FOR PUBLICATION
ATTORNEYS FOR APPELLANT: ATTORNEYS FOR APPELLEE:
EDGAR W. BAYLIFF STEPHEN C. WHEELER
RONALD S. TODD RENAE L. HERMANN
Bayliff, Harrigan, Cord & Maugans, P.C. Jennings Taylor Wheeler & Bouwkamp, P.C.
Kokomo, Indiana Carmel, Indiana
CAROL CREASY, )
)
Appellant-Plaintiff, )
)
vs. ) No. 08A02-9709-CV-604
)
LLOYD RUSK, )
)
Appellee-Defendant. )
KIRSCH, Judge
II. Whether genuine issues of material fact exist precluding summary
judgment on the question of whether any duty was breached.
III. Whether genuine issues of material fact exist precluding summary
judgment on the question of fault allocation.
We reverse.
received special training on how to care for those with the disease. Creasy had been bruised
on several occasions by patients with Alzheimer's, and she knew that Rusk suffered from
Alzheimer's.
On May 16, 1995, Creasy and Linda Davis, another certified nursing assistant
employed at BHC, attempted to put Rusk to bed. Creasy was aware that Rusk had been
"very agitated and combative that evening." Record at 228. According to Creasy:
"[Davis] was holding [Rusk's] wrists to keep him from hitting [them] and
[Creasy] was trying to get his legs to put him in bed. He was hitting and
kicking wildly. During this time, he kicked [Creasy] several times in [her]
knee and hip area. [Her] lower back popped and [she] yelled out with pain
from [her] lower back and left knee."
Record at 228.
Creasy filed a civil suit against Rusk, seeking monetary damages for injuries she
suffered as a result of the incident. The trial court granted Rusk's motion for summary
judgment concluding that Rusk did not owe a duty to Creasy, that Creasy incurred the risk
of her injuries, that Creasy's comparative fault exceeded all other fault proximately
contributing to her injuries, and that Creasy had failed to bring forth evidence that Rusk had
breached any duty owed to her. Creasy appeals.
N.E.2d 262, 265 (Ind. Ct. App. 1994), trans. denied (1995). Thus, we are not bound by the
findings and conclusions entered by the trial court when ruling on a motion for summary
judgment as we base our decision upon the Trial Rule 56(C) materials properly presented to
the trial court. Campbell v. Spade, 617 N.E.2d 580, 582-83 (Ind. Ct. App. 1993). Summary
judgment shall be granted if the designated evidentiary matter demonstrates that there is no
genuine issue as to any material fact and that the moving party is entitled to judgment as a
matter of law. Ind.Trial Rule 56(C); Barga v. Indiana Farmers Mut. Ins. Group, Inc., 687
N.E.2d 575, 576 (Ind. Ct. App. 1997), trans. denied (1998). In determining whether
summary judgment is appropriate, all facts and reasonable inferences must be construed
against the moving party. Wickey, 642 N.E.2d at 265.
Restatement (Second) of Torts § 283 B (1964). While the Restatement uses the
reasonable man standard for adults, regardless of their mental capacity, the standard of
conduct for a child is "that of a reasonable person of like age, intelligence, and experience
under like circumstances." Id. § 283 A. Such a standard takes a child's mental capacity into
account. Id. § 283 B cmt. a.
With regard to children, Indiana has incorporated the Restatement standard into a
three-tiered analysis. The three tiers are:
"[C]hildren under the age of 7 years are conclusively presumed to be incapable
of being contributorily negligent, from 7 to 14 a rebuttable presumption exists
they may be guilty thereof, and over 14, absent special circumstances, they are
chargeable with exercising the standard of care of an adult."
Bailey v. Martz, 488 N.E.2d 716, 721 (Ind. Ct. App. 1986) (citing Smith v. Diamond, 421 N.E.2d 1172, 1177-79 (Ind. Ct. App. 1981)), trans. denied.See footnote 1 In the middle age category, the standard of care is in accord with the Restatement: whether the child exercised the care under the circumstances of a child of like age, knowledge, judgment and experience. Id. This court long ago recognized "the wisdom of the rule which holds a child to the exercise of care proportionate to its capacity." Baltimore & Ohio Southwestern R.R. Co. v. Hickman, 40 Ind. App. 315, 318, 81 N.E. 1086, 1087 (1907).
Unlike the Restatement, which treats children differently than adults in terms of the
standard of care required of each, Indiana has indicated a willingness to factor in an adult's
mental capacity when determining whether to hold such a person responsible for negligence.
