ORTEGA, P.J.
Plaintiff brought a negligence action against defendants Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity (Phi Psi) and Phi Psi's local chapter (Beta Chapter)
Defendants moved for summary judgment, arguing that the undisputed facts established that the risk of Sako's sexual assault of plaintiff was not reasonably foreseeable to the chapter. Further, the chapter asserted that, as a matter of law, it had satisfied its duty to plaintiff, who was a social guest, to make the premises safe during the party. Beta Chapter also contended that it did not create an unreasonable risk of harm of the type that befell plaintiff, pointing to safety measures that it had implemented for the party, as well as its lack of knowledge of Sako's (or any other chapter member's) propensity for violence. Finally, the chapter asserted that, as to plaintiff's negligence per se count
Plaintiff appeals, contending that the evidence, viewed in the light most favorable to her, was sufficient to create a genuine issue of material fact as to each of her claims. In particular, plaintiff contends that the chapter, as the possessor of the chapter house, owed plaintiff a duty to exercise reasonable care as to activities that occurred at the house; that the chapter knew or had reason to know of a reasonably foreseeable risk of sexual assault of a female guest in the circumstances of the party; and that the chapter's conduct created an unreasonable risk of harm to plaintiff and fell below the applicable standard of care. She points to evidence in the summary judgment record and an affidavit filed under ORCP 47(E). As for her claims against Phi Psi, she maintains that there was sufficient evidence to create a question of fact as to whether the national organization had sufficient control of the chapter to be held vicariously liable for the chapter's negligence and, alternatively, that there was sufficient evidence that Phi Psi undertook a duty to supervise and guide local chapter members, and that Phi Psi's negligent performance of that duty led to the harm that plaintiff suffered.
Ultimately, we conclude that the trial court erred by granting summary judgment to Beta Chapter on plaintiff's negligence claim because evidence in the summary judgment record established factual questions as to whether plaintiff's sexual assault, in the circumstances of the Halloween party, was reasonably foreseeable to the chapter, and whether the chapter's conduct fell below the applicable standard of care. We also conclude that the trial court incorrectly granted summary judgment on plaintiff's negligence per se count. As for plaintiff's claims against Phi Psi, we conclude that summary judgment was appropriate. Accordingly, we reverse and remand the judgment as to Beta Chapter, and otherwise affirm the judgment.
On review from the grant of summary judgment, we review the summary judgment record in the light most favorable to the nonmoving party — in this case, plaintiff — and draw all reasonable inferences in her favor. Jones v. General Motors Corp., 325 Or. 404, 413, 939 P.2d 608 (1997). We state the facts consistently with that standard.
Phi Psi is headquartered in Indiana and has about 100 local chapters nationwide. As relevant here, its governing documents, including its constitution and bylaws, grant the national organization the power to create, suspend, and revoke local charters, and the power to suspend, expel, or otherwise discipline any fraternity member after due notice and a hearing. Phi Psi also has the power to appoint a committee of alumni to supervise the affairs of any chapter whenever necessary to correct conditions "prevailing at the time," although the local chapter has "original jurisdiction" over the conduct of its undergraduate members, including the right to initiate, suspend, or expel a member.
Phi Psi requires local chapter officers to review and confirm receipt of the fraternity's risk-management policy, which includes sections on "Social Programming and Alcohol" and "Sexual Assault." The policy is the "baseline," (i.e., local chapters cannot adopt a policy that is contrary to it) and includes information and statistics related to "Greekrelated accidents." The policy explains various precautions that are necessary to establish an atmosphere that minimizes the likelihood of alcohol-related problems, including hosting only "BYOB" parties, requiring age identification and wristbands, monitors, and "never allow underage members or guests to possess or consume alcohol." The section on sexual assault notes that alcohol "decreases inhibitions" and that, on college campuses, acquaintance rape may be "as high as 85 percent" of rapes, that "alcohol plays a prevalent role in sexual assaults," and that 97 percent of sexual abuse cases brought against fraternities involved alcohol. In early 2008, Phi Psi's Director of Expansion visited Beta Chapter and presented information about the fraternity's risk management program to local chapter members, including Sako.
Phi Psi also requires local chapter members to complete a computer-based educational
In 2008, Beta Chapter's membership consisted of undergraduate students enrolled at OSU who had been initiated into Phi Psi. The chapter occupied a house in Corvallis that was owned by the House Corporation. The house consisted of a basement, as well as two floors that contained bathrooms, common areas, and private rooms. Although the local chapter had a "general policy" that underage members could not drink alcohol, that policy was not enforced. In fact, it was common for underage members to keep alcohol in their rooms and to drink it in their rooms and in the common areas of the house — although during some social events, members' consumption of alcohol in the common areas was prohibited. At times, older chapter members purchased alcohol for underage members. The chapter president, Gerritz, had confiscated alcohol from a member on occasion when that member was "out of control," but, otherwise, no restrictions were enforced on members' consumption of alcohol in their private rooms. Gerritz was aware of policies that prohibited all access to private rooms during social events, particularly at sororities, but Phi Psi did not have such a rule.
OSU's Office of Greek Life provides various services and support to fraternities at OSU. Kerr, the head of the office, has recommended to fraternities that access to private rooms should be closed during social events that include alcohol because "control disappears" when individuals move into private rooms. He stated that access to private rooms during social events causes safety issues, including a danger of sexual misconduct and underage alcohol consumption. Kerr noted that he "probably" had a conversation with each fraternity over the preceding 10 years, but he did not specifically remember a conversation with anyone at Beta Chapter.
Beta Chapter initiated Sako as a member of Phi Psi in April 2008 when he was 19 years old. He lived in the fraternity house with a roommate on the main floor. Sako and his roommate regularly possessed alcohol in their room and regularly consumed alcohol in their room and in the common areas of the house. In October 2008, Sako was generally drinking alcohol twice during the week and, on the weekends, would consume anywhere from 4 to "15 or 20 drinks."
Beta Chapter, along with Delta Chi's OSU chapter, hosted an invitation-only Halloween party on October 31, 2008, at the chapter's house. The chapter hired two security guards for the party, who were tasked with patrolling the premises, enforcing "event policies," reporting violations to Gerritz, ensuring that guests used a single entrance, handling potential problems, and calling the police if needed. Four members of the host fraternities served as "sober monitors" by checking in guests at the house entrance, tracking the number of guests, and directing guests to the basement where the party was held. Neither fraternity served alcohol at the party. Instead, guests age 21 and over could bring beer, check it at a bar that was monitored by the chapter's members, and, after showing proof of age, retrieve one beer at a time. The fraternity designated the main floor bathroom for male guests and chapter members, and the second floor bathroom for female guests. Access to private rooms on the main and second floors was limited to chapter members and their guests.
By the time the party began sometime after 8:00 p.m., Sako had already been drinking alcohol in his room with various people, and he was intoxicated by 9:00 p.m. Gerritz saw Sako between 9:30 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. and told him to "go to his room." Gerritz asked other members to keep Sako in his room because he was "yelling like a fool," and Gerritz stopped by Sako's room several times to make sure he was alright. Although the party was scheduled to end after midnight, by 10:45 p.m., Gerritz felt that he had
Summary judgment is appropriate if there is no genuine issue of material fact for trial and the moving party is entitled to prevail as a matter of law. ORCP 47(C). For a plaintiff in a negligence action to avoid summary judgment, the plaintiff must show the existence of a factual question on all dispositive issues framed by the defendant's motion. Two Two v. Fujitec America, Inc., 355 Or. 319, 326, 325 P.3d 707 (2014) (party seeking summary judgment frames the issues on which party opposing summary judgment must show the existence of a factual question). There is no issue of material fact, if, based on the record, "no objectively reasonable juror could return a verdict for the adverse party on the matter that is the subject of the motion for summary judgment." ORCP 47(C).
We first address plaintiff's claims against Beta Chapter and then address her claims against Phi Psi. To start, we review the negligence theories advanced by plaintiff against Beta Chapter and the issues raised by the chapter in its summary judgment motion, because they frame the issues on appeal.
Plaintiff first alleged that Beta Chapter was negligent based on a theory of premises liability. Plaintiff alleged that as a social guest she was an "invitee" of the chapter, and that the chapter failed to satisfy its duty to make the property reasonably safe for her visit because it, among other things, (1) failed to properly monitor the party, (2) permitted underage members of the fraternity to possess and consume alcohol in their private rooms, and (3) allowed chapter members and their guests unmonitored access to private rooms.
Plaintiff also alleged that Beta Chapter was negligent based on the more general theory of "failure to control." Under that theory, plaintiff asserted that the chapter knew or should have known in the exercise of reasonable care that there was a foreseeable risk of sexual assault of female guests during a party where (1) underage members had access to private alcohol supplies, (2) the party was not properly monitored, and (3) the chapter allowed members and their guests access to private rooms during the party. Plaintiff further alleged that the chapter's conduct failed to protect her from the risk of that harm.
Finally, plaintiff alleged that Beta Chapter was liable under the theory of negligence per se. According to plaintiff, the chapter's failure to comply with administrative rules that govern student social organizations violated, as a matter of law, the standard of care established by those rules. In particular, plaintiff claimed that the chapter violated applicable rules by serving alcohol to minors and visibly intoxicated persons, failing to provide security, failing to monitor for disorderly conduct, and failing to control access to alcohol in private rooms.
