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A Series of Particular Events: Foreseeability and the First Circuit

2/6/19

By: Thomas Hay

A three-judge panel on the First Circuit denied Omni Hotel’s petition for review of their decision to overturn a lower court ruling that awarded summary judgment to Omni and reinstated a negligence charge filed by a man who was beaten, and his arm broken by a group of individuals in Omni Hotel’s Providence, Rhode Island hotel lobby. The First Circuit held that the development of a particular sequence of events can, without more, render future harm foreseeable.
The First Circuit’s opinion effectively broadened the duty of care imposed on hotels to protect guests and members of the public against spontaneous criminal conduct by a third party.
The plaintiff lived in a condominium complex adjoining the hotel. He had access to and regularly used the hotel’s services and amenities. On the night in question, hotel security had evicted from the premises a group of youths whose partying had caused a disturbance. Some of the evicted group returned outside the hotel with a case of beer and attempted to pick a fight with a passer-by which was seen by the hotel’s valet. A number of the group would later reenter the hotel’s lobby and proceed to beat the plaintiff resulting in the breaking of his arm.
While the lower court found that Omni had a special relationship to the plaintiff, as the “possessor of land that holds the land open to the public/member of the public,” on the issue of foreseeability, the lower court found that the hotel did not have a legal duty to protect the plaintiff from an attack spontaneously committed by third parties. Additionally, the lower court found it unforeseeable that the specific rowdy and later evicted group would spontaneously attack the plaintiff.
In the First Circuit’s review of the case, Omni cited Rhode Island cases that pertained to a “past occurrences” theory of foreseeability, whereas the plaintiff cited cases that illustrated a “sequence of events” theory of foreseeability. The First Circuit ultimately agreed with the plaintiff, saying that while it may not have been foreseeable that the group would assault the plaintiff at the time of their eviction, the attack was foreseeable by the time the group had returned and tried to pick a fight with the passer-by.
The First Circuit stated that the development of a particular sequence of events can, without more, render future harm foreseeable. According to Omni, this decision imposes an undue burden on businesses, “which will now unnecessarily face the prospect of a jury trial every time anyone is injured on their premises.”
While the implications of this case as it pertains to the liability of business owners and injuries that occur on their premises goes to be seen, hotels in the First Circuit should be wary of omitting to assist any guest or even member of the public from the actions of aggressive third parties.
If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Thomas Hay at thay@fmglaw.com.
 

Mu v. Omni Hotels Management Corp., 885 F.3d 52 (1st Cir. 2018)

Mu v. Omni Hotels Management Corp., 882 F.3d 1 (1st Cir. 2018)