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Torts keyed to Best
Clark v. Brings
Citation:
169 N.W.2d 407 (Minn. 1969)Facts
While babysitting the brings three children, Clark was allegedly attacked by the Brings’ pet siamese cat. The attack allegedly caused extensive injuries. Clark brought this action to recover medical expenses.
Prior to the incident that brought about this case, the babysitter had been bitten by that cat once before, but never told the owners about the first bite. She had been playing with the cat by teasing it with a string, which caused the cat to get riled up and bite the babysitter lightly on the ankle. The cat had also previously scratched several people during the course of playtime or while those people attempted to pick the cat up. The cat also typically resided in a furnished basement in order to protect the furniture in the rest of the house from scratches and cat hair.
The trial court entered a directed verdict for defendants because plaintiff failed to show that there was any reason the daily would have known the cat had a propensity toward violence. Plaintiff appealed the verdict.
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