Beta Chapter sought summary judgment, insisting that there is no genuine issue of material fact as to the chapter's liability for Sako's criminal conduct. It asserted that plaintiff, as a social guest, was a licensee — not an invitee — for purposes of premises liability. Accordingly, the chapter maintained that its duty to plaintiff was limited to the duty to use reasonable care to make the premises safe or to warn plaintiff of the condition of the premises and the risk involved if it knew or had reason to know that there was an unreasonable risk of harm and plaintiff did not know or have reason to know
Similarly, Beta Chapter claimed that plaintiff's "failure to control" theory failed because, as a matter of law, it was not reasonably foreseeable to the chapter that plaintiff would be sexually assaulted at the party given that nobody knew of Sako's propensity for violence or of any sexual assaults by other chapter members, and the mere serving of alcohol (which the chapter argued did not occur) does not create an unreasonable risk that a person will become violent. Beta Chapter argued alternatively that it did not unreasonably create the risk of the harm that occurred because it lacked knowledge of Sako's propensity for violence and took precautionary steps to host a "good" party. Accordingly, the chapter explained that its conduct provided nothing more than "mere facilitation" of Sako's' criminal conduct, and that "mere facilitation" is not enough, as a matter of law, to demonstrate foreseeability.
As for plaintiff's negligence per se count, Beta Chapter contended that, because the administrative rules on which plaintiff relied had been repealed after the assault but before trial, plaintiff could not rely on those rules to sustain negligence per se. Alternatively, Beta Chapter maintained that there was no factual dispute that it had complied with the rules.
Plaintiff, in part, responded to Beta Chapter's motion with a declaration under ORCP 47(E) that she had retained an expert "who is available and willing to testify to admissible facts or opinions creating a question of fact."
The trial court granted summary judgment and dismissed plaintiff's claims. Plaintiff appeals, and on appeal, the parties generally reprise and refine the arguments that they made to the trial court.
We begin with some general negligence principles to provide context to the specific issues framed by plaintiff's claims and Beta Chapter's summary judgment motion — specifically, foreseeability and standard of care. Under Oregon law,
Fazzolari v. Portland School Dist. No. 1J, 303 Or. 1, 17, 734 P.2d 1326 (1987). That is, in the absence of a special status or relationship, the appropriate question is "whether the defendant's conduct resulted in a foreseeable and unreasonable risk of harm of the kind that the plaintiff suffered." Towe v.
In this case, plaintiff invoked a special relationship under premises liability law, and the parties dispute how Beta Chapter's duty as the possessor of property should be defined. Because the chapter's duty to plaintiff and the scope of that duty are threshold issues that affect the rest of our analysis, we resolve them before further discussing the applicable negligence principles.
Plaintiff claims that, because she was a licensee under premises liability law, the chapter — as the possessor of the property — had a duty to exercise reasonable care for her protection as to activities that occurred on the land.
However, as to the scope of the chapter's duty to plaintiff, even "when a special relationship is the basis for the duty of care owed by one person to another, * * * if the special relationship * * * does not prescribe a particular scope of duty, then `[c]ommon law principles of reasonable care and foreseeability of harm are relevant.'" Oregon Steel Mills, 336 Or. at 342, 83 P.3d 322 (quoting Cain v. Rijken, 300 Or. 706, 717, 717 P.2d 140 (1986)). The parties appear to agree that the scope of the chapter's duty to plaintiff is limited to harm to plaintiff that was reasonably foreseeable to the chapter.
However, they disagree as to whether, if the chapter was negligent in the manner alleged by plaintiff, the harm that plaintiff suffered was reasonably foreseeable. In cases where the "harm-producing force" is an intentional intervening criminal act of a third party, the defendant generally has a duty to protect against criminal conduct by third parties that the defendant reasonably could foresee. Stewart v. Kids Incorporated of Dallas, OR, 245 Or.App. 267, 278, 261 P.3d 1272 (2011), rev. dismissed as improvidently allowed, 353 Or. 104, 295 P.3d 51 (2012); see also McPherson v. Oregon Dept. of Corrections, 210 Or.App. 602, 612, 152 P.3d 918 (2007) (the scope of a landlord's duty to its tenants includes a "duty to take reasonable steps to protect tenants in the property's
Accordingly, we examine whether there was evidence in the summary judgment record that would allow a reasonable factfinder to find or reasonably infer that the chapter knew or should have known that, if it was negligent as alleged by plaintiff, that negligence placed plaintiff at an unreasonable risk of criminal conduct. See, e.g., Chapman v. Mayfield, 263 Or.App. 528, 531, 329 P.3d 12, rev. allowed, 356 Or. 400, 339 P.3d 440 (2014) (explaining relevant inquiry on review of summary judgment).
Plaintiff concedes that there is no evidence that the chapter knew of Sako's propensity for violence; nevertheless, she asserts that the chapter knew more generally about an epidemic of alcohol-related sexual assaults involving college fraternities, and that the chapter created an unreasonable risk of sexual assault by permitting underage members to consume alcohol and by allowing chapter members and their guests access to private rooms during parties where alcohol was available. Given that there was evidence of the chapter's knowledge of the prevalence of alcohol-related sexual assaults, plaintiff asserts that that evidence, in conjunction with her ORCP 47(E) affidavit, was sufficient to create a question of fact as to whether it was reasonably foreseeable that a female guest would be subject to sexual assault in the circumstances of the Halloween party.
Beta Chapter asserts that nothing it did could foreseeably have placed plaintiff in harm's way and that the requisite foreseeability was not present as a matter of law. The chapter claims that plaintiff's reliance on the its knowledge of national statistics regarding the prevalence of alcohol-related sexual assaults involving fraternities is not enough to create a factual question on foreseeability. Defendants take the position that the court must look to case-specific facts and cannot rely on the broad proposition that, because alcohol-related sexual assaults are a problem nationally, such a risk of harm was foreseeable in this case.
Therefore, at the heart of the foreseeability issue in this case is whether, given that the chapter had no specific knowledge of Sako's propensity for violence nor of any other sexual assaults involving chapter members or the chapter house, there was sufficient evidence to create a question of fact as to foreseeability. For the reasons that follow, we conclude that plaintiff established a question of fact on foreseeability.
To begin, we disagree with defendants that Oregon case law requires the conclusion that, in the absence of specific knowledge by the chapter of the propensity for violence of Sako or other chapter members, a risk of third-party criminal conduct is unforeseeable as a matter of law. We acknowledge that in many of our negligence cases, a defendant's knowledge of a specific perpetrator's propensity for violence provides the basis for establishing foreseeability of harm. See, e.g., Panpat v. Owens-Brockway Glass Container, 188 Or.App. 384, 394-95, 71 P.3d 553 (2003) (the defendant's knowledge that the third party had significant mental health problems related to the breakup of a romantic relationship with the decedent, that the third party was on psychiatric medical leave pending further mental health evaluation, and that the third party and the decedent had had previous verbal confrontations, made it reasonably foreseeable that the third party would commit criminal acts against the decedent at the defendant's business); Washa v. DOC, 159 Or.App. 207, 225, 979 P.2d 273 (1999), aff'd by an equally divided court, 335 Or. 403, 69 P.3d 1232 (2003) ("[O]ur general foreseeability analysis in a negligent supervision claim properly turns on whether — in light of the third party's criminal history — the defendant could reasonably foresee that the third party, if inadequately supervised,
For example, in Torres v. United States Nat. Bank, we concluded that the plaintiff stated facts that, if proven, could establish that the defendant bank should reasonably have anticipated criminal conduct against its invitees based on evidence that "due to the place or character of his business, or [the defendant's] past experience,'" the invitee's safety might be endangered. 65 Or.App. 207, 670 P.2d 230, rev. den., 296 Or. 237, 675 P.2d 491 (1983) (quoting Restatement (Second) of Torts § 344 comment f (1965)). There, the plaintiff had been shot while making a night deposit at the defendant bank. Because the trial court had dismissed the plaintiff's claims at the pleading stage, we explained that, based on the plaintiff's allegations, the plaintiff might be able to introduce evidence of robberies at other night depositories in the area, or be able to compare evidence of robberies at night depositories located on the street with robberies at depositories hidden from public view, or even introduce evidence showing the likelihood of danger to invitees making deposits after banking hours. Id. at 214-15, 670 P.2d 230; see also Cunningham, 157 Or.App. at 339-40, 970 P.2d 669 (where the plaintiff had been injured by the criminal acts of a third party after being ejected from a bar without being allowed to arrange for safe transportation home, there was evidence from which a jury could find that defendant could have reasonably foreseen that it was placing the plaintiff at a general risk of criminal assault).
Our recent decision in Chapman illustrates the different types of evidence that may be available to a plaintiff to prove foreseeability in a case involving third-party criminal conduct. There, we addressed whether it was foreseeable to the defendant tavern owner that serving a visibly intoxicated person could create an unreasonable risk that the person would engage in violent conduct. A patron of the defendant tavern had shot the plaintiffs after being served alcohol while visibly intoxicated. We noted that the plaintiffs could prove foreseeability by either (1) proving facts that showed that a tavern owner's "general observations and experiences `in the business of serving alcohol' gave that tavern owner reason to know that violence would be a foreseeable risk of serving alcohol to a visibly intoxicated person," or (2) proving facts that "the tavern owner knew or had reason to know that the visibly intoxicated person in question had a propensity for violence that could be incited by further drinking." 263 Or.App. at 532, 329 P.3d 12 (citations omitted). Because the plaintiff's in Chapman had no evidence of specific facts known by the defendant regarding the particular patron's propensity for violence, we examined the plaintiffs' "reason-to-know" theory that those in the business of serving alcohol know that visibly intoxicated drinkers frequently become violent. The plaintiffs relied on two key pieces of evidence: (1) a medical doctor's declaration that drinkers frequently become violent and that there is a link in medical, scientific, and lay literature between visible intoxication and increased violence, and (2) the testimony of a bartender from an "area bar" that when patrons become violent, it is "the alcohol talking." Id. at 532-33, 329 P.3d 12. We ultimately concluded that the plaintiffs' evidence failed to create a question of fact on foreseeability because it failed to establish that the defendant was on notice that serving a visibly intoxicated person created an unreasonable risk that the person would become violent. Id. at 535, 329 P.3d 12.
