Saralegui Blanco v. Gonzalez Sandoval

FILE THIS OPINION WAS FILED
FOR RECORD AT 8 A.M. ON
IN CLERK’S OFFICE APRIL 29, 2021
SUPREME COURT, STATE OF WASHINGTON
APRIL 29, 2021
SUSAN L. CARLSON
SUPREME COURT CLERK
IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON
MARIA JESUS SARALEGUI BLANCO, )
) No. 98221-0
Petitioner, )
)
v. ) En Banc
)
DAVID GONZALEZ SANDOVAL, )
ALEXANDRA BARAJAS GONZALEZ, )
and the marital community comprised )
thereof, )
)
Defendants, )
)
ERNESTO HERNANDEZ, TERI )
HERNANDEZ, and the marital community )
comprised thereof, )
)
Respondents. )
) Filed :April 29, 2021
JOHNSON, J.—This case involves a premises liability claim brought by a
visitor against landlords for an injury caused by the tenants’ dog. We are asked to
decide whether the landlords, Ernesto and Teri Hernandez,1 owed a duty to the
1
Ernesto Hernandez and his wife, Teri Hernandez, owned several rental properties
jointly, including the property at issue here. Ernesto managed the properties and acted as the
landlord. Ernesto is referred to here as “Hernandez”; collectively they are referred to as the
“landlords.”
Saralegui Blanco v. Gonzalez Sandoval, No. 98221-0
petitioner, Maria Saralegui Blanco. The tenants, David Gonzalez Sandoval,
Alexandra Barajas Gonzalez, and Elvia Sandoval, reside in a rented single family
home owned by the landlords. While visiting the home, Saralegui Blanco was
attacked and bitten by the tenants’ dog. Saralegui Blanco sued and alleged that the
tenants and landlords were negligent and liable for her injuries. The trial court
dismissed the claims against the landlords on summary judgment, and we granted
direct review. We affirm the trial court’s grant of summary judgment, dismissing
Saralegui Blanco’s premises liability claim against the landlords.
FACTS
Since 2014, the tenants rented a home in Arlington, Washington, owned by
the landlords. When the tenancy first commenced, it was governed by a written
lease that expired in 2016. Upon expiration of the lease, the tenants continued to
reside in the home and paid monthly rent.
In 2016, the tenants acquired a pit bull puppy. Gonzalez Sandoval notified
one of the landlords, Hernandez, of the dog and its breed. He also installed a wire
fence enclosing the yard for the dog. Hernandez gave consent to build the fence,
but he did not inspect it.
In May 2018, Saralegui Blanco visited the home around noon with four
companions for a bible study with Sandoval. Saralegui Blanco is a member of the
Jehovah’s Witnesses church and regularly engaged in door-to-door bible study.
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That day, Sandoval met with Saralegui Blanco and her companions outside in the
driveway. The dog was in the fenced off portion of the yard and barked when
Sandoval came outside, where she talked with Saralegui Blanco and her
companions for about 10 minutes in the driveway. As the conversation ended,
Saralegui Blanco claimed she saw the dog jump over the fence enclosure. Sandoval
claimed the dog went through a hole in the fence. The dog then knocked Saralegui
Blanco to the ground, attacked her, and bit her ear. A loosened piece of plywood
was found on the fence enclosure.
Saralegui Blanco had visited the home about five times before and would
meet Sandoval outside the home either in the yard or driveway, or on the porch.
She claims that each time, the dog would be in the fenced portion of yard and
would jump and bark.
In his deposition, Hernandez stated that he saw the dog only on one occasion
in 2017 when he visited the home to collect rent. Prior to the incident, he never had
any issues with the tenants or the dog. Gonzalez Sandoval and Sandoval stated in
their depositions and declarations that they had had no prior issues with the dog
exhibiting aggressive behavior toward humans or other dogs. Gonzalez Sandoval
stated that the dog had never escaped from the enclosure before the day of the
attack nor were there any issues with the dog biting or chewing the fence. He
described that he walked the dog regularly and that the dog did not bark at relatives
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or friends who visited the home. In her deposition, Sandoval described that the dog
would bark at strangers who came by the home but would usually stop once
prompted.
Saralegui Blanco brought a negligence claim against the landlords under
both strict liability and premises liability theories. She also raised claims against
the tenants, but those claims are not before us. The landlords moved for summary
judgment. The trial court considered declarations and deposition testimony from
the parties and other individuals who were present during the incident. The parties
also submitted police reports and photo exhibits. The trial court granted summary
judgment and dismissed the claims against the landlords. Saralegui Blanco
unsuccessfully moved for reconsideration and petitioned for direct review. We
granted review of the landlord premises liability issue.2
ANALYSIS
We review an order granting summary judgment de novo. Summary
judgment is appropriate where there is no genuine issue as to any material fact, so
the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. To prevail in a
negligence claim, the general rule is that a plaintiff must show “(1) the existence of
2
Before our court, the petitioner presents several other theories of liability, including a
principal-agent relationship and the implied warranty of habitability. We decline to reach these
alternate grounds for liability. Our review is limited to the “landlord premises liability question
only.” Order, No. 98221-0 (June 3, 2020).
