DEFENDANT WHO ALLOWED 16-YEAR-OLD NEIGHBOR TO WATCH PLAINTIFF’S FIVE-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER WAS NOT LIABLE FOR THE MURDER OF PLAINTIFF’S DAUGHTER BY THE NEIGHBOR, THE CRIMINAL ACT SEVERED THE LIABILITY OF THE DEFENDANT, NEIGHBOR HAD WATCHED THE CHILD BEFORE WITHOUT INCIDENT, NO RED FLAGS (FOURTH DEPT).
The Fourth Department determined defendant great-grandmother’s motion for summary judgment in this negligent supervision action was properly granted. Defendant was care for plaintiff’s five-year-old daughter, Isabella. When defendant went to bed she left Isabella with 16-year old Freeman, a neighbor who had watched Isabella more than 10 times in the past without incident. Freeman killed plaintiff’s daughter while defendant was asleep:
It is well established that ” an intervening intentional or criminal act will generally sever the liability of the original tort-feasor’ ” … . “The test to be applied is whether under all the circumstances the chain of events that followed [an allegedly] negligent act or omission was a normal or foreseeable consequence of the situation created by the [alleged] negligence” … . Thus, an intervening criminal act by a third party that is ” extraordinary under the circumstances’ ” or ” not foreseeable in the normal course of events’ ” breaks the causal chain and exonerates the original tortfeasor of liability … .
Here, even assuming, arguendo, that defendant was negligent to some extent in supervising Isabella on the night in question, we nevertheless conclude, as a matter of law, that Freeman’s intentional murder of Isabella severed the chain of causation and eliminated any liability on defendant’s part (see id.). The record contains numerous undisputed facts supporting that conclusion. Freeman had previously watched Isabella on more than 10 occasions, all without incident, and they had even colored together before. Freeman and Isabella got along well for years before the murder, and defendant never observed any “red flags” or troubling indicia about Freeman generally, or his interactions with Isabella in particular. Defendant was unaware of any mental problems with Freeman. Indeed, there is no suggestion that Freeman had ever exhibited any questionable behavior or tendencies in the past, whether or not known to defendant. Tennant v Lascelle, 2018 NY Slip Op 03279, Fourth Dept 5-4-18
NEGLIGENCE (NEGLIGENT SUPERVISION, DEFENDANT WHO ALLOWED 16-YEAR-OLD NEIGHBOR TO WATCH PLAINTIFF’S FIVE-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER WAS NOT LIABLE FOR THE MURDER OF PLAINTIFF’S DAUGHTER BY THE NEIGHBOR, THE CRIMINAL ACT SEVERED THE LIABILITY OF THE DEFENDANT, NEIGHBOR HAD WATCH EDTHE CHILD BEFORE WITHOUT INCIDENT, NO RED FLAGS (FOURTH DEPT))/NEGLIGENT SUPERVISION (DEFENDANT WHO ALLOWED 16-YEAR-OLD NEIGHBOR TO WATCH PLAINTIFF’S FIVE-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER WAS NOT LIABLE FOR THE MURDER OF PLAINTIFF’S DAUGHTER BY THE NEIGHBOR, THE CRIMINAL ACT SEVERED THE LIABILITY OF THE DEFENDANT, NEIGHBOR HAD WATCH EDTHE CHILD BEFORE WITHOUT INCIDENT, NO RED FLAGS (FOURTH DEPT))/CRIMINAL ACT (NEGLIGENCE, SEVERS LIABILITY, DEFENDANT WHO ALLOWED 16-YEAR-OLD NEIGHBOR TO WATCH PLAINTIFF’S FIVE-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER WAS NOT LIABLE FOR THE MURDER OF PLAINTIFF’S DAUGHTER BY THE NEIGHBOR, THE CRIMINAL ACT SEVERED THE LIABILITY OF THE DEFENDANT, NEIGHBOR HAD WATCH EDTHE CHILD BEFORE WITHOUT INCIDENT, NO RED FLAGS (FOURTH DEPT))