Central to our holding was the observation that the evidence would not allow a reasonable factfinder to infer the tavern owner's knowledge of the risk. We noted that the factfinder would have had to infer that (1) the tavern owner would generally know what medical experts in alcohol physiology know about the connection between intoxication and violence, (2) that the medical, scientific, and lay literature would be read by persons in the business of serving alcohol, and (3) that there were enough similarities between the operations and clientele of the defendant
Here, however, the summary judgment record included evidence that would allow a reasonable factfinder to infer, without requiring "too many intermediate inferences and assumptions," that the chapter could reasonably have foreseen a risk to female guests of sexual assault in the circumstances of the Halloween party. First and foremost, there is evidence in the summary judgment record that would support a finding that the chapter knew that alcohol-related sexual assaults were a foreseeable risk of hosting social events where alcohol is available, and that permissive alcohol use by underage members and access to private rooms during such social events increases the risk of sexual misconduct. Phi Psi requires local chapter members to complete computer-based educational programs that contain lengthy modules to educate students on issues of responsible alcohol use and the prevention of sexual assault. Phi Psi also requires local chapter officers to review and abide by risk-management policies on topics including "Social Programming and Alcohol" and "Sexual Assault." Such policies include statistical information affirming the prevalence of alcohol abuse in "Greek-related" accidents and sexual assaults (including statements such as "alcohol plays a prevalent role in sexual assaults"), and dictates that local chapters "establish an atmosphere that minimizes the likelihood of alcohol-related problems." It is also reasonable to infer from the record — viewed in the light most favorable to plaintiff — that the head of the Office of Greek Life had explained to Beta Chapter that access to private rooms during social events involving alcohol leads to a loss of control, which becomes a safety issue and leads to a danger of sexual misconduct.
Thus, the summary judgment record provides a basis for a reasonable factfinder to conclude that Beta Chapter knew that alcohol-related sexual assaults in college fraternities were a serious problem on college campuses nationwide and that precautions were necessary to minimize that risk. We do not understand prior Oregon cases to require a showing the chapter knew of specific members' propensity for violence for plaintiff to demonstrate that the chapter reasonably could have foreseen a risk of sexual assault of female guests. As the Supreme Court stated in Fazzolari, "evidence of foreseeability will differ depending on whether the risk of injury is claimed to be specific to a school, or schools generally, or a neighborhood, or a class of potential victims such as women or particular ethnic groups." 303 Or. at 21-22, 734 P.2d 1326 (emphasis added). The risk of injury in this case was to guests of Beta Chapter. Evidence that Beta Chapter knew that alcohol-related sexual assaults were a potential problem when hosting social events where alcohol is available, and that permissive alcohol use by underage members and access to private rooms during such social events increased the risk of sexual misconduct is sufficient to create a question of fact as to foreseeability of the risk that materialized in this case. Given our resolution of that issue, we need not address whether plaintiff's ORCP 47(E) affidavit would have created a question of fact as to foreseeability had the record been devoid of the evidence that Beta Chapter actually knew of the alcohol-related sexual assault problem.
Beta Chapter also contends that its conduct did not result in an "unreasonable risk of harm of the kind that plaintiff suffered," see Towe, 357 Or. at 86, 347 P.3d 766 ("[T]he more traditional duty-breach analysis * * * is supplanted by the question whether the defendant's conduct resulted in a foreseeable and unreasonable risk of harm of the kind that the plaintiff suffered."), because the summary judgment record demonstrates that, at most, defendants provided "mere facilitation" of Sako's criminal acts. See Buchler v. Oregon Corrections Div., 316 Or. 499, 511-12, 853 P.2d 798 (1993) (holding that "mere `facilitation' of an unintended adverse result, where intervening intentional criminality
As we recently explained in Piazza v. Kellim, 271 Or.App. 490, 504, 354 P.3d 698 (2015), in cases where the harm-producing force is the criminal act of a third party, the plaintiff must allege (and prove) that harm by third-party criminal conduct was "foreseeable to the defendant in a concrete way." The plaintiff may not rely on the abstract proposition that "crimes may occur and that the criminals perpetrating them may cause harm" because the Supreme Court rejected that theory in Buehler:
316 Or. at 511-12, 853 P.2d 798.
Synthesizing Buehler in Cunningham, we stated that the
157 Or.App. at 338-39, 970 P.2d 669.
As we understand the "mere facilitation" rationale in Buehler, the link between the defendant's negligent conduct and the risk of harm must also be reasonably foreseeable because, at some point, charging a person "with responsibility for all intervening intentional criminal conduct that might conceivably occur" cannot be reconciled with "a foreseeability analysis that requires that a defendant, to be liable, must have unreasonably created the risk of the sort of harm to plaintiff that befell him." Buehler, 316 Or. at 511, 853 P.2d 798 (emphasis in original).
In Buehler, a prisoner escaped from state custody when his crew supervisor left the
Id. (quoting Fazzolari, 303 Or. at 12, 734 P.2d 1326).
This case does not present a similar problem. Here, we have no difficulty concluding that there is a relatively straightforward connection between the chapter's allegedly negligent conduct and the risk of harm that befell plaintiff. Plaintiff introduced evidence that would support a finding that the chapter knew that alcohol-related sexual assaults were a risk in certain circumstances at fraternities on college campuses nationwide, and that, among other things, the chapter permitted underage members to possess and consume alcohol in private rooms and failed to prohibit access to private rooms during a social event where alcohol was available. Given that there was evidence that would support the conclusion that the chapter knew of the risk of alcohol-related sexual assault at an event like the Halloween party, plaintiff established a question of fact as to whether the chapter was on notice that its conduct would create a risk of the kind of harm that befell her. Cf. Oregon Steel Mills, 336 Or. at 345, 83 P.3d 322 (holding that "the risk of a decline in plaintiff's stock price in June 1996 was not a reasonably foreseeable consequence of defendant's negligent acts in 1994 and early 1995"), and McPherson, 210 Or. App. at 618, 152 P.3d 918 (criminal harm is not foreseeable where the risk of harm would have to "result from some strange `concatenation of highly unusual circumstances,' * * * [or] an extended sequence of improbable chance occurrences." (quoting Stewart v. Jefferson Plywood Co., 255 Or. 603, 609, 469 P.2d 783 (1970))).
The dissent concludes that Beta Chapter cannot be liable for plaintiff's injuries because, as a matter of law, it could not reasonably foresee a risk of sexual assault by a third party at the Halloween party. The dissent reaches that conclusion based on the lack of evidence that Beta Chapter had any knowledge of Sako's propensity for violence, and on the failure of plaintiff to produce evidence of prior sexual assaults at the chapter house or at other fraternities or sororities at OSU. As for the lack of evidence of Sako's propensity for violence, the parties did not dispute that point, and our analysis does not touch on it. Rather, at the heart of our disagreement is the dissent's conclusion that Beta Chapter cannot be liable under Oregon negligence law because plaintiff presented no evidence of prior sexual assaults at the house or at other fraternities or sororities at OSU. The dissent concludes that in the absence of "specific facts" to show that Beta Chapter knew or had reason to know from its experience that its location threatened plaintiff with an unreasonable risk of criminal assault, the assault of plaintiff was unforeseeable as a matter of law. 273 Or.App. at 440, 359 P.3d at 465 (DeVore, J., dissenting).
In short, as our discussion indicates, foreseeability in cases involving third-party criminal conduct is not so strictly limited. The relevant inquiry is ultimately whether there was evidence in the summary judgment record that would allow a reasonable factfinder to find or reasonably infer that the chapter
Accordingly, we do not share the dissent's view that existing Oregon negligence law cuts off liability for third-party criminal conduct unless there is specific evidence of the criminal propensity of a third party under control of the defendant or evidence of past criminal activity at a specific location. To the extent that the dissent argues that Buehler drew that line, we disagree. First, as relevant here, we understand Buehler to stand for the proposition that, at some point, harm that befalls a plaintiff that is "several steps" removed from the negligent conduct of the defendant, is not foreseeable as a matter of law to the defendant. However, this is not a case in which the harm resulted from a "concatenation of highly unusual circumstances" or "an extended sequence of improbable chance occurrences." See McPherson, 210 Or.App. at 618, 152 P.3d 918. Second, Buchler established "that the generic fact that criminals may commit crimes does not suffice to make the risk of a particular crime reasonably foreseeable for negligence purposes." Stewart, 245 Or.App. at 282, 261 P.3d 1272. Again, plaintiff's theory is more than the generic fact that criminals may commit crimes. Plaintiff introduced evidence that would allow a reasonable factfinder to conclude that Beta Chapter knew that there was a specific risk of sexual assault during a party where alcohol was available, underage drinking was permitted, and access to private rooms was open.
Finally, we briefly address the dissent's discussion of the national statistic on alcohol-related sexual assault mentioned in Phi Psi's risk-management policy. The dissent contends that the "incomplete and generalized" national statistic of sexual assaults at fraternities nationwide is "misunderstood" and "insufficient" evidence, and rebukes our reliance on that statistic as evidence to support the conclusion that a reasonable factfinder could find that Beta Chapter knew that there was a reasonably foreseeable risk of sexual assault of plaintiff at the Halloween party. 273 Or.App. at 429, 359 P.3d at 459 (DeVore, J., dissenting). The dissent incorrectly implies that that statistic was the only evidence on which we relied to conclude that foreseeability was a jury question. Regardless of the underlying validity of the statistic, it is but one piece of evidence that plaintiff introduced that created a factual question on foreseeability. Our conclusion is based on all of the evidence that Beta Chapter knew of the risk of sexual misconduct in the circumstances of the Halloween party, including Phi Psi's risk management policy (that included reference to the statistic at issue), computer-based training modules, and information from the Office of Greek Life. That evidence, viewed in the light most favorable to plaintiff, is enough to get plaintiff past summary judgment. The persuasiveness of that evidence, including the statistic, is for the jury to decide.
