LAGESEN, J.
This case arises out of a terrible accident. Tyler Baker, Tyler Smith, and Matthew Croslin, among others, gathered at Croslin's house to watch the fourth game of the 2010 National Basketball Association finals. The three, who had been friends since
Plaintiff Jennifer Baker, Baker's widow and the personal representative of Baker's estate, initiated this wrongful death action against Smith and Croslin. The trial court granted summary judgment to Croslin (hereinafter, defendant) on the ground that ORS 471.565(2) barred the claims against defendant because there was insufficient evidence to permit a factfinder to find that defendant "served or provided alcoholic beverages" to Smith while Smith was visibly intoxicated.
Plaintiff's complaint alleged that defendant was negligent (1) in "unreasonably serving Smith alcohol while Smith was in a visibly intoxicated state," (2) in "unreasonably encouraging quick draw handgun activity while Smith was in a visibly intoxicated state," and (3) in "unreasonably encouraging Smith to load his unloaded handgun with Magtech hollowpoint ammunition while Smith was in a visibly intoxicated state." Defendant moved for summary judgment on three grounds: (1) that under ORS 471.565, as construed in Hawkins v. Conklin, 307 Or. 262, 767 P.2d 66 (1988),
On appeal, plaintiff asserts that the trial court erred in concluding that the evidence in the summary judgment record was insufficient to permit a factfinder to find that defendant served or provided alcohol to Smith while Smith was visibly intoxicated. Alternatively, she asserts that, even if the evidence is insufficient to permit a factfinder to find that defendant served or provided alcohol to Smith while Smith was visibly intoxicated, the trial court erred in concluding that ORS 471.565 bars her claims predicated on Smith's alleged negligence in encouraging gunplay.
On review of a trial court's grant of summary judgment, "we view the evidence and all reasonable inferences that may be drawn from the evidence in the light most favorable to * * * the party opposing the motion." Jones v. General Motors Corp., 325 Or. 404, 408, 939 P.2d 608 (1997). Summary judgment is proper only "if there is no genuine issue of material fact and the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law." Outdoor Media Dimensions Inc. v. State of Oregon, 331 Or. 634, 638, 20 P.3d 180 (2001) (citing ORCP 47 C). "A genuine issue of material fact is lacking when `no objectively
ORS 471.565 proscribes and limits a social host's liability for harms caused by an intoxicated guest. That statute provides, in relevant part,
(Emphasis added.) Before us, defendant does not dispute his status as a "social host," and he does not cross-assign error to the trial court's denial of his motion for summary judgment on the ground that the conduct of plaintiff (or plaintiff's decedent) substantially contributed to Smith's intoxication. Accordingly, the specific issue presented to us is whether the summary judgment record, when viewed in the light most favorable to plaintiff, would permit a reasonable factfinder to find or infer that defendant "served or provided" alcohol to Smith while Smith was visibly intoxicated.
Although ORS 471.565 does not define what it means for a social host to have "served or provided" alcohol to a guest, the Supreme Court has made it clear, both before and after the enactment of ORS 471.565, that the key factor in assessing whether a particular defendant should be considered to have provided alcohol to a visibly-intoxicated person so as to support the imposition of liability is "the amount of control" that the defendant had over the alcohol that was supplied to the visibly-intoxicated person. Solberg v. Johnson, 306 Or. 484, 491-92, 760 P.2d 867 (1988); Wiener v. Gamma Phi, ATO Frat., 258 Or. 632, 639-40, 485 P.2d 18 (1971). Where a defendant has no control over the supply of alcohol, the defendant cannot be liable for permitting a person to become dangerously intoxicated from that supply. Solberg, 306 Or. at 491-92, 760 P.2d 867 (discussing Wiener, 258 Or. at 640, 485 P.2d 18). By contrast, if a defendant has control over the alcohol supply from which the visibly-intoxicated guest consumes alcohol, the defendant has "served or provided" the guest with alcohol. Id. at 492, 760 P.2d 867. The focus on the extent of a defendant's control over the alcohol supply flows from the Supreme Court's recognition that a person who has control over the alcohol supply is in a position to prevent harm to third parties that could result from further consumption of alcohol by persons who are already severely intoxicated. Solberg, 306 Or. at 491-92, 760 P.2d 867; Wiener, 258 Or. at 639-40, 643, 485 P.2d 18. Ultimately, "[t]he decision as to the amount of actual control rests with the trier of fact, not the court."
Here, the evidence in the summary judgment record, viewed in the light most favorable to plaintiff, would permit a reasonable factfinder to find or infer that Smith consumed alcohol while he was visibly intoxicated from an alcohol supply over which defendant exercised control at the time and, consequently, that defendant "served or provided" alcohol to a visibly-intoxicated Smith.
