West Virginia Supreme Court upholds a release signed to obtain a season pass at a ski area

The plaintiff’s inability to produce any evidence to support his allegations also went a long way in defeating his claims.

Addis v. Snowshoe Mountain, Inc., a West Virginia corporation, 2013 W. Va. LEXIS 1353 (W. Va. 2013)

State: West Virginia, Supreme Court of West Virginia

Plaintiff: Glen Addis and Pamela Addis

Defendant: Snowshoe Mountain, Inc., a West Virginia corporation

Plaintiff Claims: Negligence

Defendant Defenses: West Virginia Skiing Responsibility Act and Release

Holding: For the Defendants

Year: 2013

Summary

Injury received by experienced season pass holder and former ski instructor was barred by the West Virginia Skiing Responsibility Act and a release he had signed when he bought his season pass.

Facts

Plaintiff was a former ski instructor and a season pass holder at Snowshoe Mountain ski area in Southern West Virginia. On the second run on Lower Shay’s revenge, a double black diamond, he fell, slid into some trees and was severely injured. His argument was based on the idea that the snow making equipment was shooting water rather than snow because of the temperature creating extremely icy conditions.

On the first run down Lower Shay’s Revenge, he noticed the icy conditions, but he did not notify anyone of the conditions.

The plaintiff lost at the trial court level after the defendant Snowshoe Mountain filed a motion for summary judgment, and the plaintiff appealed.

Analysis: making sense of the law based on these facts.

The court first looked at the application of the West Virginia Skiing Responsibility Act to this incident. The plaintiff argued:

…respondent lost the protection of the Act by failing to monitor weather information, failing to stop malfunctioning snowmaking equipment, failing to train ski patrol, and failing to mark hazards.

(Respondent meaning the ski area.) This argument was predicated on the temperatures that day being above freezing. The snow making equipment was shooting water rather than snow according to the plaintiff.

Central to each of petitioners’ assertions is their supposition that the air temperature was warmer than 32 degrees Fahrenheit at key times on the days around the petitioner’s accident, causing respondents snowmaking equipment to blow water, rather than snow, which created ice on the trail.

The court throughout the weather argument because the plaintiff did not produce any exhibits or evidence that proved the weather that day caused the issues or that the ski area’s snow making equipment malfunctioned because of the temperatures.

The only evidence of the temperature, however, is a three-page climate data report of the National Weather Service setting out the minimum and maximum daily area temperatures for the month of January of 2009. While that report shows that the maximum temperature reached 42 degrees Fahrenheit on the day of petitioner’s accident, there is no evidence that respondent’s equipment malfunctioned as a result of that temperature, or that the equipment was improvidently used.

The court found the West Virginia Skiing Responsibility Act protected the defendant ski area, because the plaintiff could not prove the resort’s equipment malfunctioned.

The second argument was the release should fail. West Virginia has a history of finding releases void for narrow reasons. In fact, I’ve listed West Virginia as a state where releases are suspect. See States that do not Support the Use of a Release.

Here the plaintiff argued because the West Virginia Skiing Responsibility Act had been violated, the release was void. A negligence per se argument that a release cannot protect against violation of a rule, regulations or statute designed to protect someone. Since the court found the statute had not been violated, the Supreme Court upheld the release.

Their sole argument before this Court is that the circuit court failed to recognize, based on Murphy v. North American River Runners, Inc, that exculpatory clauses do not provide immunity to operators who violate a statutory safety standard. Inasmuch as we have determined herein that there is no evidence of respondents acting contrary to its duty set forth in the West Virginia Skiing Responsibility Act, petitioners cannot prevail on this ground.

So Now What?

What makes this case so interesting is the decision by the WV Supreme Court to uphold a release. In numerous release cases that have come before the court over the past decades, the court has uniformly found the releases void.

Of course, it helps if the plaintiff fails to place into evidence any information or facts that can support his or her case.

Jim Moss is an attorney specializing in the legal issues of the outdoor recreation community. He represents guides, guide services, outfitters both as businesses and individuals and the products they use for their business. He has defended Mt. Everest guide services, summer camps, climbing rope manufacturers; avalanche beacon manufactures and many more manufacturers and outdoor industries. Contact Jim at Jim@Rec-Law.us

Jim is the author or co-author of six books about the legal issues in the outdoor recreation world; the latest is Outdoor Recreation Insurance, Risk Management and Law.

To see Jim’s complete bio go here and to see his CV you can find it here. To find out the purpose of this website go here.

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