Defendants also appear to argue that, even if the risk of sexual assault was reasonably foreseeable, no objectively reasonable juror could have concluded that the chapter failed to take reasonable steps to protect its guests from third-party criminal conduct.
To the extent that Beta Chapter is arguing that no reasonable factfinder could find that the chapter's conduct violated the applicable standard of care, we reject that argument. Although the chapter certainly took numerous precautionary measures, it failed to take others — such as prohibiting access to private rooms during a party where alcohol use by underage members in private rooms was permitted and unmonitored — and a reasonable factfinder could view such measures as required under the applicable standard of care. As the Supreme Court stated in Fazzolari,
303 Or. at 18, 734 P.2d 1326 (quoting Stewart, 255 Or. at 607, 469 P.2d 783). We cannot say that defendants' conduct clearly meets the standard in this case; accordingly, that is a factual question for the factfinder to decide.
Given our conclusion that the summary judgment record, when viewed in the light most favorable to plaintiff, contained factual questions on the issues framed by Beta Chapter's summary judgment motion — foreseeability of harm and the standard of care — the trial court erred by granting summary judgment and dismissing plaintiff's claims against Beta Chapter.
Next, we address plaintiff's negligence per se count. To establish negligence per se, plaintiff must demonstrate that (1) defendants violated an administrative rule; (2) plaintiff was injured as a result of that violation; (3) plaintiff was a member of the class of persons meant to be protected by the rule; and (4) the injury plaintiff suffered is of a type that the rule was enacted to prevent. McAlpine v. Multnomah County, 131 Or.App. 136, 144, 883 P.2d 869 (1994), rev. den., 320 Or. 507, 888 P.2d 568 (1995); see also Ettinger v. Denny Chancier Equipment Co., Inc., 139 Or.App. 103, 107, 910 P.2d 420 (1996) (noting that application of negligence per se based on a violation of administrative rules also requires that the rule not be ultra vires). Here, plaintiff asserted that negligence per se occurred because Beta Chapter violated former OAR 576-018-0240(2)(c) (June 30, 2010), former OAR 576-018-0250(2) and (3) (June 30, 2010), and former OAR 576-018-0260 (June 30, 2010) — rules that, at the time of the Halloween party, regulated alcohol distribution and consumption at "closed events" hosted by social organizations at OSU.
Beta Chapter moved for summary judgment against plaintiff's negligence per se count, arguing that, as a matter of law, because the rules on which plaintiff relied had been repealed after the date of the Halloween party, those repealed rules could not sustain plaintiff's negligence per se count. Alternatively, Beta Chapter asserted that, as a factual matter, there was no evidence that it had failed to comply with the rules that plaintiff cited for negligence per se." The trial court granted summary judgment on plaintiffs negligence per se count, although it did not explain why it did so.
Beta Chapter relied on our decision in Greist v. Phillips, 128 Or.App. 390, 875 P.2d 1199 (1994), rev'd in part on other grounds, 322 Or. 281, 906 P.2d 789 (1995), to argue to the trial court that, because the
Greist involved a wrongful death action against the driver and owner of a truck that struck a vehicle in which the decedent infant was a passenger. 128 Or.App. at 393, 875 P.2d 1199. One of the issues on appeal was whether the trial court erred by refusing to instruct the jury that, under the law as it stood at the time of trial, the plaintiff's failure to use the "required and available child restraint seat constituted negligence per se." Id. at 394-95, 875 P.2d 1199. A statute in effect at the time of the accident required the use of child restraint seats, but also included a provision that violation of the statute "shall not be considered under any circumstances to be negligence nor shall evidence of such a violation be admissible in any civil action." ORS 811.210(3) (1989), amended by Or. Laws 1991, ch. 2, § 1. On appeal, we addressed whether a change in the statute (i.e., an amendment eliminating subsection (3)) should be applied retroactively. The parties argued that, under existing Supreme Court precedent, whether the change should be applied retroactively depends on whether the change was procedural or substantive because "[c]hanges in law that affect substantive rights are not applied retroactively, but procedural changes can be." 128 Or.App. at 395, 875 P.2d 1199 (citing Joseph v. Lowery, 261 Or. 545, 547, 495 P.2d 273 (1972)). We concluded that the statutory change was substantive and could not be applied retroactively. In particular, we noted that the amendment of ORS 811.210(3) "changed the rights and responsibilities of drivers in terms of their potential civil liability." Id. Accordingly, the law at the time of the accident controlled.
Here, the parties dispute whether the rules at issue were procedural or substantive in nature. Beta Chapter argued to the trial court that the changes were procedural because they set out procedures "with which student groups were supposed to comply in order to host events involving alcohol." We disagree that the rules are merely procedural, and thus, we conclude that the trial court erred in granting summary judgment on that basis. In short, the rules relied on by plaintiff, at least in part, implicated the "rights and responsibilities" of student organizations in a substantive manner. For example, the rules provided that student organizations holding closed events with alcoholic beverages could be suspended if an underage person obtains or received alcoholic beverages, including where the underage person obtains or receives alcohol in a private room during the event or as a result of the event. Former OAR 576-018-0250(2) (June 30, 2010).
We also briefly address Beta Chapter's alternative basis for summary judgment on the negligence per se count. In short, Beta Chapter argues that as a factual matter it "indisputably complied with the OARs,"
As for Beta Chapter's "indisputable" compliance with the rules, there is evidence in the summary judgment record that creates a question of fact on that issue. For example, there is evidence from which a reasonable factfinder could find that Beta Chapter failed to control access to alcohol in private rooms, which would constitute a violation of former OAR 576-018-0250(2) (June 30, 2010). Accordingly, summary judgment was inappropriate.
Finally, we reject Beta Chapter's contention that, as a matter of law, plaintiff could not show that it "failed to act reasonably" given the precautions and security measure undertaken by the chapter. See Bjorndal v. Weitman, 344 Or. 470, 477, 184 P.3d 1115 (2008) (noting that Uniform Civil Jury Instruction 20.03 states that if "the defendant proves by a preponderance of the evidence that the defendant was acting as a reasonably careful person in the circumstances" negligence per se does not apply). For the same reasons that we rejected Beta Chapter's argument that, as a matter of law, it satisfied the standard of care, 273 Or.App. at 417, 359 P.3d at 452-53, we reject Beta Chapter's argument that there is no question of fact that it acted reasonably in the circumstances.
Next we address whether the trial court correctly granted summary judgment as to plaintiff's claim against Phi Psi. Plaintiff alleged that Phi Psi was vicariously liable under an agency theory — that Phi Psi had authority to control Beta Chapter and that, because of the agency relationship between the local chapter and the national organization, Phi Psi should be liable for Beta Chapter's negligence. Plaintiff also alleged a "negligent assumption of duty" theory against Phi Psi, contending that Phi Psi voluntarily undertook to provide supervision, control, and guidance to its local chapter members, including over member conduct in general and specifically with regard to responsible alcohol use and the prevention of sexual assault. Plaintiff claimed that Phi Psi negligently provided that supervision, control, and guidance because it failed to (1) monitor and enforce Beta Chapter's compliance with required rules of conduct relating to responsible alcohol use, underage drinking, and the prevention of sexual assault; (2) establish, monitor, and enforce rules to prohibit and prevent guest access to private rooms at Beta Chapter during social events where alcohol is "permitted, available, and possessed and allowed to be consumed by members in private rooms"; and (3) establish, monitor, and enforce rules to prohibit possession and consumption of alcohol in private rooms of the chapter house during social events. We address each theory in turn.
We begin with the applicable legal principles that govern nonemployee agency relationships. At common law, "agency" was defined as a relationship that "`results from the manifestation of consent by one person by another that the other shall act on behalf and subject to his control, and consent by the other so to act.'" Vaughn v. First Transit, Inc., 346 Or. 128, 135, 206 P.3d 181 (2009) (quoting Hampton Tree Farms, Inc. v. Jewett, 320 Or. 599, 617, 892 P.2d 683 (1995) (emphasis in Vaughn)). "The agency relationship can arise either from actual consent (express or implied) or from the appearance of such consent." Eads v. Borman, 351 Or. 729, 736, 277 P.3d 503 (2012). "[T]he principal is bound by or otherwise responsible for the actual or apparent agent's acts only if the acts are within the scope of what the agent is actually or apparently authorized to do." Id. at 736, 277 P.3d 503. "[F]or a principal to be vicariously liable for the negligence of its nonemployee agents, there ordinarily must be a connection between the principal's `right to control' the agent's actions and the specific conduct giving rise to the tort claim." Vaughn, 346 Or. at 138, 206 P.3d 181. To impose vicarious liability for a nonemployee agent's physical conduct, the principal must have — or appear to have — a right to control how the act is performed — that is, the physical details of the manner of performance —
Phi Psi contended in its summary judgment motion that, under Oregon agency law, even if Beta Chapter is an agent of Phi Psi, it was not actually or apparently authorized by Phi Psi to do the "acts" that led to plaintiff's injuries. In addition, relying on Oregon cases, Phi Psi asserted that there was no evidence that any right of Phi Psi to control Beta Chapter's actions connected to the specific conduct that gave rise to plaintiff's negligence claims. Specifically, Phi Psi claims that the only evidence in the record was that it did not have day-to-day control over the local chapter or the chapter's members' actions, and that it was those day-to-day actions that gave rise to plaintiff's claims.
On appeal, plaintiff argues that an agency relationship existed between Phi Psi and Beta Chapter based on Phi Psi's right to control intake, to suspend or expel members, and to revoke charters. Further, plaintiff asserts that the connection between Phi Psi's right to control Beta Chapter and Beta Chapter's negligent conduct is provided by evidence that Phi Psi imposed the risk-management policy on each chapter and required each chapter's officers to attend training on implementing the policy. Plaintiff maintains that, because the policy specifically addressed alcohol abuse and sexual assault, and the local chapter was not permitted to vary from those policies, Phi Psi's control over the chapter had a connection to the chapter's negligent failure to protect plaintiff from a foreseeable risk of alcohol-related sexual assault. Finally, plaintiff asserts that the documents that govern the relationship between Phi Psi and Beta Chapter gave Phi Psi control to grant, to suspend, or to revoke Beta Chapter's charter; the right to discipline individual members; and the right to appoint a committee to supervise the affairs of the chapter.
