July 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 26

L AW R E V I E W

Recreational Use Statutes in State Supreme Courts
By James C. Kozlowski, J.D., Ph.D.

B

ased on years of reported recreational injury liability case law involving public park and recreation agencies, liability should be the exception rather than
the rule. As illustrated by the recent state supreme court opinions described
herein, one of the major themes involving landowner liability for recreational injuries in public parks and recreation has been the scope and applicability of limited immunity under a state recreational use statute (RUS).
With minor variations, an RUS exists
in most jurisdictions. In many jurisdictions, the RUS definition of " landowner " has been extended through expressed
statutory language or court decree to
include governmental entities, including
public parks and recreation. Generally,
an RUS provides that a landowner owes
no legal duty to guard, warn or make the
premises reasonably safe when allowing
public recreational use on the land free
of charge. Accordingly, when an RUS
applies, a landowner will be immune
from liability for ordinary negligence,
but not willful or wanton misconduct.
Unlike a singular careless act or omis-

24	 Parks & Recreation

sion characteristic of ordinary negligence,
within the context of RUS immunity,
willful/wanton misconduct or gross negligence requires much more egregious
misconduct that exhibits behavior tantamount to intent to injure or an outrageous and utter disregard for the physical well-being of a recreational user on
the premises. In addition to the willful/
wanton misconduct exception, the typical RUS includes a fee or consideration
exception. In keeping with the original
legislative intent for an RUS to encourage
public recreational use of private land free
of charge, the fee or consideration exception to RUS immunity generally applies

| J U LY 2 0 1 6 | W W W. PA R K S A N D R E C R E AT I O N . O R G

where the landowner charges a fee or
gains some direct economic benefit from
a specific portion of the premises where
the recreational user was injured.
Ballfield Hole
In the case of Carlson v. Town of South Kingstown, 111 A.3d 819; 2015 R.I. LEXIS 48
(4/8/2015), the Supreme Court of Rhode
Island considered the scope and applicability of immunity under the state RUS for
a spectator injury at a baseball game in a
park owned and maintained by the town.
On July 28, 2010, plaintiff Kathleen
Carlson attended her son's little league
baseball game at Tuckertown Park in
the Wakefield section of South Kingstown. The game was open to the general public and no tickets were required
to attend. The league had a permit,
issued by the town, to host this game,
as it did for all its games, but the town
charged no fee to use the park.



July 2016 - Parks & Recreation

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