KLEINKNECHT v. GETTYSBURG COLLEGE Case Brief
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Case Brief Summary & Legal Analysis
tl;dr: A college recruited a student to play lacrosse who then died from cardiac arrest at practice. The court found the college had a special relationship with the student-athlete, creating a duty to provide prompt emergency medical care for foreseeable life-threatening injuries.
Legal Significance: Establishes that a special relationship exists between a college and its recruited intercollegiate athletes, imposing a duty of reasonable care to protect against foreseeable, life-threatening injuries during school-sponsored athletic activities. This duty is distinct from the general university-student relationship.
KLEINKNECHT v. GETTYSBURG COLLEGE Law School Study Guide
Use this case brief structure for your own legal analysis. Focus on the IRAC methodology to excel in law school exams and cold calls.
Case Facts & Court Holding
Key Facts & Case Background
Drew Kleinknecht, a sophomore, was actively recruited by Gettysburg College to play on its intercollegiate lacrosse team. During a scheduled, off-season practice supervised by two coaches, Kleinknecht collapsed from a sudden cardiac arrest. He had no prior history of heart problems and had been cleared by physicians to play. No athletic trainers were assigned to the off-season practice, neither coach was certified in CPR, and the nearest telephone was approximately 200-250 yards away, behind a locked, eight-foot fence. There was a significant delay before CPR was administered by a head trainer who had to be summoned from another location. Kleinknecht was pronounced dead at the hospital. His parents filed a wrongful death and survival action against the College for negligence, alleging a failure to provide adequate emergency medical preparedness. The district court granted summary judgment for the College, finding it had no duty to protect against the specific, unforeseeable event of a cardiac arrest in a healthy athlete.
Court Holding & Legal Precedent
Issue: Does a college owe a duty of care to a recruited intercollegiate student-athlete to have reasonable measures in place to provide prompt medical assistance for foreseeable life-threatening injuries that may occur during a school-sponsored athletic practice?
Yes. The court reversed the grant of summary judgment, holding that the Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim ve
IRAC Legal Analysis
About IRAC analysis
IRAC (Issue, Rule, Analysis, Conclusion) is the structure professors expect in exam answers. Each LSD.Law brief states the issue, the governing rule with citations, the court's application of that rule, and the conclusion - the same reasoning pattern you will use on exams and in practice.
Legal Issue
Does a college owe a duty of care to a recruited intercollegiate student-athlete to have reasonable measures in place to provide prompt medical assistance for foreseeable life-threatening injuries that may occur during a school-sponsored athletic practice?
Conclusion
This case establishes that the relationship between a university and its recruited Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex
Legal Rule
A special relationship exists between a college and a recruited intercollegiate athlete, Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate
Legal Analysis
The Third Circuit predicted that the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania would recognize Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim ve
Flash-to-Full Case Opinions
Flash Summary
- A college has a special relationship with its recruited student-athletes, creating