgment, the moving party must notify the opposing party of the particular grounds for the motion. The motion must "state with particularity the grounds therefor including the number of the applicable civil rule, if any, under which it is filed, and shall set forth the relief or order sought." Idaho R. Civ. P. 7(b)(1). Typically, parties moving for summary judgment merely state the relief or order sought in the motion, and then state with particularity the grounds for the motion in a supporting memorandum. If a ground for summary judgment is not stated with particularity in the moving papers, the opposing party need not address that ground. "For purposes of summary judgment, the moving party bears the initial burden of proving the absence of material fact
On appeal, Cranney Farms argues that it did move for summary judgment on the Plaintiffs' claim that Cranney Farms was negligent in permitting operation of an unsafe vehicle. It does not point to any argument on this issue in its memorandum in support of its motion for summary judgment, or even any place where it even mentioned Plaintiffs' claim that the vehicle was known to be in an unsafe condition. It asserts on appeal that it challenged this claim because it argued that Rivas-Del Toro was not permitted or asked to drive the truck. In its memorandum supporting the motion for summary judgment, Cranney Farms wrote:
Cranney Farms's assertion that it challenged this claim for relief in its motion for summary judgment is frivolous.
We vacate the partial judgment and remand this case for further proceedings that are consistent with this opinion. We award costs on appeal to appellants and cross-appellant.
Chief Justice BURDICK, Justices J. JONES, W. JONES, and HORTON concur.