Knorpp v. Hale
Texas Court of Appeals
981 S.W.2d 469 (1998)
Todd Erwin was killed while cutting down a large dead pine tree at the home of Michael and Reeda Hale (defendants), where he had spent a great deal of time over the year he'd been dating the Hales' daughter; Erwin had his own key and came and went freely. He volunteered to fell the tree so guests could sit on it at a New Year's Eve bonfire, but it fell in an unexpected direction and killed him. Bonita Knorpp (plaintiff), Erwin's mother, sued on his behalf. The trial court found Erwin was a licensee rather than an invitee on the Hales' property and granted the Hales a directed verdict. Knorpp appealed.
Whether a landowner owes a duty of care to a licensee not to injure him through willful, wanton, or grossly negligent conduct, and to use reasonable care to warn of, or make reasonably safe, a known dangerous condition the licensee is unaware of.