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Browne v. SCR Medical Transportation Services, Inc.

Case Date: 03/30/2005
Court: 1st District Appellate
Docket No: 1-04-0141 Rel

THIRD DIVISION
March 30, 2005



No. 1-04-0141

AISHA BROWNE,
                                  Plaintiff-Appellant,

v.

SCR MEDICAL TRANSPORTATION SERVICES,
INC., a corporation,

                                  Defendant-Appellee.

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)		 Appeal from the
Circuit Court of
Cook County

No. 96 L 12925

Honorable
Jennifer Duncan-Brice,
Judge Presiding.

   

PRESIDING JUSTICE KARNEZIS delivered the opinion of the court:

Plaintiff-appellant Aisha Browne (Browne) appeals from an order of the circuit court granting defendant-appellee SCR Medical Transportation Services, Inc.'s (SCR) motion for summary judgment. On appeal, Browne argues the circuit court erred in granting summary judgment because there were questions of fact as to whether SCR was a common carrier and whether SCR should have known that its employee, Robert Britton, posed a danger to its customers.

This lawsuit arose as the result of SCR's employee, Robert Britton, sexually assaulting Browne. SCR is a medical transport company that provides paratransit services to disabled persons. In 1995, SCR entered into a contract with the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) to transport disabled persons who were unable to use the CTA's mainline services. On July 14, 1995, Browne, pursuant to SCR's contract with the CTA, was a passenger in a vehicle driven by Robert Britton. Browne, who has cerebral palsy and is disabled, accused Britton of sexually assaulting her while she was in the vehicle and again a second time, inside her home. Britton was arrested and later convicted of the crimes. Browne filed this lawsuit against SCR and other defendants alleging that SCR, as a common carrier, owed Browne a heightened standard of care. SCR filed a motion for summary judgment alleging that because SCR was not a common carrier it owed its customers an ordinary standard of care and was not liable for the intentional criminal acts of its employee. The circuit court agreed and granted SCR's motion for summary judgment. Browne now appeals.
 

BACKGROUND

The contract between SCR and the CTA provided that SCR would perform certain specialized transportation services for people with disabilities and the CTA would agree to provide a subsidy to SCR for each person transported "in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth herein." The contract limited service to "those people with disabilities who are properly certified and are enrolled in the Special Services Program."

According to SCR president, Pamela Rakestraw, since SCR's inception in 1986, it has provided paratransit services to disabled persons only pursuant to written contracts. SCR's services have never been available to the general public. Pursuant to SCR's contract with the CTA, SCR was to provide services only to disabled persons certified under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, 42 U.S.C.