Vincent Foreman-Ante v. Edgerton School District ( 2021 )


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  •        COURT OF APPEALS
    DECISION                                             NOTICE
    DATED AND FILED                         This opinion is subject to further editing. If
    published, the official version will appear in
    the bound volume of the Official Reports.
    June 24, 2021
    A party may file with the Supreme Court a
    Sheila T. Reiff                 petition to review an adverse decision by the
    Clerk of Court of Appeals            Court of Appeals. See WIS. STAT. § 808.10
    and RULE 809.62.
    Appeal No.        2020AP482                                                 Cir. Ct. No. 2018CV1091
    STATE OF WISCONSIN                                          IN COURT OF APPEALS
    DISTRICT IV
    VINCENT FOREMAN-ANTE BY HIS GUARDIAN AD LITEM JAMES A.
    CARNEY, CHRIS FOREMAN AND ANTONIO ANTE,
    PLAINTIFFS-RESPONDENTS,
    DEAN HEALTH PLAN, INC.,
    INVOLUNTARY-SUBROGATED-PLAINTIFF,
    V.
    EDGERTON SCHOOL DISTRICT AND EMCASCO INSURANCE COMPANY,
    DEFENDANTS-APPELLANTS.
    APPEAL from an order of the circuit court for Rock County:
    DERRICK A. GRUBB, Judge. Affirmed in part; reversed in part and cause
    remanded.
    Before Fitzpatrick, P.J., Blanchard, and Graham, JJ.
    No. 2020AP482
    Per curiam opinions may not be cited in any court of this state as precedent
    or authority, except for the limited purposes specified in WIS. STAT. RULE 809.23(3).
    ¶1       PER      CURIAM. Vincent              Foreman-Ante          participated      in   a
    psychology class activity at Edgerton High School. As a part of that activity,
    Vincent was instructed by a teacher to wear a blindfold over his eyes and to move
    across the school fieldhouse with the assistance of another student who was to
    give verbal cues to Vincent. Vincent was injured during the activity when he
    collided with a wall.
    ¶2       Vincent and his parents brought this action against the Edgerton
    School District and its liability insurer, Emcasco Insurance Company, in the Rock
    County Circuit Court alleging that the negligence of Vincent’s teacher caused
    Vincent’s injuries.1 The School District moved for summary judgment, arguing
    that it is entitled to governmental immunity under WIS. STAT. § 893.80(4) (2019-
    20),2 and Vincent argued in response that the known danger exception to
    1
    For convenience, we refer to the School District and Emcasco Insurance Company
    collectively as “the School District” and refer to Vincent and his parents as “Vincent.”
    2
    WISCONSIN STAT. § 893.80(4) states:
    No suit may be brought against any volunteer fire
    company organized under ch. 213, political corporation,
    governmental subdivision or any agency thereof for the
    intentional torts of its officers, officials, agents or employees nor
    may any suit be brought against such corporation, subdivision or
    agency or volunteer fire company or against its officers,
    officials, agents or employees for acts done in the exercise of
    legislative, quasi-legislative, judicial or quasi-judicial functions.
    All references to the Wisconsin Statutes are to the 2019-20 version unless otherwise
    noted.
    2
    No. 2020AP482
    governmental immunity applies in these circumstances.3 The circuit court denied
    the School District’s motion in an oral ruling and in a written order. The circuit
    court did not explicitly grant summary judgment to Vincent in its oral ruling or in
    a written order. Nonetheless, in its oral ruling on the School District’s summary
    judgment motion, the circuit court stated: “I believe the [known danger] exception
    applies here. There is no governmental immunity, and I am denying the motion
    for summary judgment.” We conclude that the circuit court intended to grant
    summary judgment in favor of Vincent on the issue of governmental immunity.
    ¶3      The School District filed a petition for leave to appeal, based on its
    request that we reverse the circuit court’s summary judgment decision and,
    instead, hold that the School District is entitled to governmental immunity. We
    granted the petition for leave to appeal. See WIS. STAT. § 809.50(3).
    ¶4      For the reasons that follow, we affirm the circuit court’s denial of the
    School District’s motion for summary judgment because, based on the summary
    judgment materials, there are genuine issues of material fact concerning the
    School District’s claim of governmental immunity and concerning Vincent’s
    contention that the known danger exception to governmental immunity applies in
    these circumstances. It then follows that those same factual disputes require
    reversal of the circuit court’s ruling that the School District is not entitled to
    governmental immunity based on the known danger exception. We therefore
    remand this matter to the circuit court for further proceedings consistent with this
    opinion.
    3
    “The ‘known danger’ exception to municipal and public officer immunity under WIS.
    STAT. § 893.80(4) is a narrow, judicially-created exception that arises only when there exists a
    danger that is known and compelling enough to give rise to a ministerial duty on the part of a
    municipality or its officers.” Lodl v. Progressive N. Ins. Co., 
    2002 WI 71
    , ¶4, 
    253 Wis. 2d 323
    ,
    