In Riesbeck Drug Co. v. Wray, 111 Ind. App. 467, 39 N.E.2d 776 (1942), this court was
presented with an appeal from an action against a pharmacy in connection with the death of
the plaintiff's husband. The deceased, who was ill, unemployed, and suffering from
depression, sent his eight-year-old son to the local pharmacy to obtain carbolic acid. The
pharmacy distributed the acid to the child who brought it home to his father. The father then
took his own life by ingesting the acid. This court stated that evidence of the deceased's
mental condition at the time he sent his son to obtain the acid was material on the question
of contributory negligence and declared:
"Although in the case of adults it has been deemed impracticable and
unwise to determine contributory negligence on the basis of whether the party
was mentally acute or inclined to be dull or slow-witted, although not mentally
deficient, a person who is so absolutely devoid of intelligence as to be unable
to apprehend apparent danger and to avoid exposure to it cannot be said to be
guilty of negligence. Knowledge and appreciation of peril are essential
elements of contributory negligence, and evidence is admissible to show a
plaintiff's mental condition to aid the jury in determining whether he
understood and appreciated the danger. 38 Am.Jur., Negligence, Sec. 201 p.
882."
Id. at 475, 39 N.E.2d at 779.
This court subsequently limited the application of the foregoing principles in Kroger
Co. v. Haun, 177 Ind. App. 403, 379 N.E.2d 1004 (1978). One of the questions decided in
Kroger was whether the doctrine of contributory negligence required the plaintiff's actual
knowledge of the peril or whether constructive knowledge would suffice. This court first
noted that the Wray court's reliance on the American Jurisprudence authority "reveals that
the cited section deals with the existence of extenuating circumstances--age, illiteracy,
mental incompetency--which call for special consideration in applying the standard
'reasonable man' test." Id. at 411, 379 N.E.2d at 1009-10. The Kroger court acknowledged
the import of the existence of such extenuating circumstances when it ultimately held that:
"We believe the actual state of the law to be, absent extenuating circumstances such as age
or mental incompetency, that contributory negligence may be found either where plaintiff
has actual knowledge of the danger, or, in the exercise of reasonable care, should have
appreciated or anticipated the danger." Id. at 413, 379 N.E.2d at 1010-11.See footnote
2
Based upon this precedent, we hold that a person's mental capacity, whether that
person is a child or an adult, must be factored in to the determination of whether a legal duty
exists. The determination of whether such a duty exists is most frequently accomplished by
balancing the three factors set forth in Webb v. Jarvis, 575 N.E.2d 992, 995 (Ind. 1991): 1)
the relationship between the parties; 2) the reasonable foreseeability of harm to the person
injured; and, 3) public policy concerns.See footnote
3
Although the existence of a duty arising from the
balancing of these factors is generally a question of law for the court to decide, genuine
issues of material fact may be interwoven with the relationship and foreseeability factors,
making the existence of a duty a mixed question of law and fact, ultimately to be decided by
the finder of fact. State v. Cornelius, 637 N.E.2d 195, 198 (Ind. Ct. App. 1994), trans.
denied.
The greater the degree of the patient's impairment, the less weight to be given to the
relationship factor in determining legal duty.
Gould v. American Family Mut. Ins. Co., 543 N.W.2d 282, 285 (Wis. 1996) (quoting In re Meyer's Guardianship, 261 N.W. 211, 213 (Wis. 1935)). These public policy considerations prompted Wisconsin to subscribe to the general rule that mentally disabled adults are held
responsible for their torts without regard to their mental capacity. See Gould, 543 N.W.2d
at 284-85 (noting general rule adopted in Meyer). On the theory that none of these public
policy considerations are present with an institutionalized mentally disabled patient who
cannot control or appreciate his or her conduct, the Wisconsin Supreme Court created a
narrow exception to the general rule to provide "that a person institutionalized . . . with a
mental disability, and who does not have the capacity to control or appreciate his or her
conduct cannot be liable for injuries caused to caretakers who are employed for financial
compensation." Id. at 287. See also Burch v. American Family Mut. Ins. Co., 543 N.W.2d
277, 280 (Wis. 1996) (recognizing that Gould decision "carves out a very narrow exception
for institutionalized mentally disabled persons who are unable to control or appreciate the
consequences of their conduct when they injure caretakers who are employed for financial
compensation."). The court's justification for creating this exception was that the
circumstances of the case "totally negate the rationale behind the rule and would place an
unreasonable burden on the negligent institutionalized mentally disabled." Gould, 543
N.W.2d at 287. The court explained:
"When a mentally disabled person injures an employed caretaker, the injured
party can reasonably foresee the danger and is not 'innocent' of the risk
involved. By placing a mentally disabled person in an institution or similar
restrictive setting, 'those interested in the estate' of that person are not likely
to be in need of an inducement for greater restraint. It is incredible to assert
that a tortfeasor would 'simulate or pretend insanity' over a prolonged period
of time and even be institutionalized in order to avoid being held liable for
damages for some future civil act."
