Schwerdtfeger v. State of California

Plaintiff, an employee of Marine Terminals Corporation, a company that has an agreement to occupy space on Pier 39 in San Francisco, was seriously injured while working in the course and scope of his employment on the pier. The pier is owned by the state. Plaintiff brought this action against the state, claiming that it owed him a duty of due care which had been violated. The jury brought in a defense verdict. Plaintiff appeals. His two major contentions are that the state law imposes such control over the situs and instrumentality of the injury that the state owed him a duty to use…