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a duty, (2) breach of that duty, (3) resulting injury, and (4) proximate cause.”
Degel v. Majestic Mobile Manor, Inc., 129 Wn.2d 43, 48, 914 P.2d 728 (1996).
Here, the issue before us is whether a duty existed. The parties dispute whether the
landlords owed a duty to the petitioner, who was injured by their tenants’ dog,
under a premises liability theory.
We have discussed the underlying premises liability principles in Frobig v.
Gordon, 124 Wn.2d 732, 881 P.2d 226 (1994). Frobig concerned a plaintiff who
was bitten by the tenant’s Bengal tiger. The incident occurred on a large property
rented by the tiger’s owner. The plaintiff alleged negligence and strict liability
claims against the landlords. In that case, we discussed several common law rules
regarding landlord liability. First, regarding animals, we recognized that “the
owner, keeper, or harborer of a dangerous or vicious animal is liable; the landlord
of the owner, keeper, or harborer is not” because liability flows from ownership or
direct control. Frobig, 124 Wn.2d at 735. Second, we recognized that generally,
landlords are not responsible for conditions on the land that are created by the
tenant after the property has been leased. Finally, we determined that landlords
owe no greater duty to the invitees or guests of a tenant than to the tenant. We
noted that “[u]nder Washington law, the landlords would not be liable to the tenant
for the tiger’s attack so should not be liable to third parties for injuries inflicted by
the animal.” Frobig, 124 Wn.2d at 737. We recognized other jurisdictions that
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have held landlords liable for injuries caused by a tenant’s animal where the
landlord knows of the danger and has some control over the animal’s presence. We
declined to adopt that approach. We concluded that as a matter of law, landlords do
not owe a duty to protect third parties from their tenant’s lawfully owned but
dangerous animal. Frobig, 124 Wn.2d at 740-41. Frobig established the general
rule that absent other circumstances, no duty exists where the property is rented
and the landlord cedes possession to the tenant.
The petitioner here relies on a Court of Appeals case in which the court
considered a negligence claim brought by the tenant against his landlord for a dog
bite injury. Oliver v. Cook, 194 Wn. App. 532, 377 P.3d 265 (2016). In Oliver, the
tenant operated an automobile shop on the property. The dog was owned by the
landlord’s friend, who brought the dog to the property and left it unsupervised in
the landlord’s vehicle. The tenant was bitten while the dog remained in the vehicle,
and the tenant brought a negligence claim against his landlord. The Court of
Appeals discussed that in addition to a claim of strict liability for dangerous
animals, a distinct duty could exist under a premises liability theory. Although the
factual basis for analyzing the claim under a premises liability theory is far from
clear, the opinion concluded that sufficient evidence supported the claim
proceeding to trial. However, in that case, other factors supported recognition of a
duty. The plaintiff-tenant was considered an invitee of the landlord and based on
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this, the Court of Appeals relied on the duty of landowners to invitees as stated in
Restatement (Second) of Torts § 343 (Am. Law Inst. 1965). The court considered
the dog a relevant condition on the land and found that genuine issues of material
fact existed as to whether the landlord breached his duty of care. Oliver, 194 Wn.
App. at 543-46.
In premises liability actions, the legal duty owed by the landlord is
dependent on whether the person entering the property is a trespasser, licensee, or
invitee. Degel, 129 Wn.2d at 49. In this case, the petitioner asserts that she was an
invitee or, at least, a licensee on the premises and urges that one of the
corresponding duties, as stated in Restatement (Second) § 343 (invitees) 3 or § 342
(licensees)4 applies here.
3
Restatement (Second) § 343 states, “A possessor of land is subject to liability for
physical harm caused to his invitees by a condition on the land if, but only if, he
“(a) knows or by the exercise of reasonable care would discover the condition, and
should realize that it involves an unreasonable risk of harm to such invitees, and
“(b) should expect that they will not discover or realize the danger, or will fail to protect
themselves against it, and
“(c) fails to exercise reasonable care to protect them against the danger.”
4
Restatement (Second) § 342 states, “A possessor of land is subject to liability for
physical harm caused to licensees by a condition on the land if, but only if,
“(a) the possessor knows or has reason to know of the condition and should realize that it
involves an unreasonable risk of harm to such licensees, and should expect that they will not
discover or realize the danger, and
“(b) he fails to exercise reasonable care to make the condition safe, or to warn the
licensees of the condition and the risk involved, and
“(c) the licensees do not know or have reason to know of the condition and the risk
involved.”
