Sepaugh v. LaGrone
Texas Court of Appeals
300 S.W.3d 328 (2009)
Relevant factsFree
A house fire on Christmas Eve at Paul LaGrone's (defendant) home killed his son Frank and two other children, and Frank's mother Marietta Sepaugh (plaintiff), Paul's ex-wife, sued for negligence, arguing LaGrone's failure to have audible smoke detectors in all sleeping areas violated a city ordinance and constituted negligence per se. The trial court granted LaGrone summary judgment based on parental immunity, and Sepaugh appealed.
IssueFree
Whether, in some jurisdictions, parental immunity protects parents from liability for housing code violations that result in the injury or death of a child.