Id. (quoting Meyer). The court recognized that other courts "have rejected the common law
rule within the limited context of severely mentally disabled persons confined in institutions
based on similar public policy considerations." Id. n.7 (citing Mujica v. Turner, 582 So. 2d
24, 25 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 1991); Anicet v. Gant, 580 So. 2d 273 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 1991)).
In addition to the considerations identified in Wisconsin and Florida, other public
policy concerns weigh both in favor of and against imposing a duty on an institutionalized
mentally disabled person. On the one hand, imposing a duty on institutionalized mentally
disabled patients will encourage individuals to seek and accept positions as caregivers
because they know their injuries will not go uncompensated. Imposing a duty on
institutionalized mentally disabled patients may also make equal application of the law
difficult because of the inherent challenges of distinguishing between those individuals who
suffer a mental incapacity of such a degree that a legal duty should not be imposed and those
individuals who suffer from a less severe emotional imbalance upon whom a duty should be
imposed. On the other hand, public policy is not served by imposing a duty on
institutionalized mentally disabled patients who are unable to control their actions or know
the consequences thereof and also are unable to obtain liability coverage to insure against the
risk of negligence. In addition, there is no rational justification for distinguishing between
children who are unable to appreciate danger and upon whom we impose no duty because
of incapacity resulting from age, knowledge, judgment, and experience and adults who are
unable to appreciate danger because of incapacity resulting from Alzheimer's or other
dementia.
Like the relationship factor, we conclude that the public policy implications of
imposing a duty on an institutionalized mentally disabled patient are dependent upon the
degree of the patient's incapacity. The greater the patient's degree of impairment, the more
the public policy concerns weigh against imposing a duty on him for the reasons set forth in
Gould.
render an expert opinion as to Rusk's medical condition. Without such qualifications, her
opinion does not constitute an expert one on the status of Rusk's mental capacity.See footnote
4
See
Ind.Evidence Rule 702(a) (witness must be qualified as an expert "by knowledge, skill,
experience, training, or education[.]"). Absent an opinion by a person qualified as an expert,
the extent of Rusk's dementia resulting from Alzheimer's and its effect on his ability to
control his actions or understand the consequences thereof are genuine issues of material fact
precluding summary judgment.
Because genuine issues of material fact exist regarding the degree of Rusk's mental
capacity to control or appreciate his conduct, summary judgment was inappropriately entered
on the question of whether Rusk owed Creasy a legal duty of care.
allocation. We simply state here that Rusk was not entitled to judgment as a matter of law
on the theory of incurred risk.
judgment as a matter of law on the basis that Creasy's fault was comparatively greater than
Rusk's.
IN THE
COURT OF APPEALS OF INDIANA
CAROL CREASY, )
)
Appellant-Plaintiff, )
)
vs. ) No. 08A02-9709-CV-604
)
LLOYD RUSK, )
)
Appellee-Defendant. )
SULLIVAN, Judge, concurring
I concur subject to a caveat with respect to the majority and dissenting opinions'
analysis of "duty".
Justice Dickson, speaking for the court in Gariup Construction Co., Inc. v. Foster
(1988) Ind., 519 N.E.2d 1224, 1227, noted that the duty determination is made "not without
difficulty", and, in quoting from a well-regarded treatise, concluded that "'[n]o better general
statement can be made than that the courts will find a duty where, in general, reasonable
persons would recognize it and agree that it exists.'" See Jay Tidmarsh, Tort Law: The
Languages of Duty, 25 Ind. L. Rev. 1419 (1992).
It is for this reason, perhaps, that we have in the past articulated the principle that:
"The Law imposes but one common law duty and that duty is to use due care
(citation omitted). The duty is the same for all relations, without regard to the
facts of the case." South Eastern Indiana Natural Gas Co., Inc. v. Ingram
(1993) 1st Dist. Ind.App., 617 N.E.2d 943, 953.