Thus, the issue framed below and on appeal is whether, on this record, a reasonable factfinder could find Phi Psi vicariously liable for the negligent conduct of Beta Chapter. Because defendants do not assert an absence of an agency relationship between Phi Psi and Beta Chapter, and because plaintiff acknowledges that the agency relationship between defendants is one of principal and nonemployee, the dispositive issue is whether there is sufficient evidence of a connection between Phi Psi's "right to control" Beta Chapter's actions and the specific conduct that gave rise to plaintiff's tort claim. See Vaughn, 346 Or. at 138, 206 P.3d 181.
Before we address the summary judgment record here, we examine Viado v. Domino's Pizza, LLC, 230 Or.App. 531, 217 P.3d 199 (2009), rev. den., 347 Or. 608, 226 P.3d 43 (2010), which is instructive to the issues in this case. In that case, the plaintiff sued Domino's Pizza and a Domino's franchisee to recover for injuries he sustained in an accident with the franchisee's pizza delivery driver. Id. at 533, 217 P.3d 199. The issue on appeal was whether the plaintiff's evidence at the summary judgment stage would allow a reasonable juror to find Domino's vicariously liable for the driver's negligence. After concluding that there was a nonemployee agency relationship between the franchisee and Domino's, we examined whether there was a connection between Domino's right to control the franchisee's actions and the specific conduct giving rise to the tort claim. Id. at 550-51, 217 P.3d 199.
That inquiry involved deciding whether there was evidence that would allow a jury to find that Domino's had the right to control the physical details of the conduct that injured the plaintiff — i.e., the manner in which the driver carried out his driving duties. The record contained evidence that Domino's asserted various "controls" over the franchisee's drivers, including standards for hiring and training them, standards for delivery vehicles, and general driving safety standards. Id. at 551, 217 P.3d 199. We concluded that, although those "controls" touched on the delivery process, "none of them gave Domino's the right to control the physical details of the manner of driving." Id. (emphasis in original). We explained that "[s]etting * * * standards for a franchisee's employees and having the right to actually control how the franchisee's employees perform the physical details of driving are two different things." Id. at 552, 217 P.3d 199. Instead of establishing standards as to the
Although Viado involved an agency relationship between entities that was based on a franchise agreement, our analysis in that case is instructive on the issue before us. Here, plaintiff asserted that Beta Chapter was negligent by, among other things, hosting a party where underage members could possess and consume alcohol in their private rooms and failing to prohibit access to private rooms. Accordingly, the ultimate question is whether a factfinder could conclude on this record, viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to plaintiff, that Phi Psi had the right to control the physical details of hosting and monitoring the Halloween party. We conclude that plaintiff's evidence falls short of creating a genuine issue of material fact on that question.
The evidence on which plaintiff relies — that Phi Psi had the right to control intake, to suspend or expel members, to revoke charters, and to impose fraternity-wide policies aimed at curbing alcohol abuse and preventing sexual assaults — is insufficient to support a finding that Phi Psi had the right to control Beta Chapter's day-to-day operations such as the physical details of hosting a Halloween party. Rather, the evidence establishes only that Phi Psi's powers, at least with respect to the type of day-to-day operations at issue here, were essentially remedial in nature. That is, Phi Psi could react to violations of its policies or to a chapter's misconduct with punishment but, similar to Viado, the policies were generalized standards that allowed day-today control over the functions of Beta Chapter to remain with the local chapter. Although Phi Psi had the authority to appoint a committee to supervise the affairs of the chapter, which might have included supervising day-to-day activities, there is no evidence that Phi Psi had done that in this case at the time of the Halloween party. Accordingly, we conclude that no reasonable factfinder could find that Phi Psi had the right to control the physical details of hosting and monitoring the Halloween party to the extent necessary to find Phi Psi vicariously liable.
Finally, we address plaintiff's negligence claim against Phi Psi. Our analysis is limited to the theory of negligence alleged by plaintiff against Phi Psi, as framed by defendants' summary judgment motion and the parties' arguments on appeal.
In her complaint, plaintiff alleged that Phi Psi "undertook to provide supervision, control, and guidance to its local chapter members" by providing advice, education, and rules of conduct aimed at responsible alcohol use and the prevention of sexual assault, and that Phi Psi negligently performed that role because it (1) failed to monitor Beta Chapter's compliance with the established rules regarding alcohol use and the prevention of sexual assault; (2) failed to establish, monitor, and enforce rules regarding guest access to private rooms during social events; and (3) failed to establish, monitor, and enforce rules that would prohibit the possession and consumption of alcohol in private rooms at the chapter house during social events.
At the summary judgment stage, plaintiff clarified that her negligence claim against Phi Psi was based on the rule set out in the Restatement (Second) of Torts section 323 (1965) that
Plaintiff pointed to evidence that Phi Psi knew of the alcohol-related sexual assault problem at college fraternities, and undertook a training program to reduce the risk of liability for injuries resulting from alcohol use and sexual assault. In particular, plaintiff pointed to evidence that Phi Psi's Director of Expansion had visited Beta Chapter in 2008 and presented information about the fraternity's risk-management program, that Phi Psi had developed a handbook that was designed to, among other things, provide chapter members with information about alcohol abuse and sexual assault, that Phi Psi required the local chapter to adopt the national risk-management policies, and finally, that Phi Psi's bylaws require a chapter advisor who was supposed to give guidance to local chapters. As such, plaintiff contended that there was evidence that Phi Psi "assumed a role to control alcohol abuse and sexual assaults," and that it assumed an obligation to do so in a non-negligent manner.
Phi Psi argued that it was entitled to summary judgment on plaintiff's direct negligence claim because (1) there was no evidence that Phi Psi had assumed a duty to plaintiff; (2) as to any duty Phi Psi assumed to Beta Chapter, there was no evidence that Phi Psi had negligently performed any of the services that it undertook; and (3) plaintiff did not allege, nor could she prove, that Phi Psi's conduct had unreasonably created a foreseeable risk of sexual assault to her.
We begin with the first issue raised by Phi Psi on summary judgment — that the authority on which plaintiff relied does not establish that Phi Psi had a duty to plaintiff.
We agree with defendants that Restatement section 323 does not cover liability to third parties that are harmed by a negligent voluntary undertaking. The section is clear that it addresses liability for harm to "the other" for which the voluntary undertaking was taken. And, at least in this case, plaintiff alleged only that Phi Psi had voluntarily undertaken a duty to the local chapter and its members.
Plaintiff disagrees, citing our decision in Peterson v. Mult. Co. Sch. Dist. No. 1, 64 Or.App. 81, 668 P.2d 385, rev. den., 295 Or. 773, 670 P.2d 1036 (1983). In that case, the plaintiff sued a number of parties, including the Oregon School Activities Association (OSAA), after he was rendered quadriplegic as a result of an injury that he suffered at a school preseason football practice. As to OSAA, he alleged that the organization was negligent "for failing to require or recommend that member schools undertake various
On appeal, one of the issues was whether the court had incorrectly instructed the jury that, if OSAA "voluntarily undertook to regulate the matters alleged in the Plaintiff's complaint, that is, regarding practice and what you did at practice, * * * then they would have the responsibility to act reasonably in that regard, and would be liable for negligence in failing to act reasonably." Id. at 92, 668 P.2d 385. OSAA argued that the instruction was legally incorrect because "the claimed negligence * * * was not an act of commission but an act of omission." Id. at 93, 668 P.2d 385. Citing Restatement section 323 we explained:
Id. at 94, 668 P.2d 385 (emphasis in original). Accordingly, we rejected OSAA's assignment of error challenging the jury instruction, and affirmed the jury's verdict.
Plaintiff argues that Peterson stands for the proposition that a duty "to another" assumed under Restatement section 323 also covers liability for injuries sustained by a third party, such as the student athlete in Peterson. We disagree. There is no indication in Peterson that the discrete issue argued by the parties in this case — whether a duty voluntarily assumed under Restatement section 323 includes liability to third parties — was put at issue by OSAA or decided by us. Rather, we resolved a narrow assignment of error aimed at the trial court's jury instruction. Accordingly, we reject plaintiff's argument that Peterson controls in this case.
Plaintiff, in her reply brief, cites to Restatement section 324A as additional support for her argument. That provision addresses liability to third persons for the negligent performance of an undertaking:
The problem with plaintiff's reliance on Restatement section 324A, at least at this stage in the proceedings, is that plaintiff is raising it for the first time on appeal. Plaintiff's argument to the trial court was focused on Phi Psi's voluntary undertaking to supervise and control the local chapter, and never linked that voluntary undertaking to the rule stated in Restatement section 324A, i.e., that Phi Psi, by voluntarily undertaking to render services to the local chapter members should have recognized that that undertaking was necessary for the protection of plaintiff and that Phi Psi's failure to exercise reasonable care in its undertaking increased the risk of harm to plaintiff.
We conclude that plaintiff's argument that Restatement section 324A imposes liability on Phi Psi is unpreserved. Plaintiff and defendants squared off on summary judgment exclusively over the assumption of a duty based on Restatement section 323. Plaintiff's failure
Because it was not presented below, we do not address whether plaintiff's direct negligence claim against Phi Psi could have avoided summary judgment under general foreseeability principles, and because it was not preserved, we do not decide whether a claim under the principles in Restatement section 324A could have avoided summary judgment on this record. We simply conclude that the trial court did not err in granting summary judgment against plaintiff's claim under Restatement section 323.
