Milligan
Milligan v. Golden Gate Bridge Highway & Transporation District
Opinion
lead Opinion
Jones, J.
Appellant Renee Milligan contends the Golden Gate Bridge Highway and Transportation District (the Bridge District) must be held responsible for the death of her teenage daughter who committed suicide by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge. We conclude there is no liability under the facts alleged and will affirm the trial court’s decision in favor of the Bridge District.
I. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND
On December 17, 2001, 14-year-old Marissa Imrie paid $150 for a cab to take her from her home in Santa Rosa to the Golden Gate Bridge. When Marissa arrived, she walked out on to the bridge, climbed over the three-and-one-half-foot railing, and jumped to her death. Marissa’s body was recovered from the bay later that same day. Her “diary revealed an extremely depressed and distraught young girl.”
Appellant Renee Milligan is Marissa’s mother. In January 2003, she filed a wrongful death complaint against the Bridge District, its board of directors, and each director in his or her individual capacity. 1 As is relevant here, appellant alleged the lack of a suicide barrier on the bridge constituted a dangerous condition of public property. According to appellant, more than…