As a corollary to this premise we have said:
"[T]he substantive law establishes the standard of care which must be met, i.e.,
reasonable care. The standard is a fixed one and is independent of the conduct
of others but the conduct required of the individual to measure up to the fixed
standard varies depending upon the nature of the duty owed and the
surrounding circumstances." Walters v. Kellam & Foley (1977) 2d Dist., 172
Ind.App. 207, 360 N.E.2d 199, 214.
In short, the duty is that of reasonable care under the circumstances. That duty never
changes. It always exists although the circumstances may differ from case to case. While
the duty remains the same, the conduct required to meet that standard may be affected by the
actor's mental capacity. It is for this reason that I agree that summary judgment was
inappropriate and that the matter should be submitted to the trier of fact for determination.See footnote
6
IN THE
COURT OF APPEALS OF INDIANA
CAROL CREASY, )
)
Appellant-Plaintiff, )
)
vs. ) No. 08A02-9709-CV-604
)
LLOYD RUSK, )
)
Appellee-Defendant. )
FRIEDLANDER, Judge, dissenting
I believe that the trial court was correct in granting summary judgment in favor of
Rusk and therefore respectfully dissent from the majority's holding to the contrary.
As the majority indicates, we are confronted in this case with a question of first
impression in Indiana. The issues decided herein take on heightened practical and social
importance because, unfortunately, Alzheimer's disease is not rare. One study shows a
prevalence of Alzheimer's disease of 3% in the 65 to 74 age group, increasing to 18.7% in
the 75 to 84 range, and as high as 47% in the 85 and over range. Evans, D. et al, Prevalence
of Alzheimer's Disease in a Community Population of Older Persons, 262 Journal of the
American Medical Assoc. 2551 (1989). It can be inferred that as the average age of
Americans increases, so will the incidence of Alzheimer's disease. Office of Technology
Assessment, Losing a Million Minds: Confronting the Tragedy of Alzheimer's Disease and
other Dementias (Pub. No. OTA-BA324). Many of those who develop the disease will
require institutionalization. See id. at 76-27 (while some retain their normal personality traits
as the disease progresses, "others exhibit drastic changes that can create serious, complex
management problems for caregivers and physicians, increasing the chances that the patient
will be institutionalized").
We are asked to decide whether a person institutionalized with advanced Alzheimer's
is liable in tort if he strikes out and injures a caretaker employed by the institution. I readily
acknowledge that in some cases such as this, summary judgment may be inappropriate
because a material question of fact exists concerning whether the defendant's Alzheimer's
disease has advanced to a stage where the patient-defendant has no capacity to appreciate or
control his violent behavior. I do not believe, however, that this is such a case.
Rusk was initially admitted to the Brethren Healthcare Center (BHC) because his
Alzheimer's condition rendered him confused and suffering from memory loss to such an
extent that his wife could no longer care for him. By May 1995, when Creasy sustained her
injuries, Rusk had been a resident at BHC for more than three years. During that time, the
Alzheimer's disease continued to progress. By the time of the occurrence, his condition was
marked by aggressiveness, belligerence, and violent behavior directed at others. All of these
behaviors are characteristic of a person in the advanced stage of Alzheimer's.See footnote
7
Sharon Ayres was a licensed practical nurse employed at BHC. At the time of the
occurrence, Ayres had worked at BHC for approximately nine years. Ayres submitted an
affidavit stating that Rusk was in the advanced stage of Alzheimer's and was therefore unable
to appreciate the consequences of his actions. The majority rejects Ayres's statement on the
ground that there is nothing in her affidavit qualifying her as an expert witness to offer such
testimony. I disagree with this conclusion.
Ind. Evidence Rule 702 provides that a witness may be qualified as an expert by virtue
of "knowledge, skill, experience, training, or education." Any one characteristic alone may
qualify an individual as an expert. Fleener v. State, 648 N.E.2d 652 (Ind. Ct. App. 1995),
vacated in part on other grounds, aff'd on all other grounds, 656 N.E.2d 1140 (Ind. 1995).
Therefore, a person may qualify as an expert on the basis of practical experience alone.
Fowler v. Napier, 663 N.E.2d 1197 (Ind. Ct. App. 1996). The question of whether a person
qualifies as an expert rests within the sound discretion of the trial court. Id.
Ayres's affidavit states that she is a licensed practical nurse, signifying that she had
at least the medical training necessary to obtain that license. More importantly, the affidavit
states that Ayres had worked at BHC for nine years at the time Creasy was injured. In my
view, the practical experience gained through working with Alzheimer's patients on a regular
basis for nine years, and specifically through working with Rusk on occasion for three years,
qualified Ayres as an expert for the purpose of rendering an opinion regarding whether Rusk
was in the advanced stage of Alzheimer's and whether he was able to appreciate the
consequences of his actions.