    646 N.W.2d 314
    .
    3
    No. 2020AP482
    BACKGROUND
    ¶5      The following material facts are gleaned from the submissions of the
    parties and the orders of the circuit court.
    ¶6      Peter Lien has been a high school teacher for the Edgerton School
    District for over twenty years. Lien has taught a psychology course two to three
    times per year since 2010. As part of that course, Lien had students perform an
    activity that Lien adapted from a psychology class textbook in which students
    would attempt to navigate within the school while blindfolded.4 Each student was
    paired with another student for the blindfold activity. Lien described his goals for
    the students as follows: “The idea is that their sense of sight is gone and so their
    other senses are picking up things that maybe they haven’t in the past ….” The
    general instructions given to the students were that:
    No one is to go outside. No elevators. You’re not to run
    someone into a wall or do things that are going to cause
    harm to someone….
    ….
    If they are getting close to a wall, say ‘Stop’ or you might
    say ‘Shuffle to the right’ or ‘Shuffle to the left.’ I’ll give
    them kind of those type of verbal instructions before we go.
    I don’t give [the non-blindfolded partner] a distance
    how close they need to be [to the blindfolded partner], but
    the understanding is they are with their partner the whole
    time.
    ¶7      The activity was divided into two parts. During the first part of the
    activity, each student spent approximately ten minutes walking around the school
    4
    Throughout this opinion, we refer to the activity Lien had the students engage in as “the
    blindfold activity” or simply as “the activity.”
    4
    No. 2020AP482
    hallways while blindfolded while the other student verbally guided the blindfolded
    partner.
    ¶8     The second part of the blindfold activity took place in the school
    fieldhouse. As described by Lien, during the second part, the blindfolded partner
    was to attempt to “walk in a straight line,” and the non-blindfolded partner would
    act “as a guide” for the blindfolded partner to make sure the blindfolded partner
    “[did not] get hurt.” Students performed this exercise at the same time as the other
    partner pairs, such that multiple blindfolded students would be navigating the
    fieldhouse simultaneously. On the date of the incident, Lien had the twenty to
    twenty-five students in the psychology course, including Vincent, perform the
    second part of the blindfold activity.         The students were at one end of the
    fieldhouse and were instructed by Lien to walk a straight line to approximately the
    middle of the fieldhouse. But, Vincent “went approximately twice as far as he was
    instructed to go.” Lien’s expectation was not for the blindfolded students to run,
    but to see how well they were able to travel in a straight line.
    ¶9     Vincent testified that he did not remember the exact words used by
    Lien when he instructed the class on the second part of the blindfold activity.
    However, Vincent testified that in his view Lien “effectively told us to run and
    that our partners would prevent us – would tell us if we were going to hit anything
    or something to that effect.” Vincent was partnered with another student. After
    Lien told the blindfolded students to start, Vincent “start[ed] running
    immediately” at a “relatively fast” pace that was “more than a jog” but “less than a
    sprint.” Lien did not see Vincent running because Vincent was on the far end of
    the fieldhouse near the wall. Vincent did not hear the student he was partnered
    with give any verbal directions to him. After Vincent collided with the wall, the
    5
    No. 2020AP482
    student Vincent was partnered with told Vincent that he had been telling him to
    stop.
    ¶10   Vincent cannot recall how loud it was in the fieldhouse at or before
    the time of his accident. There is no evidence in the record concerning Lien’s
    perception of how loud it was in the fieldhouse at that time. One student who
