Cornell v. Jan Co. Central, Inc.
Docket: No. 95-113-Appeal
Court: Supreme Court of Rhode Island; March 7, 1996; Rhode Island; State Supreme Court
A hearing panel addressed an appeal from Lucy L. Cornell, who was injured in a vehicle collision on February 11, 1991, involving Tracey L. Sullivan, who turned left at a green light into traffic. Cornell sued several parties, including the owners of the Burger King restaurant and municipal entities, alleging negligence related to the traffic control signal. The Superior Court granted summary judgment in favor of the defendants, concluding that abutting property owners have no duty to manage public highway traffic, as established in Ferreira v. Strode. The court also applied the public-duty doctrine, which protects municipalities from liability for discretionary actions like traffic signal placement, unless a special duty exists. Cornell argued for an egregious-conduct exception, citing Bierman v. Shookster, but the court found no evidence of such conduct, as the signal was functioning properly. Consequently, the appeal was denied, the summary judgments were affirmed, and the case was remanded to the Superior Court. Judge Bourcier did not participate in the decision.