Senate Bill 0376

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    Florida Senate - 1999                                   SB 376

    By Senator Lee





    308-592A-99

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to civil actions; creating s.

  3         768.096, F.S.; providing an employer with a

  4         presumption against negligent hiring under

  5         specified conditions in an action for civil

  6         damages resulting from an intentional tort

  7         committed by an employee; amending s. 768.095,

  8         F.S.; revising the conditions under which an

  9         employer is immune from civil liability for

10         disclosing information regarding an employee to

11         a prospective employer; creating s. 768.071,

12         F.S.; providing limitations on premises

13         liability for a person or organization owning

14         or controlling an interest in a business

15         premises; providing for a presumption against

16         liability; providing conditions for the

17         presumption; amending s. 768.075, F.S.;

18         modifying the conditions under which a person

19         or organization owning or controlling an

20         interest in real property is liable for a

21         trespasser's injury or death; providing

22         definitions; providing for the avoidance of

23         liability to discovered and undiscovered

24         trespassers under described circumstances;

25         providing immunity from certain liability

26         arising out of the attempt to commit or the

27         commission of a felony; creating s. 768.36,

28         F.S.; prohibiting a plaintiff from recovering

29         damages if plaintiff is more than a specified

30         percentage at fault due to the influence of

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    Florida Senate - 1999                                   SB 376
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  1         alcoholic beverages or drugs; providing for

  2         severability; providing an effective date.

  3

  4  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

  5

  6         Section 1.  Section 768.096, Florida Statutes, is

  7  created to read:

  8         768.096  Employer presumption against negligent

  9  hiring.--

10         (1)  In a civil action for the death of, or injury or

11  damage to, a third person caused by the intentional tort of an

12  employee, such employee's employer is presumed not to have

13  been negligent in hiring such employee if, before hiring the

14  employee, the employer conducted a background investigation of

15  the prospective employee and the investigation did not reveal

16  any information that reasonably demonstrated the unsuitability

17  of the prospective employee for the particular work to be

18  performed or for the employment in general. A background

19  investigation under this section must include:

20         (a)  Obtaining a criminal background investigation on

21  the prospective employee under subsection (2);

22         (b)  Making a reasonable effort to contact references

23  and former employers of the prospective employee concerning

24  the suitability of the prospective employee for employment;

25         (c)  Requiring the prospective employee to complete a

26  job application form that includes questions concerning

27  whether he or she has ever been convicted of a crime,

28  including details concerning the type of crime, the date of

29  conviction and the penalty imposed, and whether the

30  prospective employee has ever been a defendant in a civil

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    Florida Senate - 1999                                   SB 376
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  1  action for intentional tort, including the nature of the

  2  intentional tort and the disposition of the action;

  3         (d)  Obtaining, with written authorization from the

  4  prospective employee, a check of the driver's license record

  5  of the prospective employee if such a check is relevant to the

  6  work the employee will be performing and if the record can

  7  reasonably be obtained; and

  8         (e)  Interviewing the prospective employee.

  9         (2)  To satisfy the criminal-background-investigation

10  requirement of this section, an employer must request and

11  obtain from the Department of Law Enforcement a check of the

12  information as reported and reflected in the Florida Crime

13  Information Center system as of the date of the request.

14         (3)  The election by an employer not to conduct the

15  investigation specified in subsection (1) does not raise any

16  presumption that the employer failed to use reasonable care in

17  hiring an employee.

18         Section 2.  Section 768.095, Florida Statutes, is

19  amended to read:

20         768.095  Employer immunity from liability; disclosure

21  of information regarding former or current employees.--An

22  employer who discloses information about a former or current

23  employee employee's job performance to a prospective employer

24  of the former or current employee upon request of the

25  prospective employer or of the former or current employee is

26  presumed to be acting in good faith and, unless lack of good

27  faith is shown by clear and convincing evidence, is immune

28  from civil liability for such disclosure or its consequences

29  unless it is shown by clear and convincing evidence. For

30  purposes of this section, the presumption of good faith is

31  rebutted upon a showing that the information disclosed by the

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    Florida Senate - 1999                                   SB 376
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  1  former or current employer was knowingly false or deliberately

  2  misleading, was rendered with malicious purpose, or violated

  3  any civil right of the former or current employee protected

  4  under chapter 760.

  5         Section 3.  Section 768.071, Florida Statutes, is

  6  created to read:

  7         768.071  Limitation on premises liability.--

  8         (1)  A person or organization owning or controlling an

  9  interest in a business premises is not liable for civil

10  damages sustained by invitees, guests, or other members of the

11  public which are caused by criminal acts that occur on the

12  premises and which are committed by third parties who are not

13  employees or agents of such person or organization, if the

14  person or organization owning or controlling the interest in a

15  business premises maintains a reasonably safe premises in

16  light of the foreseeability of the occurrence of the

17  particular criminal act.