    participated in the blindfold activity stated that “[i]t was extremely loud in the
    field house, and I was unable to make out anything anyone was saying.”
    ¶11   Lien had the students perform the blindfold activity two or three
    times per school year for eight years prior to Vincent’s accident. He was not
    aware of any student who had tripped or fallen during the exercise, or of any
    student who was injured in the activity, before Vincent’s accident.
    ¶12   Vincent brought this negligence action against the School District to
    recover money damages for injuries sustained during the blindfold activity. The
    School District filed a motion in the circuit court for summary judgment asserting
    that it is entitled to immunity from Vincent’s negligence claim under WIS. STAT.
    § 893.80(4). Section 893.80(4) grants immunity to governmental entities and their
    employees from liability for acts involving the exercise of discretion or judgment.
    Lodl v. Progressive N. Ins. Co., 
    2002 WI 71
    , ¶¶20-21, 
    253 Wis. 2d 323
    , 
    646 N.W.2d 314
    .      Vincent opposed the School District’s request for summary
    judgment based on the “known danger exception” to governmental immunity
    under § 893.80(4).
    ¶13   The circuit court denied the School District’s motion in an oral
    ruling and in a written order. Vincent did not request that summary judgment be
    granted in his favor on the issue of governmental immunity in either a motion for
    summary judgment, his briefing on the School District’s motion, or on the record
    6
    No. 2020AP482
    at the argument before the circuit court. The circuit court did not explicitly grant
    summary judgment to Vincent in its oral ruling or a written order. Nonetheless, in
    its oral ruling, the court stated: “I believe the [known danger] exception applies
    here. There is no governmental immunity, and I am denying the motion for
    summary judgment.” As noted, we conclude that the court intended to grant
    summary judgment to Vincent on the issue of governmental immunity and
    application of the known danger exception. See WIS. STAT. § 802.08(6) (stating
    that summary judgment may be granted to the non-moving party).
    ¶14    The School District filed a petition with this court for leave to appeal
    the circuit court’s nonfinal order denying its motion for summary judgment, and
    Vincent agreed that the petition should be granted.           We granted the School
    District’s petition pursuant to WIS. STAT. § 808.03(2).
    DISCUSSION
    ¶15    The School District argues that the circuit court erred in denying its
    motion for summary judgment. In particular, the School District argues that the
    blindfold activity was not sufficiently dangerous to trigger the “known danger”
    exception to municipal and public officer immunity under WIS. STAT. § 893.80(4).
    For his part, Vincent does not request directly that we grant summary judgment in
    his favor but, rather, asks this court to “affirm the decision” of the circuit court.
    I. Standard of Review and Governing Principles on Summary
    Judgment and Governmental Immunity.
    ¶16    We begin by setting forth our standard of review and governing
    principles regarding summary judgment, governmental immunity, and the known
    danger exception to governmental immunity.
    7
    No. 2020AP482
    A. Standard of Review and Summary Judgment.
    ¶17    On a summary judgment motion, the moving party is entitled to
    judgment as a matter of law “if the pleadings, depositions, answers to
    interrogatories, and admissions on file, together with the affidavits, if any, show
    that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that the moving party is
    entitled to a judgment as a matter of law.” WIS. STAT. § 802.08(2); see Bank of
    N.Y. Mellon v. Klomsten, 
    2018 WI App 25
    , ¶31, 
    381 Wis. 2d 218
    , 
    911 N.W.2d 364
    . This court reviews a grant or denial of summary judgment de novo using the
    same methodology employed by the circuit court. Bank of N.Y. Mellon, 
    381 Wis. 2d 218
    , ¶31; Summers v. Touchpoint Health Plan, Inc., 
    2006 WI App 217
    , ¶7,
    