First, the evidence in the summary judgment record would permit a reasonable factfinder to find that Smith was visibly intoxicated when he consumed his final drink
(Emphases added.) That evidence would permit a reasonable factfinder to find that Smith was exhibiting signs of visible intoxication — in the form of motor and speech impairment — when he consumed his final drink.
Second, the record also contains evidence from which a reasonable factfinder could infer that defendant had control over the alcohol supply from which Smith consumed that final drink and, thus, that defendant "served or provided" Smith with that drink. The record would permit a factfinder to find that Smith's final drink was either a shot of whiskey or a shot of rum, neither of which Smith had brought with him. A factfinder could find further that the only potential sources of Smith's final drink were defendant's home bar or a bottle of Cockspur rum that defendant had purchased for decedent and for which decedent had reimbursed defendant. Either way, when all reasonable inferences are drawn in favor of plaintiff, a reasonable factfinder could infer that defendant had control over the source of Smith's final drink.
Specifically, even if the final drink came from the bottle of Cockspur rum, and not from the supply of alcohol that defendant had on hand — and over which defendant plainly could be deemed to have control on this record — a reasonable factfinder could infer that defendant had control over that bottle of Cockspur rum from evidence in the record demonstrating that (1) defendant was the host of the gathering; (2) the gathering took place at defendant's house; (3) defendant had procured the bottle of Cockspur rum for the gathering; and (4) the rum was not consumed exclusively by decedent, and defendant and other guests consumed shots of the Cockspur rum after the point in time when decedent had reimbursed defendant for the rum. Those facts permit the reasonable inference that the Cockspur rum was part of a supply of hard alcohol which defendant made available to his guests and over which defendant had control. See Wiener, 258 Or. at 643, 485 P.2d 18 (concluding that allegations that fraternity planned and conducted party, invited guests — including minors — and caused alcoholic beverages to be served or made available to party guests, if proved, were sufficient to hold fraternity liable for harm caused by intoxicated minor who consumed alcohol at the party). Although that is not the only permissible inference from the evidence — a factfinder could also permissibly infer to the contrary that decedent's reimbursement of defendant eliminated defendant's control over the bottle of Cockspur rum and placed that control in the hands of decedent — it is a reasonable inference. Given those competing permissible inferences as to defendant's control over the alcohol supply, "[t]he decision as to the amount of actual control rests with the trier of fact, not the court." Solberg, 306 Or. at 492, 760 P.2d 867.
Defendant argues that even if we conclude — as we have — that the evidence is sufficient to permit a reasonable factfinder to find or infer that defendant served or provided alcohol to Smith while he was visibly intoxicated, we nevertheless must affirm the grant of summary judgment with respect to
Defendant misreads Hawkins. Hawkins did not hold that ORS 471.565 bars all claims against a licensee, permittee, or social host for harm resulting from an intoxicated person except for a claim that the licensee, permittee, or social host negligently over-served alcohol to the intoxicated person. Rather, Hawkins stands for the proposition — at most — that the statute requires a plaintiff seeking to hold a licensee, permittee, or social host liable for harm caused by an intoxicated person to establish, as a prerequisite to liability, that the defendant served or provided alcohol to the intoxicated person while that person was visibly intoxicated.
Notably, in Hawkins, as here, the plaintiff — who was harmed by an intoxicated patron served by the defendant — alleged that the defendant tavern was negligent in ways other than over-serving alcohol to the intoxicated person. The plaintiff alleged that the tavern negligently failed to call the police to eject the unruly, intoxicated patron who injured the plaintiff, and that it negligently failed to protect the plaintiff from the patron when the plaintiff left the tavern. The Supreme Court observed that it was "disputed" whether the plaintiff had alleged, as part of his negligence claim, that the tavern had served alcohol to the harm-causing patron while he was visibly intoxicated. Hawkins, 307 Or. at 268-69, 767 P.2d 66. The court acknowledged, however, that, if it construed the complaint to allege that the defendant had served the assaultive patron while he was visibly intoxicated as part of the negligence claim, ORS 471.565 "would not bar the action."
Here, plaintiff pleaded — and then presented sufficient evidence on summary judgment to permit a reasonable factfinder to find or infer — that defendant served or provided alcohol to Smith while Smith was visibly intoxicated. Because plaintiff has done so, Hawkins provides no basis on which to uphold the trial court's grant of summary judgment as to the specifications of negligence relating to defendant's alleged conduct of negligently encouraging gunplay.
In sum, the evidence in the summary judgment record would permit a reasonable factfinder to infer that defendant had control over the alcohol supply from which Smith consumed at least one drink while visibly intoxicated and, therefore, that defendant "served or provided" alcohol to Smith while Smith was visibly intoxicated. Consequently, defendant has not established as a matter of law that ORS 471.565 bars plaintiff's claims and is not entitled to summary judgment.
Reversed and remanded.