Tag Archives: gross negligence

Factors Affecting Waiver Law in the State of Washington (Part 2)

By Doyice Cotten

This case examines Washington waiver law, specifically as it relates to health clubs and fitness centers. Most of the concepts, however, apply to all waivers in the state. Two issues were raised last week and three more are addressed next week.

Part II

A recent Washington waiver case (DeAsis v. Young Men’s Christian Association of Yakima, 2014 Wash. App. LEXIS 2201) clearly explains Washington law regarding the enforcement of waivers used by health clubs.

Factors Affecting Waiver Law in the State of Washington

By Doyice Cotten

This case examines Washington waiver law, specifically as it relates to health clubs and fitness centers. Most of the concepts, however, apply to all waivers in the state. Two issues raised will be addressed this week and three more will be addressed next week.

Part I

A recent Washington waiver case (DeAsis v. Young Men’s Christian Association of Yakima, 2014 Wash. App. LEXIS 2201) clearly explains Washington law regarding the enforcement of waivers used by health clubs.

Minnesota passes language requirement for liability waivers

By Allison Eklund

Thanks to Allison for permission to republish her informative article –  © 2013 Eklund Law, PC.  

As the dust settled from the Minnesota State Legislature’s spring session, a new statute passed affecting language in liability waivers caused some ripples through the equine insurance industry but didn’t attract headline news.

Most equine businesses offering riding instruction, carriage rides, or other services are familiar with liability waivers. 

D.C. Court Rules on Opportunity to Negotiate, Gross Negligence/Recklessness, and Lack of Consideration

By Doyice J. Cotten

In a case  in which a client was injured on a Segway[1] tour, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia addressed several aspects of waiver law in the District of Columbia. (Hara v. Hardcore Choppers, LLC (2012))

Opportunity to Negotiate

The court said that the waiver in the case was not against public policy. Regarding unequal bargaining power, the court stated that it did not suppose that the parties were of equal bargaining power;

Waivers Upheld for Negligence in 3 of 4 Trail Ride Cases in 2013

By Doyice Cotten

Trail rides have been a risky proposition for women in 2013. As can be seen below, a well-written liability waiver for trail rides will provide protection for equine providers from liability for ordinary negligence in most states.

Utah

In Penunuri v. Sundance Partners, LTD (2013), the rider signed a pre-injury waiver prior to a guided trail ride. Lisa Penunuri was injured by falling from her horse when the horse unexpectedly accelerated to close the gap to the next rider.

Michigan “Warrior Dash” Waiver Protects Against Negligence (But Not Gross Negligence or W/W Misconduct)

By Doyice Cotten

This is the first case encountered by the author that has resulted from one of the popular adventure-obstacle races such as Spartan Race and Tough Mudder. Here, the waiver used for Warrior Dash is challenged.

*****

In July 2011, James Sa participated in a two-day event known as the “Warrior Dash” which is a 5k running race with obstacles, including jumping over fire, wall climbing,

A Cursory Look at California Waiver Law

By Doyice Cotten

Note: This posting is not intended to provide an comprehensive presentation on California waiver law, but rather to offer the reader a brief look at what some of the courts have said about waivers and their enforcement.

Requirements

“California courts require a high degree of clarity and specificity in a release in order to find that it relieves a party from liability for its own negligence.” (Cohen v.

New Minnesota Law Voids Some, But Not All, Waivers

Alexander T. Pendleton, Kohner, Mann & Kailas, S.C.

An attempt by a group of Minnesota legislators to amend Minnesota law so as to void all waiver-of-liability agreements has failed.  Instead, the legislature adopted a bill that provides that any agreement between parties for a “consumer service” (including a recreational activity), which agreement purports to waive or release liability resulting from conduct that constitutes “greater than ordinary negligence,” is against public policy, and is therefore void and unenforceable.

Waiver Protects Tennessee Motorcycle Safety School from Loss

By Doyice Cotten

Ruth Maxwell, a 58-year-old Tennessee resident, saw an ad for a motor scooter convention and decided it would be a fun and economical way to travel to and from work.(Maxwell v. Motorcycle Safety Foundation, Inc., 2013 Tenn. App. LEXIS 52)  She decided to enroll in a class to learn how to operate a motor scooter safely and signed up for a course with the defendant Mid Tenn Motorcycle Education Center, Inc (MTMEC).

Understanding Negligence and Liability: “Causes of Injury” (Part 3)

By Doyice Cotten

In Parts 1 and 2 of this series, we addressed the issue of negligence. This post presents explains that there are 3 causes of injury and the possible liability associated with each.

Injury and risk may be placed into three categories. These categories are 1) inherent risks, 2) risks arising from negligent behavior of the provider, and 3) risks arising from extreme or aggravated provider behavior that goes beyond ordinary negligence.