It is also significant to me that the degree of Rusk's disability was never placed at
issue by Creasy. Rusk sought summary judgment on the basis that Alzheimer's disease
rendered him incapable of appreciating the consequences of his actions. Ayres's supporting
affidavit both asserted and tended to prove that Rusk was in the advanced stage of
Alzheimer's and was unable to appreciate the consequences of his action. In response to
Rusk's motion, Creasy designated six genuine issues of material fact that precluded summary
judgment, including:
(1) Whether the defendant committed a wrong in kicking, twisting, and
pulling Ms. Creasy's left leg and back;
(2) Whether the defendant is relieved of responsibility for his actions
because of a mental deficiency that he might have;
(3) The defendant's percentage of fault for causing the injuries sustained by
the plaintiff;
(4) Whether plaintiff incurred the risk of defendant's wrongful conduct,
and, if so, her percentage of fault for incurring the risk;
(5) Whether plaintiff committed any contributory negligence and, if so, her
percentage of fault for her contributory negligence; and
(6) The total amount of damages the plaintiff would be entitled to recover
if fault were disregarded.
Record at 188 (Creasy's Designation of Genuine Issues of Material Fact That Preclude Entry of Summary Judgment on Defendant's Motion). In my view, the designation of issues
reflects that Creasy did not challenge the assertion regarding the advanced nature of Rusk's
condition, and does not do so now upon appeal. Rather, Creasy's arguments both in opposing
the summary judgment motion and in appealing the ruling thereon assumed as true the
assertion that Rusk's condition rendered him incapable of understanding the consequences
of his actions.
At the trial court level, the parties focused their arguments upon this question and the
trial court rendered summary judgment upon this basis. Again upon appeal, the parties have
concentrated their argument upon the question of whether a person with advanced
Alzheimer's can be liable in tort to his paid caretakers. All the while, the parties have treated
the question of whether Rusk's Alzheimer's rendered him incapable of appreciating the
consequences of his actions as if it were not an issue-they have assumed that it did. I believe
the majority errs by characterizing as a question of fact a matter that the parties have
regarded as settled. Therefore, my analysis proceeds upon the assumption that Rusk's
Alzheimer's rendered him incapable of appreciating the consequences of his actions.
What is left for us to decide, in my view, is a pure question of law: Is a person in the
advanced stage of Alzheimer's liable in tort for his actions that injure his paid caretakers in
a special care facility? As the majority indicates, several jurisdictions have recently
addressed precisely the same issue. In each of those recent cases, the court concluded that
the patient was not liable because, among other things, the patient did not owe the caregiver
a duty to refrain from the injury-inflicting conduct. See Colman v. Notre Dame
Convalescent Home, Inc., 968 F.Supp. 809 (D.Conn. 1997) (predicting Connecticut law);
Herrle v. Estate of Marshall, 45 Cal.App.4th 1761, 53 Cal.Rptr.2d 713 (1996); Mujica v.
Turner, 582 So.2d 24 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 1991), review denied; Anicet v. Gant, 580 So.2d
273 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 1991), review denied; Gould v. American Family Mut. Ins. Co., 198
Wis.2d 450, 543 N.W.2d 282 (1996); but see McGuire v. Almy, 297 Mass. 323, 8 N.E.2d
760 (1937) (imposing liability on insane person for intentional torts); Van Vooren v. Cook,
273 App.Div. 88, 75 N.Y.Supp.2d 362, 365 (1947) (imposing civil liability on one "suffering
from a defective reasoning" for assault and battery) . I agree with the basic reasoning in
those cases, except for certain aspects of those opinions that will be explained more fully
below, and would hold that Rusk was entitled to summary judgment for lack of duty.
As Creasy points out in his appellate brief, it is widely accepted in most American
jurisdictions that mentally disabled adults are held to an objective reasonable person standard
and are thereby deemed responsible for the torts they commit regardless of their capacity to
comprehend their actions. See Gould v. American Family Mut. Ins. Co., 198 Wis.2d 450.