18         (2)  A person or organization owning or controlling an

19  interest in a business premises, other than a convenience

20  store, who substantially complies with at least six of the

21  requirements specified in paragraphs (a)-(i) is presumed to

22  have fulfilled any duty to provide adequate security for

23  invitees, guests, and other members of the public against

24  criminal acts that occur in common areas, in parking areas, or

25  on portions of the premises not occupied by buildings or

26  structures and that are committed by third parties who are not

27  employees or agents of the person or organization owning or

28  controlling the interest in a business premises.

29         (a)  Signs must be prominently posted in the parking

30  area and other public-access points on the premises indicating

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    Florida Senate - 1999                                   SB 376
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  1  the hours of normal business operations and the general

  2  security measures provided.

  3         (b)  The parking area, public walkways, and public

  4  building entrances and exits must be illuminated at an

  5  intensity of at least 2 foot-candles per square foot at 18

  6  inches above the surface of the ground, pavement, or walkway

  7  or, if zoning requirements do not permit such levels of

  8  illumination, to the highest intensity permitted.

  9         (c)  Crime prevention training, with a curriculum

10  approved by the local law enforcement agency or the Department

11  of Legal Affairs, must be provided to all nonmanagement

12  on-site employees. Persons employed at the business premises

13  before October 1, 1999, must receive training by October 1,

14  2000, and persons employed at the business premises on or

15  after October 1, 1999, must receive training within 120 days

16  after hiring. A person is not liable for ordinary negligence

17  due to implementing the approved curriculum as long as the

18  training was actually provided. The state or the local law

19  enforcement agency may not be held liable for the contents of

20  the approved curriculum.

21         (d)  Security cameras must be installed and maintained,

22  and must be monitored or recorded, covering public entrances

23  and exits to buildings and at least half the parking lot.

24  Cameras must operate during business hours and for at least 30

25  minutes after closing.

26         (e)  An emergency call box, or an alarm system linked

27  to a law enforcement agency, a private security agency, or a

28  security guard or other agent on the premises, must be

29  maintained and available within 150 feet of any location in

30  the parking lot or other public place on the premises.

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    Florida Senate - 1999                                   SB 376
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  1         (f)  A licensed security guard or law enforcement

  2  officer is on duty at the time of the criminal occurrence and

  3  is either monitoring surveillance cameras or patrolling the

  4  premises with such frequency that the parking area and common

  5  areas are observed by the guard at not more than 15-minute

  6  intervals.

  7         (g)  Perimeter fencing must be installed and maintained

  8  which surrounds parking areas and structures and directs

  9  pedestrian entry onto the premises.

10         (h)  Landscaping must be maintained that does not

11  substantially obstruct the view of security personnel or

12  cameras, and landscaping adjacent to areas frequented by the

13  public must be maintained in a manner that provides no hiding

14  place sufficient to conceal an adult person.

15         (i)  A public address system must be installed and

16  maintained that is capable of reaching portions of the

17  premises regularly frequented by the public.

18         (3)  The owner or operator of a convenience store

19  business premises which substantially implements the

20  applicable security measures listed in ss. 812.173 and 812.174

21  is presumed not to be liable for criminal acts that occur on

22  the premises and which are committed by third parties who are

23  not employees or agents of the owner or operator of the

24  convenience store business premises.

25         (4)  Failure to implement a sufficient number of the

26  measures listed in subsection (2) or ss. 812.173 and 812.174

27  does not create a presumption of liability and no inference

28  may be drawn from such failure or from the substance of

29  measures listed within this section.

30         Section 4.  Section 768.075, Florida Statutes, is

31  amended to read:

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    Florida Senate - 1999                                   SB 376
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  1         768.075  Immunity from liability for injury to

  2  trespassers on real property.--

  3         (1)  A person or organization owning or controlling an

  4  interest in real property, or an agent of such person or

  5  organization, shall not be held liable for any civil damages

  6  for death of or injury or damage to a trespasser upon the

  7  property resulting from or arising by reason of the

  8  trespasser's commission of the offense of trespass as

  9  described in s. 810.08 or s. 810.09, when such trespasser was

10  under the influence of alcoholic beverages with a

11  blood-alcohol level of 0.08 0.10 percent or higher, when such

12  trespasser was under the influence of any chemical substance

13  set forth in s. 877.111, when such trespasser was illegally

14  under the influence of any substance controlled under chapter

15  893, or if the trespasser is affected by any of the aforesaid

16  substances to the extent that her or his normal faculties are

17  impaired.  For the purposes of this section, voluntary

18  intoxication or impediment of faculties by use of alcohol or

19  any of the aforementioned substances shall not excuse a party

20  bringing an action or on whose behalf an action is brought

21  from proving the elements of trespass. However, the person or

22  organization owning or controlling the interest in real

23  property shall not be immune from liability if gross

24  negligence or intentional willful and wanton misconduct on the

25  part of such person or organization or agent thereof is a

26  proximate cause of the death of or injury or damage to the

27  trespasser.