    296 Wis. 2d 566
    , 
    723 N.W.2d 784
    .
    ¶18    In evaluating summary judgment materials, we view the evidence,
    and reasonable inferences from that evidence, in the light most favorable to the
    party opposing summary judgment. Grams v. Boss, 
    97 Wis. 2d 332
    , 339, 
    294 N.W.2d 473
     (1980); see United Concrete & Constr., Inc. v. Red-D-Mix Concrete,
    Inc., 
    2013 WI 72
    , ¶12, 
    349 Wis. 2d 587
    , 
    836 N.W.2d 807
    ; see, e.g., Accuweb,
    Inc. v. Foley & Lardner, 
    2008 WI 24
    , ¶30, 
    308 Wis. 2d 258
    , 
    746 N.W.2d 447
    (concluding that “enough evidence existed to support reasonable inferences
    sufficient to defeat a motion for summary judgment”).        “[I]f more than one
    reasonable inference can be drawn from the undisputed facts, summary judgment
    is not appropriate.” Schmidt v. Northern States Power Co., 
    2007 WI 136
    , ¶47,
    
    305 Wis. 2d 538
    , 
    742 N.W.2d 294
    .        Whether an inference is reasonable and
    whether more than one reasonable inference may be drawn are questions of law.
    Burbank Grease Servs., LLC v. Sokolowski, 
    2005 WI App 28
    , ¶10, 
    278 Wis. 2d 698
    , 
    693 N.W.2d 89
    , rev’d in part on other grounds, 
    2006 WI 103
    , 
    94 Wis. 2d 274
    , 
    717 N.W.2d 781
    .
    8
    No. 2020AP482
    B. Governmental Immunity and the Known Danger Exception.
    ¶19    WISCONSIN STAT. § 893.80(4) immunizes school districts, among
    other governmental units, from liability for acts that involve the exercise of
    discretion or judgment. Heuser ex rel. Jacobs v. Community Ins. Corp., 
    2009 WI App 151
    , ¶20, 
    321 Wis. 2d 729
    , 
    774 N.W.2d 653
    . There are four exceptions to
    governmental immunity. 
    Id.
     (citing Noffke ex rel. Swenson v. Bakke, 
    2009 WI 10
    , ¶41, 
    315 Wis. 2d 350
    , 
    760 N.W.2d 156
    ). In this case, the only exception at
    issue is the exception for “known and compelling dangers that give rise to
    ministerial duties on the part of public officers or employees.” See Noffke, 
    315 Wis. 2d 350
    , ¶42. This “known danger” exception to municipal and public officer
    immunity “arises only when there exists a danger that is known and compelling
    enough to give rise to a ministerial duty on the part of a municipality or its
    officers.” Lodl, 
    253 Wis. 2d 323
    , ¶4.
    ¶20    The known danger exception to governmental immunity does not
    apply in every circumstance. American Fam. Mut. Ins. Co. v. Outagamie Cnty.,
    
