238 Conn. 687

MATTHEW LUCE v. CITY OF WEST HAVEN ET AL.

(15144)

Peters, C. J., and Callahan, Borden, Berdon, Norcott, Katz and Palmer, Js.

Argued June 6

officially released August 6, 1996

*688James O. Gaston, with whom, on the brief, was Nancy A. DeRose, for the appellant (plaintiff).

Timothy F. Woodbridge, for the appellees (defendants).

KATZ, J.

The plaintiff, Matthew Luce, brought this action against the defendants, Barbara Barry, director of the West Haven department of parks and recreation (department), and the city of West Haven (city), for personal injuries he allegedly sustained while playing in a softball game. The trial court granted the defendants’ motion for summary judgment, ruling that they were immune from liability pursuant to the Connecticut Recreational Land Use Act (act), General Statutes § 52-557f et seq.1 On appeal, the plaintiff claims that the trial *689court improperly concluded that the fee paid by the softball teams to participate in a softball league run by the defendants was not a “charge” within the meaning of the act, and therefore did not strip them of the immunity otherwise provided by the act.

The facts, as viewed in the light most favorable to the plaintiff; Strada v. Connecticut Newspapers, Inc., 193 Conn. 313, 317, 477 A.2d 1005 (1984); are as follows. The plaintiff had been a member of the West Haven Adult Softball Association League (league), a division of the department, when his injury occurred. The league activities were organized and controlled by the department. The plaintiffs softball team paid a $295 league entry fee to the city for the opportunity to participate in league activities. That fee included an unspecified amount from each of the team’s players, and was used *690for league awards, field maintenance and capital improvements to the fields, including, but not limited to, fencing, as well as for an answering machine and other assets unrelated to the use of the field and the league. Although the teams did not pay an admission price to use the softball fields, without the $295 payment to the league, persons were not permitted access to the softball field during games. The department required the use of photographic identification cards to establish that the requisite moneys had been paid and that each member was eligible to play. Those cards enabled each member to use the fields to participate in games, and to exercise other rights and privileges of the league. The department mandated strict adherence to its softball rules and regulations, and reserved the right to limit and restrict access to fields pursuant to these rules. The department further reserved the authority to revoke the right of the teams to play, to disqualify teams or team members, and to retain the moneys paid by the teams despite any disqualifications or forfeitures of privileges.

Although this appeal raised solely the issues of what constitutes a “fee” and a “charge” within the meaning of the act, in accordance with our decision in Conway v. Wilton, 238 Conn. 653, 680 A.2d 242 (1996), in which we held that a municipality is not an “owner” within the meaning of the act, the defendants are not entitled to immunity regardless of whether the money paid constituted a “fee” or a “charge” under the act. Id., 680.2

*691The judgment of the trial court is reversed and the case is remanded for further proceedings according to law.

In this opinion BORDEN, NORCOTT and PALMER, Js., concurred.

BERDON, J.,

concurring. I concur that the judgment of the trial court granting the defendants’ motion for summary judgment should be reversed based upon this court’s decision today in Conway v. Wilton, 238 Conn. 653, 680 A.2d 242 (1996). Although I was not a member of the panels that decided Scrapchansky v. Plainfield, 226 Conn. 446, 627 A.2d 1329 (1993), and Manning v. Barenz, 221 Conn. 256, 603 A.2d 399 (1992), which are reversed by Conway, I believe that both cases were wrongly decided. It is clear to me that by enacting the Connecticut Recreational Land Use Act (act); General Statutes § 52-557f et seq.; the legislature sought to encourage private landowners to make their property available to the public for recreational purposes. As the majority in Conway observes, municipal property is part of the public domain and as such, members of the public generally have access to use and enjoy such land. Consequently, it is unreasonable to believe that the legislature intended to extend the protective umbrella of the act to municipal property.

PETERS, C. J., with whom CALLAHAN, J.,

Luce v. City of West Haven
238 Conn. 687

Case Details

Name
Luce v. City of West Haven
Decision Date
Aug 6, 1996
Citations

238 Conn. 687

Jurisdiction
Connecticut

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