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We need not resolve the petitioner’s status here because any distinction
makes no difference. While the duties of care owed to invitees and licensees are
substantively different, both require that “[a] possessor of land is subject to
liability for physical harm caused to [licensees or invitees] by a condition on the
land.” RESTATEMENT (SECOND) §§ 342, 343 (emphasis added). To establish the
existence of a duty, a plaintiff must show that the defendant possessed the land.
See also Gildon v. Simon Prop. Grp., Inc., 158 Wn.2d 483, 496, 145 P.3d 1196(2006) (“[T]he test in a premises liability action is whether one is the ‘possessor’
of property, not whether someone is a ‘true owner’ (the titleholder) of property.”).
We have consistently recognized that a “possessor of land” both occupies the land
and controls it. Adamson v. Port of Bellingham, 193 Wn.2d 178, 187-88, 438 P.3d
522 (2019); Jordan v. Nationstar Mortg., LLC, 185 Wn.2d 876, 887, 374 P.3d
1195 (2016) (citing RESTATEMENT (THIRD) OF TORTS: LIABILITY FOR PHYSICAL
AND EMOTIONAL HARM § 49 (AM. LAW INST. 2012)). Generally, in a residential
landlord-tenant relationship possession and control are transferred to the tenants.
Clemmons v. Fidler, 58 Wn. App. 32, 38, 791 P.2d 257 (1990) (citing
RESTATEMENT (SECOND) § 356 cmt. a; W. PAGE KEETON ET AL., PROSSER AND
KEETON ON TORTS § 63, at 434 (5th ed. 1984)). While the petitioner’s status as an
invitee or licensee may be significant in a claim against the tenant dog owners that
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occupied the property, this claim was brought against the residential landlords,
who no longer possessed the property.
A claim, however, can exist in situations where the landlord retains control
over a portion of the leased premises. The petitioner claims that the landlords here
retained control and evidently possessed the land because the tenant needed
permission to make changes to the property or to have a pet. This argument adopts
the reasoning of other jurisdictions that allow landlord liability for injuries
involving the tenant’s pet where a landlord knows of the animal and retains a right
to control or remove it. See Uccello v. Laudenslayer, 44 Cal. App. 3d 504, 512-14,
118 Cal. Rptr. 741 (1975) (a landlord may owe a duty of care where they have
actual knowledge of the animal’s dangerous propensities and the right to remove
the animal from the premises); Holcomb v. Colonial Assocs., 358 N.C. 501, 597
S.E.2d 710 (2004) (lease provision where landlord reserved right to remove a pet
established sufficient control over the pet to impose liability on landlord); Gallick
v. Barto, 828 F. Supp. 1168 (M.D. Pa. 1993) (holding a landlord out of possession
may be held liable if they have knowledge of and the authority to remove the pet).
Our cases have already considered and rejected arguments for such a rule. In
Frobig, we recognized that “some courts have held a landlord liable for injuries
inflicted by a tenant’s dangerous animal where the landlord knows of the potential
danger and has some sort of control, either by virtue of provisions in the lease or
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previous dealings with the tenant, over the animal’s presence.” 124 Wn.2d at 737.
We reasoned that “[e]ven if we agreed with [that approach], as applied here, there
is no liability.” Frobig, 124 Wn.2d at 739. We also recognized that landlords
would not be liable to the tenant for an animal attack and so should not be liable to
third parties for injuries inflicted by their tenant’s animal. We reasoned that such
an expansion would conflict with the principle that liability flows from ownership
and direct control of an animal and that landlords are not liable for conditions
created by the tenant after possession is transferred.
For similar reasons, in Clemmons, the Court of Appeals rejected the
argument for landlord liability based on landlord knowledge and control through
lease provisions. In that case, the tenant’s dog bit the plaintiff, a visitor of the
tenant. The plaintiff claimed that the landlord was liable because the landlord knew
that the dog had dangerous propensities. The Court of Appeals held that the
landlord’s knowledge was immaterial and affirmed dismissal of the claim against
the landlord. The Clemmons court reasoned:
[W]e see no reason to depart from our settled rule. That rule
recognizes the notion that a tenancy is equivalent to a conveyance: a
lessor surrenders both possession and control of the land to the lessee
during the term of tenancy. Our rule also promotes the salutary policy
of placing responsibility where it belongs, rather than fostering a
search for a defendant whose affluence is more apparent than his
culpability.
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58 Wn. App. at 38 (citations omitted).5
We reject the argument for an expanded duty in this type of claim, which
would impose liability on landlords for pets that are allowed on rental properties.
Our cases have implicitly, if not expressly, rejected this theory of liability. Under
these circumstances, where the property is a single residential unit, a “tenancy is
equivalent to a conveyance: a lessor surrenders both possession and control of the
land to the lessee during the term of the tenancy.” Clemmons, 58 Wn. App. at 38
(citing RESTATEMENT (SECOND) § 356 cmt. a).
