Stout v. Warren
Washington Supreme Court
290 P.3d 972 (2012)
After Larry Stout (plaintiff) missed two bail hearings, CJ Johnson Bail Bonds and C.C.S.R. (defendants) contracted with bounty hunter Carl Warren (defendant) to apprehend him; Warren rear-ended Stout's car to stop him, causing Stout to hit a tree and suffer serious injuries. Stout sued the bail-bond company's owners, arguing they were vicariously liable because bounty hunting was either abnormally dangerous or involved a special, peculiar risk of harm. The trial court granted the owners summary judgment, the appellate court affirmed on different grounds, and Stout appealed further.
Whether a principal who hires an independent contractor to perform work involving abnormally or inherently dangerous activities retains vicarious liability for the contractor's negligent performance.