    2012 WI App 60
    , ¶26, 
    341 Wis. 2d 413
    , 
    816 N.W.2d 340
    . Rather, it is reserved
    for situations “where the danger is so severe and immediate that a specific and
    immediate response is required.” 
    Id.
     In other words, the exception applies only
    when a government actor knows of a danger that is of such a compelling force that
    “it strips that person of discretion or judgment and creates an absolute, certain and
    imperative duty to act.” Heuser, 
    321 Wis. 2d 729
    , ¶23. Courts have described
    these dangerous situations as circumstances “where injury is almost certain to
    occur,” American Family, 
    341 Wis. 2d 413
    , ¶26, or as “accidents waiting to
    happen,” Voss v. Elkhorn Area School District, 
    2006 WI App 234
    , ¶19, 
    297 Wis. 2d 389
    , 
    724 N.W.2d 420
    .
    9
    No. 2020AP482
    ¶21    When applying the known danger exception, courts follow a three-
    step test that analyzes the factual components. Only the first two steps of that test
    are germane to our analysis. “First, something happens to create compelling
    danger. Second, a government actor finds out about the danger, making it a
    known and compelling danger.” Heuser, 
    321 Wis. 2d 729
    , ¶28. Vincent bears the
    burden of proving that the known danger exception applies to defeat governmental
    immunity under WIS. STAT. § 893.80(4). See Umansky v. ABC Ins. Co., 
    2009 WI 82
    , ¶14, 
    319 Wis. 2d 622
    , 
    769 N.W.2d 1
     (“[B]efore the [plaintiffs] [could] proceed
    to attempt to prove their negligence case, they must first defeat [the defendant’s]
    defense of immunity, to which he [was] entitled as a state employee unless an
    exception applies.”).
    ¶22    A dispute as to whether there is a ministerial duty based on the
    known danger exception can be decided on summary judgment. See American
    Fam., 
    341 Wis. 2d 413
    , ¶26.        At the same time, however, we must deny a
    summary judgment motion if the party requesting summary judgment fails to
    establish that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact. Kraemer Bros. v.
    United States Fire Ins. Co., 
    89 Wis. 2d 555
    , 567, 
    278 N.W.2d 857
     (1979). As a
    result, we have stated that material disputed facts relating to a claim of
    governmental immunity render summary judgment on that issue inappropriate.
    Rolland v. County of Milwaukee, 
    2001 WI App 53
    , ¶12, 
    241 Wis. 2d 215
    , 
    625 N.W.2d 590
     (“Rather, giving Rolland the benefit of the doubt, as we must where
    summary judgment is sought [by the county on its claim that it is immune under
    WIS. STAT. § 893.80(4)], … her version of the incident raises an issue of material
    fact: namely whether the driver ignored his mandatory duty not to drive the bus
    with a wheelchair or scooter passenger aboard unless the passenger was secured.”
    (internal citation omitted)).
    10
    No. 2020AP482
    II. Analysis.
    ¶23     As the first step in our analysis, we consider two arguments of the
    parties that are central to their positions.
    A. Probability vs. Possibility of Injury.
    ¶24     An important facet of the School District’s argument is its
    contention that, in order for the known danger exception to apply, the danger must
    rise to the level of a “probability,” rather than to the level of a “mere possibility,”
    of injury. (Bold and italics omitted.) We reject the School District’s argument for
    the following reasons.
    ¶25     In making that contention, the School District relies on language in
    C.L. v. Olson, 
    143 Wis. 2d 701
    , 
    422 N.W.2d 614
     (1988). In C.L., a parole agent
    permitted a parolee to drive even though the parolee had been previously
    convicted of sexually assaulting two individuals between the ages of twelve and
    eighteen. 
    Id. at 705
    . In both of these prior incidents, the parolee used a vehicle to
    abduct the victims. 
    Id.
     After the parole agent permitted the parolee to drive, the
    parolee abducted and sexually assaulted C.L. using a vehicle. 
    Id. at 705-06
    . The
    C.L. court concluded that the known danger exception did not apply in that case.
    
    Id. at 723-34
    . The court reasoned that:
    While in hindsight we may observe that the [subjective and
    discretionary] balance [between the danger posed by a
    parolee and the treatment of the parolee-client] was
    improperly struck and grieve the tragic consequences, this
    is not to say that the potential of danger rose to such a
    degree of probability that, in determining whether Olson
    should be permitted to drive, nothing was left to [the
    agent’s] discretion.
    11
    No. 2020AP482
    The plaintiff has, on appeal, failed to demonstrate
    that the possibility of recidivism was any more than just
    that – a possibility.
    