The petitioner alternatively asserts that the claim can proceed on the basis
that the driveway where she was injured was a common area under the landlords’
control. We have recognized situations where landlords owed a duty to maintain
the common areas of the premises. Degel, 129 Wn.2d at 49 (citing Geise v. Lee, 84
Wn.2d 866, 529 P.2d 1054 (1975)). That issue does not arise here, where the tenant
has exclusive possession of the property. The Court of Appeals recognized this
principle, holding that where the rental property is a single unit residential home,
the tenant exclusively possesses the property. Phillips v. Greco, 7 Wn. App. 2d 1,
5, 433 P.3d 509 (2018); Pruitt v. Savage, 128 Wn. App. 327, 331, 115 P.3d 10005
The Clemmons court determined that limiting liability in this way was consistent with
the statutory schemes regarding liability for dog bites (RCW 16.08.040), ownership of dangerous
dogs (RCW 16.08.070-.100), and landlord liability to third parties for defects (RCW 59.18.060).
58 Wn. App. at 36-38.
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(2005). The Court of Appeals held that landlords did not owe a duty under
Restatement (Second) § 343 to plaintiffs injured by the garage door, Pruitt, 128
Wn. App. at 331, and on the back deck, Phillips, 7 Wn. App. 2d at 5, of single
family homes because those areas were not common areas.
Here, the driveway where the petitioner was injured was not a common area
under the control of the landlords. The facts alleged fail to raise a genuine issue of
material fact that the landlords possessed the property regardless of whether the
petitioner was an invitee or a licensee. Based on the facts before us, as a matter of
law the landlords did not possess the property and thus did not owe a duty to the
petitioner under either Restatement (Second) § 343 (invitee) or § 342 (licensee).
Finally, the premises liability claim fails because there is no basis to find the
dog was a dangerous condition on the land, as required to establish a duty under
Restatement (Second) § 343 or § 342. Under our cases, the conditions generally
associated with premises liability duties involve physical features of the property.
See Adamson, 193 Wn.2d at 188-89 (passenger ramp at a port); Curtis v. Lein, 169
Wn.2d 884, 890-91, 239 P.3d 1078 (2010) (wooden dock); Iwai v. State, 129
Wn.2d 84, 95, 915 P.2d 1089 (1996) (natural accumulations of snow and ice in a
parking lot); Degel, 129 Wn.2d at 51-54 (natural body of water on the property);
Tincani v. Inland Empire Zoological Soc., 124 Wn.2d 121, 137, 875 P.2d 621(1994) (cliff drop off); Geise, 84 Wn.2d at 870 (accumulations of snow and ice).
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The petitioner’s reliance on Oliver is unavailing. That case is best described as an
outlier to the extent some language suggests the court there considered an animal
to be a condition the land. Oliver, 194 Wn. App. at 544. The general rule, as
reflected in Frobig and Clemmons, is that a nonpossessor landlord is not liable for
injuries caused by a tenant’s dog. We decline to stray from the general rule here
and conclude that in this case, there is no basis to regard the possessing tenants’
dog as a dangerous condition on the land as required by Restatement (Second) §
342 and § 343. 6
Alternatively, the petitioner argues that the dog together with the fence
constituted a dangerous condition on the land because the fence was inadequate to
contain the dog. Generally, landlords are not liable for conditions created by the
tenant. Frobig, 124 Wn.2d at 736. And here, although the landlords may have
given permission, the fence was constructed by the tenants after possession was
transferred. The same is true for the dog, which was brought onto the property by
the tenants, who were in possession. The landlords did not inspect the fence, but
even if they did, the petitioner does not show that any danger could have been
discovered. The tenants stated in their depositions that they did not have any prior
6
The petitioner also contends that the dog was dangerous because it was of the pit bull
breed. The idea that certain dog breeds are inherently dangerous is without merit. We agree with
the legislature’s recognition that “a dog’s breed is not inherently indicative of whether or not a
dog is dangerous and that the criteria . . . should be focused on the dog’s behavior.” LAWS OF
2019, ch. 199, § 1(1).
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issues with the dog chewing through the fence, digging, or attempting to escape
from the area. They stated that the dog had never escaped before. One of the
tenants stated that he walked around the enclosure every day to make sure the dog
would not get out. In this case, there is no genuine issue of material fact as to
whether the fence, in itself, posed any potential danger or injured the petitioner.
The source of petitioner’s injury was the dog, which was not a dangerous condition
on the land.
The petitioner fails to establish a genuine issue of material fact that the
landlords possessed the land, retained control over the premises or the dog, or
created a dangerous condition. We affirm the trial court.
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WE CONCUR:
15