Avila v. Citrus Community College District

Avila v. Citrus Community College District case brief summary
131 P.3d 383 (2006)

CASE SYNOPSIS

Plaintiff community college baseball player sued defendant rival community college for negligence. The California Court of Appeal, Second Appellate District, Division Five, reversed a trial court's judgment sustaining the rival college's demurrer, concluding that Gov. Code, § 831.7 did not extend immunity to claims predicated on the negligent supervision of public school athletes. The rival college petitioned for review.

CASE FACTS
The player's team was playing a preseason road game against the rival college's team. During the game, the player was hit in the head with a pitched ball. The player alleged the pitch was an intentional beanball or was thrown negligently. He also alleged the rival college was negligent in failing to summon or provide medical care for him when he was obviously in need of it, failing to supervise and control its team's pitcher, failing to provide umpires or other supervisory personnel to control the game and prevent retaliatory or reckless pitching, and failing to provide adequate equipment to safeguard him from serious head injury.

DISCUSSION

• The court concluded that § 831.7's immunity protection did not extend to injuries sustained during supervised school sports, including participation in an intercollegiate baseball game. 
• However, on the facts alleged, the rival college, as the host school, owed no duty to the visiting team's player to prevent the home team's pitcher from hitting batters, even intentionally. 
• Thus, the doctrine of primary assumption of the risk barred any claim predicated on the allegation that the rival college's pitcher negligently or intentionally threw at the player.

CONCLUSION

The appellate court's judgment was reversed.

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