Adam Correia v. John Bettencourt v. James Martitz

Citations

• 162 A.3d 630
• 2017 WL 2656493
• 2017 R.I. LEXIS 89

Syllabus

The plaintiff, Adam Correia, was seriously injured when a friend's High Standard Model 1911 .45-caliber handgun accidentally discharged, causing a bullet to strike Correia in the abdomen. At the time of the accident, the friends were target shooting on property owned by the defendants, John Bettencourt and Theresa Bettencourt (the Bettencourts). Correia appealed from a final judgment pursuant to Rule 54(b) of the Superior Court Rules of Civil Procedure granting the Bettencourts' motion for summary judgment. This case came before the Supreme Court sitting at Woonsocket High School, pursuant to an order directing the parties to appear and show cause why the issues raised in this appeal should not be summarily decided. After considering the parties' written and oral submissions and reviewing the record, the Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the Superior Court and concluded that the factual circumstances before the Court did not give rise to the imposition of a duty on the defendant.