In summary, we conclude that the trial court erred by dismissing plaintiff's negligence claim against Beta Chapter on summary judgment, but correctly granted summary judgment to Phi Psi.
Judgment in favor of Oregon Beta Chapter of Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity reversed and remanded; otherwise affirmed.
DeVORE, J., concurring in part, dissenting in part.
DeVORE, J., concurring in part, dissenting in part.
This case considers the circles of blame for the criminal act of another person. When an injured plaintiff asks a court to hold a defendant financially liable for the criminal act of a third person, Oregon law has a test to decide whether the defendant shares blame. It is a test of general foreseeability, but, when a third person inflicted the injury, it is a test with a sharper focus. It is a test that considers the risk of a particular, violent person or of a location made unsafe by the violence of others. Did the defendant, who is to be faulted for the act of another person, actually know or have reason to know of the specific danger to the plaintiff posed by this third person or by an unknown person at this location?
I write separately, concurring with most of the majority's analysis. I do not disagree with the majority's disposition of the claim against the national fraternity. Nor do I disagree with the majority's remand for further proceedings on the claim against the Beta Chapter for negligence per se based on the prospect of violation of former Oregon Administrative Rules. The defendant's argument on appeal that plaintiff "could not show that her injury resulted from any [OAR] violation" was not made to the trial court in terms of an inability to show that she was in the class of persons meant to be protected by a rule or that a sexual assault was not the sort of injury that alcohol regulations were intended to prevent. Compare McAlpine v. Multnomah County, 131 Or.App. 136, 144, 883 P.2d 869 (1994), rev. den., 320 Or. 507, 888 P.2d 568 (1995) (cited by the Beta Chapter to the trial court and this court; listing four requisites for negligence per se), with Gattman v. Favro, 306 Or. 11, 24, 757 P.2d 402 (1988) (assault victim was not within the class of persons intended to be protected by liquor liability statute). Although the trial court did not explain the reason for its dismissal of the negligence per se claim, this court does not address new reasons on appeal, which were not developed and which, if squarely addressed, could have led to a different record. See Outdoor Media Dimensions Inc. v. State of Oregon, 331 Or. 634,
As to the claim of ordinary negligence, I dissent to suggest that our case law requires more than plaintiff offers to hold the Beta Chapter liable. To have "facilitated" a crime, by having carelessly provided a setting or having made the crime more likely, does not mean, without more, that the defendant had reason to foresee the crime and thereby become liable. Beyond that setting, the national statistic, to which plaintiff's claim reduces, does not mean what it might appear to mean, and it is insufficient evidence as a matter of law. To add that misunderstood and inadequate statistic to this setting does not mean that the local fraternity had reason to foresee the crime and become liable for it.
Two principal cases not only typify the lines of cases on an unsafe person or location, they are the modern source of Oregon's law of negligence. In Fazzolari v. Portland School Dist. No. 1J, 303 Or. 1, 734 P.2d 1326 (1987), a high school student, while waiting before school, was beaten and raped by an unknown assailant. Only 15 days beforehand, another woman had been sexually assaulted on the same school grounds. Id. at 21, 734 P.2d 1326. The plaintiff attempted to introduce evidence of other incidents. The plaintiff alleged, among other things, that the school district had failed to warn and to provide security personnel when the district knew of previous similar attacks. The Supreme Court explained that the special duty of a school toward its students "does mean that negligence toward a student is tested by an obligation of reasonable precautions against foreseeable risks beyond those that might apply to other persons."
In Buchler v. Oregon Corrections Div., 316 Or. 499, 853 P.2d 798 (1993), a prisoner escaped from custody, found keys in a state van, stole a gun from his mother's home, and shot two people two days later 50 miles away. The plaintiffs alleged, among other things, the state's negligence in failing to give warning of the escape to the public and especially to the plaintiffs' neighborhood. The Supreme Court evaluated the allegation of fault involving the van keys and the failure to warn in terms of ordinary negligence or general foreseeability, not a special duty. Id. at 504-05, 853 P.2d 798.
The court began by rejecting the possibility that liability would follow from simply "facilitating" the harmful act, a distinction that is critical to the case at hand. Id. at 510, 853 P.2d 798. Previously, in Kimbler v. Stillwell, 303 Or. 23, 734 P.2d 1344 (1987), the court had reinstated the plaintiff's claim of negligence for a store's failure to lock a gun display case, which led to a thief's use of the gun to inflict injury later. Buchler overruled Kimbler, explaining that a defendant should not face liability simply because a defendant is involved in the chain of events — even those without which the death or injury would not have occurred. The court elaborated:
316 Or. at 511-12, 853 P.2d 798 (emphasis added). The Buchler court considered the state's carelessness in leaving the keys in the van within the chain of causation, but, ultimately, deemed it not to be actionable, like the store's failure to lock the gun case in Kimbler. The court concluded that the "generalized foreseeability principle" did not reach so far.
To find the defendant liable for the intentional act of a third person, the court required more than "facilitation" of the crime. The court required "evidence that defendant here either knew [or] had reason to know of the specific danger presented by the prisoner to plaintiffs." Id. at 516, 853 P.2d 798 (emphasis added). Liability did not turn on hindsight, nor the perspective of an all-knowing "reasonable person." Liability turned on what this particular defendant knew or had reason to know. The prisoner's history gave the state no indication of violent crimes. The plaintiffs had not shown why the state should have known the prisoner would be near the plaintiffs, should have known where the prisoner's mother lived, and should have known he would have stolen a gun. The court concluded that the state had "no duty to warn in the absence of [the] knowledge" of the specific danger presented to the plaintiffs by the prisoner. Id. The court affirmed a dismissal on summary judgment. Although Buchler dismissed the claims, its fact pattern typified which negligence cases could, with something more, find a defendant liable for the risk of a third person's violence.
Two lines of cases, involving a defendant's liability either for a dangerous person or an unsafe location, resemble these two prototype cases, and both lines of cases contribute to the answer to the case at hand. I draw first from the cases on a dangerous person, then draw on cases on an unsafe location, before turning to the facts at hand, and, as to the local fraternity, disagreeing with the majority's conclusion.
The fact patterns with dangerous third parties often involve alcohol, robbery, assault, and sexual violence. The decisions caution courts against making easy assumptions. In several cases involving alcohol, it did not suffice to allege that serving alcohol to an intoxicated person gave reason for a defendant to foresee that a third person would intentionally assault someone. In Moore v. Willis, 307 Or. 254, 260, 767 P.2d 62 (1988), the Supreme Court declared:
The court affirmed a judgment on the pleadings in favor of two tavern owners after a patron drew a gun and killed a taxi driver.
In Sparks v. Warren, 122 Or.App. 136, 856 P.2d 337 (1993), it did not suffice to allege that a fraternity failed to regulate the use of alcohol by its members and knew or should have known that underage drinkers frequently become abusive and violent. The plaintiff was assaulted by a fraternity member after drinking there and at a tavern. We responded:
Id. at 140, 856 P.2d 337. Because the plaintiff had failed to present evidence that the violence was foreseeable, we affirmed summary judgment for the defendants.
Recently, in Chapman v. Mayfield, 263 Or.App. 528, 329 P.3d 12, rev. allowed, 356 Or. 400, 339 P.3d 440 (2014), a fraternal lodge was alleged to have served a visibly intoxicated patron. The patron shot and injured two
Id. at 531, 329 P.3d 12 (emphases added). Like Sako in the case at hand, the lodge did not know any "specific facts" about the patron, which would have made violence foreseeable. Like the Beta Chapter here, the lodge had suffered no prior incidents in which patrons, to whom the lodge had served alcohol, had become violent. And, like plaintiff here, the plaintiff in Chapman offered only generalized information. A medical doctor testified that "[i]ntoxicated drinkers frequently become violent," and a bartender from a different bar testified that, when a patron becomes violent, "[t]hat's the alcohol talking." Id. at 532, 546, 329 P.3d 12.
We held "that evidence is insufficient to permit a rational factfinder to make the finding," which the law requires, that the defendant, just by being in the alcohol business, had reason to foresee that serving an intoxicated patron would pose an unreasonable risk of violence. Id. at 533, 329 P.3d 12. The generalizations, whether from a doctor or a bartender, did not suffice to prevent summary judgment for the defendant, because "too many intermediate inferences and assumptions" or "guesswork" would be required to find that the defendant had knowledge or reason to know the risk from this patron.
In contrast to the alcohol cases from Moore to Chapman, the outcome favors the plaintiff when the plaintiff offers some evidence that the defendant knew or had reason to know the "specific danger" that a third person presented to plaintiff. See Buehler, 316 Or. at 515, 853 P.2d 798 (no knowledge of specific danger to plaintiffs). For example, in Brown v. Washington County, 163 Or.App. 362, 987 P.2d 1254 (1999), rev. den., 331 Or. 191, 18 P.3d 1098 (2000), an inmate escaped from a corrections center and killed his brother. The defendant county knew that the inmate had a violent history, was agitated just before his escape, used his wife's address as his address, suspected her of an adulterous affair, and likely would go to her address. Yet, the county failed to warn anyone at the address of his escape. Such knowledge of the specific threat posed by a third person permitted the possibility of liability. See also Washa v. DOC, 159 Or.App. 207, 979 P.2d 273 (1999), aff'd by an equally divided court, 335 Or. 403, 69 P.3d 1232 (2003) (the defendant, who inadequately supervised a parolee, was well aware of the parolee's violent assaults on women and the risk that he would remain "a potential mutilator and killer of women," such that the defendant had reason to have foreseen the risk of two rapes and a murder).
