LAW 604C Lecture Notes - Lecture 23: Comparative Negligence, Inequality Of Bargaining Power, The Takeaway
Document Summary
Class 23: 10/19/16: assumption of the risk, contractual or express assumption of the risk. The takeaway from this case is that exculpatory clauses are perfectly enforceable when a party is not in a position of unequal bargaining power. The takeaway is that exculpatory clauses cannot relieve a party of liability when that party is conferring some essential service to the other party. In this case, a hospital cannot have the plaintiff sign an exculpatory clause for an essential service such as healthcare. Plaintiff buys an atv from defendant along with an atv safety course. Plaintiff sig(cid:374)s a(cid:374) e(cid:454)(cid:272)ulpator(cid:455) (cid:272)lause that (cid:862)release[d] the atv afet(cid:455) Institute and all other organizations and individuals affiliated with the. Atv safet(cid:455) (cid:272)lass fro(cid:373) lia(cid:271)ilit(cid:455), loss, a(cid:374)d da(cid:373)ages arisi(cid:374)g out of parti(cid:272)ipatio(cid:374) i(cid:374) the (cid:272)ourse(cid:863) Plaintiff is thrown from her atv when she hits a rock hidden by tall grass and suffers injuries.