    Id. at 723
     (emphasis added).
    ¶26    In Lodl, 
    253 Wis. 2d 323
    , our supreme court stated that the known
    danger exception requires a case-by-case inquiry, not bright-line rules as the
    School District argues. See id., ¶38. The court held that the legal standard in these
    cases remains the same:
    [A] dangerous situation will be held to give rise to a
    ministerial duty only when “there exists a known present
    danger of such force that the time, mode and occasion for
    performance is evident with such certainty that nothing
    remains for the exercise of judgment and discretion.”
    Id. (quoting C.L., 
    143 Wis. 2d at 717
    ).
    ¶27    Contrary to the School District’s contention, the few words the
    School District relies on from C.L. did not create a bright-line rule that the known
    danger exception applies only when the risk of resulting harm is a “probability”
    and not just a “possibility.” Instead, our supreme court instructs that the degree of
    certainty required to establish a known danger is a “danger of such force as to
    leave nothing to the discretion of the officer.” C.L., 
    143 Wis. 2d at 723
    .
    B. Voss v. Elkhorn Area School District.
    ¶28    Vincent contends that we should reach the same outcome as in Voss,
    
    297 Wis. 2d 389
    , because Voss “is factually nearly identical to this case.” In Voss,
    this court held that a school district was not immune from liability for injuries to a
    student because the circumstances of the injuries met the requirements of the
    known danger exception. Id., ¶23. However, we agree with the School District
    12
    No. 2020AP482
    that there are material differences between the present case and Voss. We begin
    by setting forth the salient facts in Voss.
    ¶29      Voss was injured at school during health class while participating in
    an exercise intended to show students the effect that alcohol has on the body and
    how it impairs a person’s ability to operate a vehicle. Id., ¶2. As part of the
    exercise, students wore what were referred to as “fatal vision goggles,” which
    replicated the effects of a .10 blood alcohol concentration, and performed a
    number of activities, including walking in straight line, shooting a ball at a
    garbage can, and standing on one leg.              Id., ¶¶2-3.   While performing those
    activities, some students lost their balance, slipped, or stumbled, which, according
    to the teacher, was the purpose of the exercise. Id., ¶¶3, 19. Students were also
    instructed to walk approximately twenty-five feet between rows of three-foot-long
    wood and metal desks and “go after a tennis ball thrown by the teacher.” Id., ¶4.
    While performing this later activity, some students raced to the ball and collided
    with each other or slid on the floor, and a student who performed the exercise
    before Voss was injured bumped into a desk and her knees hit the floor. Id., ¶¶5-
    6. While walking between desks while wearing the goggles, Voss tripped when
    her foot became caught on a desk and her mouth hit the top of the desk, causing
    her significant injuries. Id., ¶¶6-7.
    ¶30      A specific, collective set of circumstances in Voss led this court to
    conclude that the exercise created a hazardous situation for which injury was
    nearly certain and for which there was only a single, self-evident response for the
    teacher: termination of the exercise. Id., ¶¶1, 19. The teacher was aware of the
    perils of the exercise, including the fact that students were certain to fall or be
    injured during the exercise, but took no precautions to minimize the risk of injury.
    Id., ¶¶19-20.
    13
    No. 2020AP482
    ¶31        Like the students in Voss, Vincent’s vision and his ability to do
    everyday activities—such as navigating without verbal assistance—were impaired
    during the blindfold activity.         However, based on the summary judgment
    materials, that is where the similarities between Voss and these circumstances end.
    Unlike Voss, the blindfold activity was not designed to distort the students’ sense
    of balance, and students were not expected to lose their balance, slip, or stumble.
    Instead, here blindfolded students were expected to rely on their senses other than
    sight to compensate for their loss of sight so as to experience the environment
    around them. Unlike Voss, the blindfold activity did not cause students to wander
    by themselves unassisted. Each blindfolded student had a non-blindfolded partner
    who was instructed to guide the blindfolded partner and help prevent the
    blindfolded partner from coming to harm. Unlike Voss, the pertinent portion of
    the blindfold activity did not take place in a confined space amid wood and metal
    desks but, instead, took place in a fieldhouse. Additionally, unlike Voss, there is
    no evidence that students involved in the blindfold activity fell or collided with
    anyone or anything injury-producing prior to Vincent’s accident.
    ¶32        Because of these significant differences between the material facts of