In McAlpine v. Multnomah County, 166 Or.App. 472, 999 P.2d 522 (2000), rev. den., 336 Or. 60, 77 P.3d 635 (2003), a parole officer knew or had reason to know that the parolee had a history of violent offenses, including possession of a gas bomb, armed robbery, and assault and knew that he had committed new offenses, but failed to issue an updated parole report, allowing the parolee to be released. The plaintiff was subsequently injured in a traffic-related altercation with the parolee. The allegation of such knowledge permitted the county's potential liability for the parolee's conduct. See also
These cases involving a dangerous third person parallel the cases involving a location made unsafe by unknown persons. There is a similar requisite in common: In location cases, liability can arise when the defendant knew or had reason to know from specific evidence that the location presented a risk of criminal harm or violence from third persons, even if the identity of the bad actor could not have been foreseen. Two early cases, with contrasting outcomes, illustrate that local experience is the specific evidence needed. Two recent cases, with contrasting outcomes, will sharpen our focus.
In Uihlein v. Albertson's, Inc., 282 Or. 631, 580 P.2d 1014 (1978), a supermarket shopper was assaulted and her pocketbook stolen by an unknown assailant. She alleged a lack of security, argued the market was in a high-crime area in Portland, and relied on the comment of the store's former manager that it was the "roughest store" at which he had ever worked. The Supreme Court, however, found no evidence in the record about the other stores where the former manager had worked, which would give his statement context and probative value. Id. at 636, 580 P.2d 1014. The only evidence of a "high crime rate" was shoplifting at the store. In the prior couple years, the store had suffered no prior incident of robbery or assault on its premises. The court concluded that the defendant did not know or have reason to know of the likelihood of the harmful acts of the kind the plaintiff suffered. Id. at 640-41, 580 P.2d 1014. Summary judgment for the defendant was affirmed.
More specific evidence concerning the location produced a different outcome in Brown v. J.C. Penney Co., 297 Or. 695, 688 P.2d 811 (1984) (J.C. Penney). A customer was attacked and robbed of her purse in the parking lot of the defendants' shopping center in Eugene. She alleged inadequate security and offered evidence of 268 incidents of criminal activity in the immediate vicinity in the prior six-month period. The shopping center knew of the incidents and acted on the reports in allocating security forces. Because the defendant had actual knowledge or reason to know of the risk — a risk specific to the location — the court affirmed the judgment for the plaintiff. Id. at 710, 688 P.2d 811.
Subsequent cases illustrate the same point. See McPherson v. Oregon Dept. of Corrections, 210 Or.App. 602, 617-18, 152 P.3d 918 (2007) (defendant had reason to know of risk of assault of son and sexual assault of mother in apartment laundry building when defendant knew neighborhood was unsafe, neighborhood had 86 emergency calls to police in nine years, and apartment managers had called police about problems, including vandalism and trespass in the laundry building); Sande v. City of Portland, 185 Or.App. 262, 271-72, 59 P.3d 595 (2002) (given repeated assaults and robberies of lone victims by a "mountain-bike" assailant, the city had reason to foresee harm to plaintiff from its instruction to neighbor not to warn plaintiff).
In Piazza v. Kellim, 271 Or.App. 490, 354 P.3d 698 (2015), a 17-year-old student was fatally shot while waiting in line outside an underage nightclub in the "Old Town/Chinatown neighborhood" in downtown Portland. The shooter was mentally ill and had gone to the "nightclub looking to shoot `preppies' or `pop tweens.'" Id. at 492, 354 P.3d 698. Seven years before, a shooter had fired into a crowd at the same location, and there had been a history of fights and assaults in line outside the nightclub. The surrounding neighborhood, the plaintiff alleged, was "plagued" by recurrent violence and gang activity. Id. at 494, 354 P.3d 698. Managers of local bars, including the defendant, attended a police "summit" to reduce violence. Id. The plaintiff alleged that the nightclub defendants had failed to take reasonable measures to protect customers from the criminal acts of third parties.
Piazza, 271 Or.App. at 504, 354 P.3d 698 (quoting Buchler; 316 Or. at 511-12, 853 P.2d 798) (emphasis added). We distinguished Stewart because that plaintiff had failed to "allege specific factual support — as opposed to relying on generalized abstractions about the existence of criminal activity." Id. at 506, 354 P.3d 698 (emphasis in original). In Piazza, the plaintiff had alleged that the defendants knew the alleged criminal activity in the vicinity and at the specific location. We concluded that, for the purpose of stating a claim, a jury could find "the prior physical assaults at or around" the nightclub to be "similar enough" so as give the nightclub defendants reason to have foreseen the shooting. Id. at 511, 354 P.3d 698.
If the principles of these cases were applied to the facts here, the majority should have concluded that plaintiff has failed to offer evidence that the local fraternity knew or had reason to know of an unreasonable risk to plaintiff from a dangerous person or an unsafe location. Each alternative requires separate discussion.
The majority opinion recites, and plaintiff concedes, that there was no evidence that the
The majority opinion is quite right to the extent it observes that "a risk of third-party criminal conduct" is not limited to "a defendant's knowledge of a specific perpetrator's propensity for violence." 273 Or.App. at 404, 359 P.3d at 445-46 (referring, however, to the propensity for violence of "Sako or other chapter members" (emphasis added)). But the precedent that the majority cites for broader liability is an early case, predating Buchler and involving a hazardous location, a bank's night depository. Torres v. United States Nat. Bank, 65 Or.App. 207, 670 P.2d 230, rev. den., 296 Or. 237, 675 P.2d 491 (1983). It was a claim initially dismissed at the pleading stage but reversed on appeal to allow the plaintiff to offer evidence of other robberies of night depositories on the street or in the area. Id. at 214, 670 P.2d 230.
Even at that, Torres drew a dissent, contending what later cases taught. The dissent declared that "[p]laintiff should have pleaded with specificity that defendant knew, or should have known, that in the past [the] patrons at the 72nd and Fremont Branch had been robbed or assaulted while using the night depository." Id. at 216, 670 P.2d 230 (Van Hoomissen, J., dissenting); see, e.g., Stewart, 245 Or.App. at 284, 261 P.3d 1272 (criminal threat to teen carwash). Regardless of the difference in majority or dissenting views, both views in Torres contemplated that, ultimately, a plaintiff must show specific evidence from the experience of the locale to demonstrate that a particular location was made unsafe by unknown third parties. Such localized specificity is what the complaint in Piazza illustrated. As it was, Torres was only an early-stage, pleading case. After Buchler and the parallel line of location cases, Torres cannot be read to permit a defendant's liability for providing a setting at which the general risk of crime might be realized, when no local history foretells the risk.
Unlike Torres, the case at hand is not a pleading case. Defendant's evidence challenged plaintiff to offer evidence to create a dispute of fact to show that the local fraternity was a location known or knowable by the local fraternity to be hazardous from past experience. See J.C. Penney, 297 Or. at 695, 688 P.2d 811; Uihlein, 282 Or. at 631, 580 P.2d 1014; Stewart, 245 Or.App. at 267, 261 P.3d 1272; McPherson, 210 Or.App. at 605-06, 152 P.3d 918 (risk of criminal activity at location). To borrow from Piazza, a more
Prior to this incident, there is no evidence whatsoever of sexual assault at the Beta Chapter. Gerritz recounted, "To my knowledge, the sexual assault committed by Mr. Sako during the event was the first and only known sexual assault to have occurred at the Phi Psi House and/or to have involved Mr. Sako or any other member of the Local Chapter." Collinsworth, the executive director of the national fraternity organization, confirmed the same fact. Plaintiff offered no evidence of any violence of any kind at the local fraternity and, for that matter, no evidence of any sexual assault at fraternities, sororities, or dormitories at Oregon State University. Absent any evidence to dispute the Gerritz or Collinsworth reports, plaintiff failed to offer "specific facts" to show that the local fraternity knew or had reason to know from its experience that its location threatened plaintiff with an unreasonable risk of criminal assault. See Buchler, 316 Or. at 515-16, 853 P.2d 798 (dangerous person risk); Moore, 307 Or. at 261, 767 P.2d 62 (alcohol risk of violence); Uihlein, 282 Or. at 640, 580 P.2d 1014 (dangerous location risk); Sparks, 122 Or.App. at 140, 856 P.2d 337 (alcohol risk of violence). Under the line of cases involving a defendant's liability for an unsafe location, the Beta Chapter should not be found liable for contributing to an unsafe location, when no "specific facts," such as incidents at or around the fraternity, gave the Beta Chapter reason to foresee a sexual assault by an unexpected or unknown assailant.
The majority reaches a different conclusion, but our difference of opinion is not due to defense arguments that the local fraternity employed so many measures to manage the party. I concur with the majority's rejection of those arguments on this issue of law. It is certainly true that the Beta Chapter followed the advice of the national fraternity by not furnishing alcohol at the party. Participants were required to bring their own beer, check it at the bar, and retrieve one beer at a time after showing proof of age. Four fraternity members served as "sober monitors," and two security guards helped supervise the party. When circumstances outside the house became questionable, the fraternity shut down the party early.
Although those precautions would reduce the risk of misbehavior, they are simply evidence, albeit significant evidence, for a jury's ultimate evaluation of the facts when deciding whether, all in all, the Beta Chapter breached its duty of care. Those precautionary measures may reduce some of the reasons that the Beta Chapter could foresee sexual assault in common areas, but those measures do not resolve foreseeability as a matter of law when the local fraternity allowed members to possess alcohol and invite guests into their rooms. I concur with the majority in distinguishing such evidence and leaving its significance for a jury.
Where I respectfully disagree with the majority is in evaluating two matters: (1) the role of the setting and (2) the meaning and sufficiency of a national statistic. I do not disagree with the majority in a desire to see an innocent victim compensated for injury, to see anyone legally responsible held to task, and, by assuring a tort remedy, to encourage safeguards to avoid repetition of such an offense in the future. Yet, as to this local fraternity on this occasion, Oregon law should compel a different conclusion for these two reasons: (1) the party setting is "facilitation," not a basis for liability, and (2) the national statistic, upon which critical arguments are based, is misunderstood and is insufficient evidence.