28         (2)  A person or organization owning or controlling an

29  interest in real property, or an agent of such person or

30  organization, is not liable for any civil damages for the

31  death of or injury or damage to any discovered or undiscovered

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  1  trespasser, except as provided in paragraphs (3)(a), (b), and

  2  (c), and regardless of whether the trespasser was intoxicated

  3  or otherwise impaired.

  4         (3)(a)  As used in this subsection, the term:

  5         1.  "Invitation" means that the visitor entering the

  6  premises has an objectively reasonable belief that he or she

  7  has been invited or is otherwise welcome on that portion of

  8  the real property where injury occurs.

  9         2.  "Discovered trespasser" means a person who enters

10  real property without invitation, either express or implied,

11  and whose actual physical presence was detected, within 24

12  hours preceding the accident, by the person or organization

13  owning or controlling an interest in real property or to whose

14  actual physical presence the person or organization owning or

15  controlling an interest in real property was alerted by a

16  reliable source within 24 hours preceding the accident. The

17  status of a person who enters real property shall not be

18  elevated to that of an invitee, unless the person or

19  organization owning or controlling an interest in real

20  property has issued an express invitation to enter the

21  property or has manifested a clear intent to hold the property

22  open to use by persons pursuing purposes such as those pursued

23  by the person whose status is at issue.

24         3.  "Undiscovered trespasser" means a person who enters

25  property without invitation, either express or implied, and

26  whose actual physical presence was not detected, within 24

27  hours preceding the accident, by the person or organization

28  owning or controlling an interest in real property.

29         (b)  To avoid liability to undiscovered trespassers, a

30  person or organization owning or controlling an interest in

31  real property must refrain from intentional misconduct, but

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    Florida Senate - 1999                                   SB 376
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  1  has no duty to warn of dangerous conditions. To avoid

  2  liability to discovered trespassers, a person or organization

  3  owning or controlling an interest in real property must

  4  refrain from gross negligence or intentional misconduct, and

  5  must warn the trespasser of dangerous conditions that are

  6  known to the person or organization owning or controlling an

  7  interest in real property but that are not readily observable

  8  by others.

  9         (c)  This subsection shall not be interpreted or

10  construed to alter the common law as it pertains to the

11  "attractive nuisance doctrine."

12         (4)  A person or organization owning or controlling an

13  interest in real property, or an agent of such person or

14  organization, shall not be held liable for negligence that

15  results in the death of, injury to, or damage to a person who

16  is attempting to commit a felony or who is engaged in the

17  commission of a felony on the property.

18         Section 5.  Section 768.36, Florida Statutes, is

19  created to read:

20         768.36  Alcohol or drug defense.--

21         (1)  As used in this section, the term:

22         (a)  "Alcoholic beverage" means distilled spirits and

23  any beverage that contains 0.5 percent or more alcohol by

24  volume as determined in accordance with s. 561.01(4)(b).

25         (b)  "Drug" means any chemical substance set forth in

26  s. 877.111 or any substance controlled under chapter 893. The

27  term does not include any drug or medication obtained pursuant

28  to a prescription as defined in s. 893.02 which was taken in

29  accordance with the prescription, or any medication that is

30  authorized under state or federal law for general distribution

31  and use without a prescription in treating human diseases,

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    Florida Senate - 1999                                   SB 376
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  1  ailments, or injuries and that was taken in the recommended

  2  dosage.

  3         (2)  In any civil action, a plaintiff may not recover

  4  any damages for loss or injury to his or her person or

  5  property if the trier of fact finds that, at the time the

  6  plaintiff was injured:

  7         (a)  The plaintiff was under the influence of any

  8  alcoholic beverage or drug to the extent that the plaintiff's

  9  normal faculties were impaired or the plaintiff had a blood or

10  breath alcohol level of 0.08 percent or higher; and

11         (b)  As a result of the influence of such alcoholic

12  beverage or drug the plaintiff was more than 50 percent at

13  fault for his or her own harm.

14         Section 6.  If any provision of this act or the

15  application thereof to any person or circumstance is held

16  invalid, the invalidity does not affect other provisions or

17  applications of the act which can be given effect without the

18  invalid provision or application, and to this end the

19  provisions of this act are declared severable.

20         Section 7.  This act shall take effect October 1, 1999.

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  2                          SENATE SUMMARY

  3    Creates new law and amends existing statutes relating to
      the civil liability of property owners, business owners,
  4    and employers regarding employees and trespassers.
      Provides an employer with a presumption against negligent
  5    hiring of an employee under specified conditions in a
      civil action for damages resulting from an employee's
  6    intentional tort. Revises the conditions under which an
      employer is immune from civil liability for disclosing
  7    information about an employee to a prospective employer.
      Establishes limitations on the liability of owners of a
  8    business premises for damages of invitees, guests, or the
      public caused by the criminal acts of persons who are not
  9    employees or agents of the owner under specified
      conditions. Modifies the conditions under which owners of
10    real property are liable for a trespasser's death or
      injury. Provides definitions. Prohibits a plaintiff under
11    the influence of drugs or alcoholic beverages from
      recovering damages under specified conditions.
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