Based upon In re Meyer's Guardianship, 218 Wis. 381, 385, 261 N.W. 211, 213 (1935), the
Gould court referred to this as "the Meyer rule". The Gould court acknowledged the general
rule of liability, that the defendant in that case had been negligent, and that said negligence
was a cause of the plaintiff's injuries. The court concluded, however, that public policy
considerations in such cases may sometimes preclude liability. The public policy concerns
identified in Gould include: (1) providing recourse to innocent third parties harmed by the
disabled person's acts; (2) providing incentive for those responsible for a mentally disabled
person to shield others from harm that may be caused by the disability; and (3) obviating the
possibility of faking a mental disability to escape civil liability. In my view, the same
concerns counsel against imposing liability in the instant case.
Creasy cannot fairly be regarded as an "innocent" member of the public, as that term
is used in this context. Creasy had express knowledge of the dangers inherent in dealing with
Alzheimer's patients in general and with Rusk in particular. In fact, Creasy was aware before
she attended Rusk and was injured that he had been "very agitated and combative that
evening", Record at 228, and that he was hitting and kicking wildly immediately before the
incident. Holding Rusk accountable in negligence under those circumstances "places too
great a burden on him because his disorientation and potential for violence is the very reason
he was institutionalized and needed the aid of employed caretakers." Gould, 543 N.W.2d at
287.
The second rationale upon which the Meyer rule is premised is that it provides
incentive for those responsible for a mentally disabled person to restrain him. In the instant
case, Rusk's family placed him in a long-term care facility which was equipped, staffed, and
intended to care for, among others, Alzheimer's patients, including those exhibiting violent
behavior. In so doing, they did everything they could do to restrain Rusk and I cannot
conceive of further, humane restraint that they could have sought. In this circumstance,
incentive to do more obviously is not a valid consideration.
The final reason for the Meyer rule is to prevent persons from simulating insanity in
order to defend against civil liability for their torts. As the Gould court stated about the
mentally disabled civil defendant in that case, "[t]o suggest that [the defendant] would
'simulate or pretend' the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease over a period of years in order to
avoid future tort liability is incredible." Gould, 543 N.W.2d at 287.
I do not disagree with the majority's conclusion that public policy concerns require
a consideration of the degree of the patient's impairment when deciding the question of duty.
The majority's opinion, however, creates a sliding scale ("[t]he greater the patient's degree
of impairment, the more the public policy concerns weigh against imposing a duty on him
for the reasons set forth in Gould", slip op. at 12) that arguably renders summary judgment
practically unavailable because it assigns the determination of the degree of mental
impairment exclusively to the factfinder. While I agree with the general rule that mentally
disabled persons are ordinarily responsible for their torts, it should not apply where
"circumstances totally negate the rationale behind the rule." Gould, 543 N.W.2d at 287. In
my view, an institutionalized Alzheimer's patient injuring a compensated, trained caretaker
is one set of circumstances that negates liability and is appropriate for summary disposition.
Finally, I reject Creasy's argument that Gould, along with Herrle, Anicet, and Mujica,
are not persuasive in Indiana because they contravene principles announced by our supreme
court in Heck v. Robey, 659 N.E.2d 498 (Ind. 1995). Creasy contends that the Gould court
relied on the doctrine of primary assumption of the risk and an expansion of the fireman's
rule. My view is not dependent upon the portions of Gould that refer to those doctrines. In
fact, I do not consider primary assumption of the risk or the fireman's rule to the extent those
principles consider the conduct of the plaintiff which bars reliance upon an otherwise
existing tort. Rather, as did the court in Anicet v. Gant, 580 So.2d at 277, I "conclude that
no duty to refrain from violent conduct arises on the part of a person who has no capacity to
control it to one who is specifically employed to do just that." (Emphasis in original.)
In summary, I would hold that, as a matter of sound public policy, a person
institutionalized because of Alzheimer's who does not have the capacity to control or
appreciate his or her conduct cannot be liable for injuries caused to persons who are
employed by that institution to care for Alzheimer's patients.
caused patient to lose consciousness while driving). See also Perdue Farms, Inc. v. Pryor, 683 N.E.2d 239, 241 (Ind. 1997) (stating that determination of legal duty may consider three factors set forth in Webb in addition to "various other factors."). Thus, a different analytical framework could be utilized in which mental capacity is a fourth factor to be considered where infirmity of the tortfeasor is at issue. Our result under such an analysis would be the same as that which we reach using the Webb v. Jarvis methodology.
(2) verbal responses have little correlation to what is asked; and (3) inability to communicate needs other than by resort to caustic behavior such as yelling, noisiness, and striking out; such behavior is also likely to occur without any relationship to needs. Lee R. Russ, Bruce F. Freeman, & J. Stanley McQuade, Attorneys Medical Advisor § 76.12 (1994).
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