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Court Watch

By Darryl A. Hart
October 02, 2015

Summary Judgment for Domino's in Death of Franchisee's Employee: Will It Last?

Lind, et al v. Domino's Pizza LLC, et al, Bus. Franchise Guide (CCH) ' 15,567 (Appeals Court of Massachusetts, Hampden, July 29, 2015), is a case in which a Massachusetts intermediate appellate court affirmed the grant of summary judgment in favor of the defendant Domino's Pizza entities in a wrongful death action brought by the administrators of the estate of a Domino's franchisee's employee who was kidnapped, robbed and murdered during a late-night pizza delivery. Various theories of liability were proffered by the plaintiffs, including vicarious liability, negligence and contractual third-party beneficiary claims. Just before trial, the trial court granted the defendants' motion for summary judgment on all issues and the plaintiffs appealed.

Corey Lind was an employee of the Boston Road Domino's franchise in Springfield, MA. In response to a 2:30 a.m. telephone order, Lind was dispatched to make a delivery. After some confusion as to the exact address, including call-backs to the person who placed the order, Lind left after 3:00 a.m. on the fateful delivery, never to be seen alive again. Lind's parents, as co-administrators of his estate, brought an action against Domino's Pizza LLC, the franchisor, and Domino's Pizza, Inc., claiming Domino's, as the franchisor of the Boston Road store, was vicariously liable for Lind's death since the Domino's Franchise Agreement gave the franchisor the right to control the policies and practices that led to Lind's murder.

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