Laserfiche WebLink
• <br />• <br />• <br />These factors are often present in policies (i.e., snow plowing, sidewalk, sewer inspection <br />or maintenance), city council or planning minutes, memorandums, contracts that the city <br />has in its records. Use model policies available from LMCIT for your client cities. <br />Warning: Self - serving conclusory affidavits from city employees have been rejected by the <br />Minnesota appellate courts. See Conlin v. City of St. Paul, 1999 WL 2096045 (Minn. App. <br />1999). <br />1) Implementation of Policy/Plan <br />Generally, the actual implementation of the policy /plan may be deemed "operational" <br />and may not be protected by immunity. However, if the claim involves an "attack" <br />upon the policy /plan itself, the Minnesota appellate courts have refused to separate or <br />set forth a "bright line rule" and have afforded statutory immunity for the enactment as <br />well as the implementation of the policy /plan. See Zank v. Larson, 552 N.W.2d 719 <br />(Minn. 1996). <br />c. Park and Recreational Use Immunity (Subd. 6e) <br />1) Use of the property: If the property is owned or leased by city and is intended or <br />designated for use as a "recreational facility ", and the plaintiff is injured while using <br />the facility, the actual use by plaintiff is irrelevant. <br />2) Examples: <br />• Stiele v. City of Crystal, 646 N.W.2d 251 (Minn. App. 2002). (young child climbing <br />tennis fence in park who fell and was injured). <br />• Doyle v. City of Roseville, 524 N.W.2d 461 (Minn. 1994) (plaintiff slipped and fell <br />while walking in parking lot of public ice rink). <br />• Habeck v. Quverson, 699 N.W.2d 907 (Minn. App. 2003) (plaintiff injured while being <br />transported by a hay wagon from parking lot to fairgrounds). <br />• Hinnenkamp v. City of Columbia Heights, 2002 WL 233824 (Minn. App. 2002) <br />(plaintiff injured when coffee pot in community center tipped over). <br />3) City is immune unless the plaintiff can meet trespasser standard of care set forth in <br />Restatement of Torts 2d §335. Only in rare circumstances will child trespass standard <br />set forth in §339 be used. <br />4) Requirements of Trespassers Standard of Care: The plaintiff must meet all <br />requirements in order to survive the immunity <br />• Must be a condition created or maintained by city. <br />• Condition must be likely to cause death or serious bodily harm (i.e., high voltage <br />lines, razor wire, bodies of water, excavations.) <br />• City must have actual notice that condition likely to cause death or serious bodily <br />harm (i.e., prior accidents, injuries, complaints) <br />4 <br />26 <br />