LegalFix

§76-80. Safety of premises - Liability to trespasser.

76 OK Stat § 76-80 (2019) (N/A)
Copy with citation
Copy as parenthetical citation

A. A possessor of land, including an owner, lessee, or other occupant, has no duty to make its premises safe for a trespasser and is not subject to liability for any injury to a trespasser.

B. Notwithstanding subsection A of this section, a possessor of land may be subject to liability for physical injury or death to a trespasser in the following situations:

1. A land possessor who knows or reasonably should know of a trespasser’s presence on the premises has a duty not to injure that trespasser by a wanton or intentional act, except as permitted by Sections 643 and 1289.25 of Title 21 of the Oklahoma Statutes; or

2. A land possessor may be subject to liability for physical injury or death to a child trespasser from a highly dangerous artificial condition on the land if the plaintiff establishes all of the following:

a.the possessor knew or had reason to know that children were likely to trespass at the location of the condition,

b.the condition is one the possessor knew or reasonably should have known was unusually attractive to children and involved an unreasonable risk of death or serious bodily harm,

c.the injured child was attracted onto the premises by the condition,

d.the child lacked the ability to appreciate or realize the risk,

e.the utility to the possessor of maintaining the condition and the burden of eliminating the danger were slight as compared with the risk to the child involved, and

f.the child’s injury was directly caused by the possessor’s failure to exercise reasonable care to eliminate the danger or otherwise protect the child.

As a matter of law, a child under seven (7) years of age has no ability to appreciate the risk from highly dangerous artificial conditions. A child between seven (7) and fourteen (14) years of age is presumed to lack the ability to appreciate the risk from highly dangerous artificial conditions; this presumption may be overcome if the possessor proves by the greater weight of the evidence that the child had the ability to appreciate the danger on the premises at the time of the harm. A child trespasser who is fourteen (14) years of age or older has the burden of proving by the greater weight of the evidence that the child lacked the ability to appreciate the danger on the premises at the time of the harm.

C. “Trespasser” means a person who enters the real estate of another without the permission of the person lawfully entitled to possession. Permission may be either expressed or implied.

D. 1. This section shall not affect Section 16-71.7 of Title 2 of the Oklahoma Statutes relating to trespass upon agricultural land or Section 10.1 of Title 76 of the Oklahoma Statutes relating to trespass upon land used for recreational purposes not for profit.

2. This section shall not create or increase the liability of any person or entity.

Added by Laws 2011, c. 234, § 9.

LegalFix

Copyright ©2024 LegalFix. All rights reserved. LegalFix is not a law firm, is not licensed to practice law, and does not provide legal advice, services, or representation. The information on this website is an overview of the legal plans you can purchase—or that may be provided by your employer as an employee benefit or by your credit union or other membership group as a membership benefit.

LegalFix provides its members with easy access to affordable legal services through a network of independent law firms. LegalFix, its corporate entity, and its officers, directors, employees, agents, and contractors do not provide legal advice, services, or representation—directly or indirectly.

The articles and information on the site are not legal advice and should not be relied upon—they are for information purposes only. You should become a LegalFix member to get legal services from one of our network law firms.

You should not disclose confidential or potentially incriminating information to LegalFix—you should only communicate such information to your network law firm.

The benefits and legal services described in the LegalFix legal plans are not always available in all states or with all plans. See the legal plan Benefit Overview and the more comprehensive legal plan contract during checkout for coverage details in your state.

Use of this website, the purchase of legal plans, and access to the LegalFix networks of law firms are subject to the LegalFix Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

We have updated our Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, and Disclosures. By continuing to browse this site, you agree to our Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, and Disclosures.
§76-80. Safety of premises - Liability to trespasser.