    this case and the facts of Voss, the holding of Voss does not control the outcome in
    this situation.
    C. Disputed Material Facts.
    ¶33        For the reasons that follow, we conclude that, considering the
    contents of the summary judgment materials and the known danger exception to
    the School District’s claim of governmental immunity, material facts and
    inferences that may be drawn from the facts remain disputed. Accordingly, we
    agree with the circuit court that the School District’s summary judgment motion
    14
    No. 2020AP482
    must be denied. In addition, we also conclude that the circuit court erred in
    determining based on the summary judgment materials that the known danger
    exception applies to defeat the School District’s claim of governmental immunity.
    ¶34    First, there is a genuine issue of material fact on a potentially
    important issue, namely, the noise level in the fieldhouse during the second part of
    the activity when Vincent was injured. The level of noise in the fieldhouse during
    the activity is material to the three-step test for the known danger exception. See
    Heuser, 
    321 Wis. 2d 729
    , ¶28 (describing the three steps of this test).
    Specifically, the noise level bears on whether there exists a “compelling danger”
    under the first step. Vincent argues that “[t]he noise in the fieldhouse was so great
    that the students were unable to understand anything anyone was saying,” and a
    reasonable inference is that it would have been difficult or impossible for Vincent
    to hear his partner. For those assertions, Vincent relies solely on a statement from
    another student in Lien’s class that “[i]t was extremely loud in the field house.”
    Vincent implicitly contends that the assertion of one student regarding his
    subjective perception of noise in one spot in the fieldhouse must have been the
    same for Vincent and Lien.       However, the School District disputes that the
    fieldhouse was loud at or before the time of Vincent’s accident. The School
    District points to testimony from Vincent that he could not recall if it was “so loud
    that [he] felt that [he] couldn’t hear [his partner].” There is also no evidence that
    Lien recalled the noise level at that time. Thus, the School District argues that
    “compound inferences” from Vincent about the noise in the fieldhouse are
    unsupported by the evidence.
    ¶35    To accept Vincent’s argument would require us to accept as the only
    reasonable inference that the perception of one student of noise in the fieldhouse
    was true everywhere in the fieldhouse, including for Lien and Vincent. That is not
    15
    No. 2020AP482
    the only reasonable inference based on this record. As a result, there are disputed
    material facts and competing inferences regarding the noise level in the fieldhouse
    at or before Vincent’s accident.
    ¶36    Second, there is a genuine issue of fact as to how Lien instructed the
    students at the outset of the second part of the activity. Specifically, the parties
    disagree as to whether Lien instructed the students to “run.” Vincent asserts in
    briefing in this court that Lien instructed the students to “line up at one end of the
    fieldhouse and run the length of the fieldhouse.” However, as noted earlier, the
    record shows that Vincent testified that he does not recall the exact words used by
    Lien in instructing the students but that he “effectively told us to run,” and Lien
    testified that he told the students to “walk.” Those statements create a material
    dispute of fact.
    ¶37    In sum, the noise level in the fieldhouse during the second part of the
    activities, along with the pertinent instructions given to Vincent by Lien, are
    genuine issues of material fact regarding the School District’s claim of
    governmental immunity, and the circuit court properly denied the School District’s
    summary judgment motion. For the same reasons, the circuit court erred when it
    held that the School District did not enjoy governmental immunity because the
    known danger exception applied.
    ¶38    We emphasize that our remand does not constrain the discretion of
    the circuit court to conduct further proceedings in the order and manner
    determined by the circuit court regarding governmental immunity, the known
    danger exception, and any remaining disputed issues not resolved by this opinion
    based on the summary judgment materials as they now stand.
    16
    No. 2020AP482
    CONCLUSION
    ¶39    For those reasons, we affirm the circuit court’s denial of the School
    District’s motion for summary judgment, reverse the circuit court’s apparently
    intended ruling in favor of Vincent that there is no governmental immunity for the
    School District, and remand the matter for further proceedings consistent with this
    opinion.
    By the Court.—Order affirmed in part; reversed in part and cause
    remanded.
    This     opinion   will   not    be   published.   See   WIS. STAT.
    RULE 809.23(1)(b)5.
    17
    

Document Info

Docket Number: 2020AP000482

Filed Date: 6/24/2021

Precedential Status: Non-Precedential

Modified Date: 9/9/2024