The majority is not entirely misguided in recognizing the role of the setting. Kerr, the coordinator of "Greek Life" at Oregon State University, opined that it was his advice to fraternity presidents to close access to private rooms during social events with alcohol. In a private room, the sponsor's "control disappears." He said, "[T]he opportunity for there to be sexual misconduct rises because they're no longer in an area that is managed." Kerr's evidence was simply that it was "good practice to close [the] private rooms" to preclude the "opportunity" of sexual misconduct.
When asked if he had relayed his advice to the Beta chapter, Kerr said he did not recall. Over the last ten years he "probably" had the conversation with a representative of each fraternity. If he talked to the Beta Chapter, it may not have been during the tenure of its current, student officers. Gerritz, the Beta president testified he had not heard of a fraternity at OSU closing its private rooms during a party, although he had heard of sororities doing that. When Kerr was asked again if he had given his advice to the Beta Chapter, he concluded, "[T]hat I can't confirm." Ultimately, it does not matter whether Kerr's knowledge should be imputed to the Beta chapter, either as a matter of reasonable inference or as a matter of impermissible speculation. See Chapman, 263 Or.App. at 536, 329 P.3d 12 (describing the "intermediate inferences" as "guesswork"). Kerr's testimony was about "good practices" or preventative measures. His testimony was about the setting, not about the reasonable foreseeability of alcohol-related, third-party violence. Kerr did not testify to relative likelihood of violence, the propensity for alcohol to lead to sexual assault, nor, so far as the record reflects, did he testify that a sexual assault had ever happened at an OSU party. See id. (rejecting inferences about defendant's knowledge to be made from the testimony of a doctor and a nearby bartender). For the critical fact about the foreseeability of assault, plaintiff's claim relies on the national statistic from the fraternity's guide — to be discussed next.
Construing the evidence most favorably to plaintiff, the fraternity may have "facilitated" the sexual assault by tacitly permitting a fraternity member to keep alcohol in his room and to invite a party guest there. However, facilitating a crime, even carelessly, does not suffice to impose financial liability for a third person's intentional act. Buchler, 316 Or. at 510-11, 853 P.2d 798. We know from the series of cases like Moore, Sparks, and Chapman that actually serving a visibly intoxicated person does not give the alcohol provider reason to know "that the person would become violent." See, e.g., Chapman, 263 Or.App. at 533, 329 P.3d 12. "Specific facts" about the person, which the server had reason to know, must be offered in order to create the possibility of liability.
We know from cases like J.C. Penney and Stewart that to provide a setting like a parking lot or a restroom, where the crime is easier to accomplish, is not enough to make a defendant liable for an unsafe location. And we know from Buchler, where leaving keys in the van hastened the escape, that carelessly facilitating a crime does not make that crime foreseeable by the defendant. Even when a defendant's act is within the chain of causation, that does not make the defendant responsible for another's intentional act. Buchler's observation bears repetition:
Buchler, 316 Or. at 511, 853 P.2d 798 (emphasis added). Under Oregon law, the fraternity, at worst, did no more than "facilitate" this crime by allowing Sako to have alcohol and a guest in his room. Without more, that is not enough to make the Beta Chapter financially responsible for sexual assault.
The majority concludes that the Beta Chapter "knew that alcohol-related sexual assaults were a foreseeable risk of hosting social events where alcohol is available, and that permissive alcohol use by underage members and access to private rooms during such social events increases the risk of sexual misconduct." 273 Or.App. at 407, 359 P.3d at 447. In part, the conclusion rests simply on the spectre of a Halloween party at a fraternity — a setting that, at best, amounts to "facilitation," not reasonable foreseeability. In part, the majority's conclusion is based on "computer-based programs," which include a topic on alcohol at social events and a topic on sexual assault, and on the Risk Management and Insurance Guide, provided by the national fraternity. The content of the online training, however, is not in this record, and to assume its content is a speculative inference. If we could reasonably assume that the online training contains information akin to the guide, then that online training would tell a fraternity no more than what the guide does, and that is not enough with which to make a reasonable inference. The guide is in the record and warrants scrutiny. It is the document that provides the national statistic on alcohol-related sexual assault that is the heart of plaintiff's case and the majority's conclusion.
The national statistic on alcohol-related sexual assault, offered in this case, is not the same as plaintiff's argument about it. When properly understood, this incomplete and generalized statistic is not a substitute for the requisite, specific evidence of experience at this location. In its summary of facts, plaintiff's brief takes the liberty to argue that the national fraternity's Risk Management and Insurance Guide (guide) purportedly shows "both defendants' knowledge of the epidemic of sexual assault and alcohol abuse at fraternities" in this nation. (Emphasis added.) The majority opinion succumbs to this tempting spin on a misconstrued statistic. In its analysis, the majority finds that plaintiff offered evidence "that the chapter knew that alcohol-related sexual assaults were a risk in certain circumstances at fraternities on college campuses nationwide." 273 Or.App. at 407, 359 P.3d at 447; see also id. at 407, 359 P.3d at 447 ("potential problem" and "increased the risk of sexual misconduct"). In truth, the evidence in this record is much less than plaintiff's interpretive spin. It is critically incomplete.
The guide underscores the importance of its recommended precautions, like the measures used at this party, with an introduction on "social programming and alcohol." It recounts:
In a later section on sexual assault, the guide advises:
These statistics speak of alcohol within a subset of injuries. These statistics do not speak of the larger set of individual and social activities with alcohol. Context is
The guide introduces the topic of sexual assaults, saying "alcohol plays a prevalent role in sexual assaults." It follows with the 97 percent statistic. In context, the term "prevalent role" refers to the statistic on the frequency of alcohol within the subset of injuries. The term does not mean that any alcohol consumption leads foreseeably to rape. Again, without knowing how often alcohol is consumed, it begs the question to say that alcohol use is "prevalent" in a high number of assaults.
In its section on "social programming and alcohol," the guide does address the effects of alcohol, indicating:
Although decreased inhibition suggests misjudgments, the statement still does not foretell the frequency of sexual assault in the larger context of all alcohol consumption. It is a statement, much too generalized, and insufficient to make a fraternity reader, who left alcohol in the possession of another fraternity member, legally liable for another member's rape of a victim. See Chapman, 263 Or.App. at 532-33, 329 P.3d 12 (doctor's testimony that "[i]ntoxicated drinkers frequently become violent" did not suffice to show server knew the same and had specific reason to foresee violence).
To be sure, no evidence in this record says that there is an "epidemic" of sexual abuse. The raw numbers and the proportions are not here. Nor is there any evidence in this record that alcohol-related sexual assaults were prevalent in fraternities on college campuses nationwide. To say so is to misconstrue the guide's statistic. To say so is to speculate. To say so is to make an inference that is not rational or reasonable. See Chapman, 263 Or.App. at 536, 329 P.3d 12 (too many "intermediate inferences represent guesswork").
The misuse of the guide's statistic is easier to recognize if the same rationale is applied to the companion statistic that 87 percent of automobile accidents were alcohol related. Here again, we do not know how many thousands of fraternity gatherings or individual encounters included the consumption of alcohol. We should know that we are not permitted to speculate how many instances of alcohol consumption eventuate in how many vehicle accidents. We should know that the 87 percent figure cannot mean that a local fraternity should foresee and become liable, without more, for any alcohol-related collision involving a fraternity member. But, plaintiff's statistical rationale would mean that, if a fraternity member was allowed to possess alcohol in his room and, if a guest had suffered injuries on a ride home with a fraternity member in an alcohol-related accident, then the fraternity would be held liable. Plaintiff's statistical rationale, which the majority necessarily assumes, would hold the fraternity liable although the fraternity had not provided him alcohol while visibly intoxicated, nor even provided him any alcohol at all. It would suffice that he was allowed to possess his own alcohol.
Liability for a third person's intentional violence should not be easier to prove than liability for a third person's drunk driving. Oregon cases have established that the risk
Even if plaintiff's statistic were what it is not — a national statistic on the frequency of sexual assault among all occasions of alcohol consumption — it would only be the same sort of evidence that Buchler rejected as a reason to foresee injury by a third party. In Buchler, it might have been plausible to fear that an escaped prisoner would use violence in order to remain free. Yet, the Supreme Court declared that the generalized idea that crime may occur when a criminal is at large does not suffice to give a defendant, even someone who may have contributed to the escape, reason to foresee violence from subsequent crime by a previously nonviolent offender. 316 Or. at 511, 853 P.2d 798.
The Beta Chapter correctly contended that plaintiff's reliance on a national statistic was too generalized to give it reason to have foreseen a crime which had no precedent in Sako's past or in the group's experience. We should remember from the cases on unsafe locations that "specific facts" showing a risk of crime at or near this location was necessary to show that a defendant had reason to foresee harm to plaintiff from an unexpected, third person. Uihlein, 282 Or. at 631, 580 P.2d 1014 (summary judgment for lack of local evidence); Piazza, 271 Or.App. at 490, 354 P.3d 698 (specific facts of location's experience permitted claim for failure to protect patron); Stewart, 245 Or.App. at 267, 261 P.3d 1272 (dismissal for failure to state a claim based on general criminal risk to teen carwash). The misconstrued and incomplete statistic, which is the heart of plaintiff's claim to foreseeability, is not "the specific factual support," based on Sako's behavior or the location's experience, that Oregon law requires to have given the Beta Chapter reason to foresee and become liable for the intentional offense of a third person.
I concur that the claim based on negligence per se cannot be dismissed for the reasons defendant had urged, but I cannot concur that the law permits a claim of ordinary negligence against the local fraternity. The offense is reprehensible, but on this record and on the negligence claim, the circle of blame for another's crime should not go further than the offender. Therefore, I reluctantly dissent.