Stehlik v. Rhoads

645 N.W.2d 889 (2002)

Study Aids
Case Briefs Overview
Casebooks
Case Briefs
S
From our private database of 46,200+ case briefs, written and edited by humans—never with AI.

Stehlik v. Rhoads

Wisconsin Supreme Court
645 N.W.2d 889 (2002)

Facts

Paul and Jill Rhoads (defendants) bought a new all-terrain vehicle (ATV). Paul signed a warranty containing safety warnings about the operation of the ATV, including warnings not to drive the ATV without a helmet, under the influence, or on an incline. The next day, the Rhoads had a party and allowed guests to drive the ATV. One guest, Charles Stehlik (plaintiff), was a part-time truck driver and part-time law-enforcement officer who had racing experience and drove motorcycles and mopeds. Stehlik was intoxicated and drove the ATV, without wearing the available helmet, over the side of a hill and hit his head on a concrete wall, injuring himself. Stehlik sued the Rhoads for negligence. The jury found that both the Rhoads and Stehlik were negligent, determined that Stehlik’s damages were $853,277, and reduced Stehlik’s damage award to $54,198 based on Stehlik’s negligence and failure to wear a helmet. Stehlik appealed, and the appellate court certified the case to Wisconsin Supreme Court.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (Sykes, J.)

What to do next…

  1. Unlock this case brief with a free (no-commitment) trial membership of Quimbee.

    You’ll be in good company: Quimbee is one of the most widely used and trusted sites for law students, serving more than 782,000 law students since 2011. Some law schools—such as Yale, Berkeley, and Northwestern—even subscribe directly to Quimbee for all their law students.

    Unlock this case briefRead our student testimonials

  2. Learn more about Quimbee’s unique (and proven) approach to achieving great grades at law school.

    Quimbee is a company hell-bent on one thing: helping you get an “A” in every course you take in law school, so you can graduate at the top of your class and get a high-paying law job. We’re not just a study aid for law students; we’re the study aid for law students.

    Learn about our approachRead more about Quimbee

Here's why 782,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:

  • Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,200 briefs, keyed to 988 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
  • The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
  • Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
  • Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership
Here's why 782,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
  • Reliable - written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students
  • The right length and amount of information - includes the facts, issue, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents
  • Access in your class - works on your mobile and tablet
  • 46,200 briefs - keyed to 988 casebooks
  • Uniform format for every case brief
  • Written in plain English - not in legalese and not just repeating the court's language
  • Massive library of related video lessons - and practice questions
  • Top-notch customer support

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership

Casebooks

Torts

Key Terms