Sanchez v. Candyland Amusements CA2/8

Filed 10/7/25 Sanchez v. Candyland Amusements CA2/8 NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN THE OFFICIAL REPORTS

California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for publication or ordered published, except as specified by rule 8.1115(b). This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.

IN THE COURT OF APPEAL OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA

SECOND APPELLATE DISTRICT

DIVISION EIGHT

OSCAR REYES SANCHEZ, B330505

Plaintiff and Appellant, Los Angeles County Super. Ct. No. 20STCV20583 v.

CANDYLAND AMUSEMENTS, Inc., et al.,

Defendants and Respondents;

ACE AMERICAN INSURANCE COMPANY,

Intervener and Respondent.

APPEAL from a judgment of the Superior Court of Los Angeles County. Kerry Bensinger, Judge. Reversed. Gusdorff Law, Janet Gusdorff; Sottile Baltaxe, Michael F. Baltaxe, Timothy B. Sottile, Nicole C. Burgos Romero; Law Offices of Steven Wolfson and Steve Wolfson for Plaintiff and Appellant. Clark Hill, David L. Brandon, Penelope M. Deihl, and Sania Sharma for Defendants and Respondents and Intervener and Respondent. _______________________

INTRODUCTION Oscar Reyes Sanchez broke his arm while riding down a slide with his children at a church fair. Sanchez sued Candyland Amusements, Inc., Resurrection Catholic Church, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and Archbishop Jose Horacio Gomez for injuries he sustained on the ride. The trial court granted summary judgment in favor of defendants. We find a triable issue of material fact on the issue of causation and reverse the judgment. FACTUAL BACKGROUND Oscar Reyes Sanchez has two children with Maria Luiza Perez. On June 1, 2018, Sanchez and his family attended a carnival at Resurrection Catholic Church. One of the attractions at the carnival was a Super Slide. The Super Slide was not owned or operated by Resurrection Catholic Church or the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Los Angeles. It was operated by Candyland Amusements, Inc. Participants rode down the Super Slide on burlap sacks placed by an operator. Sanchez rode the Super Slide with his two children, Jocelyn and Emanuel. Perez watched from the ground. The operator placed a mat for Jocelyn in the middle lane and one for Sanchez in the right lane. The mat was similar to a gunnysack made of hemp or jute fabric. Sanchez sat down, and the operator placed 2-year-old son Emanuel on Sanchez’s lap. Jocelyn went down the slide. Sanchez followed, sliding down “pretty fast.” At a little past the midpoint of the ride, “I just remember that my—the sack got caught, and it got stuck. And my feet were tangled up, and I fell.” Sanchez was holding on to his son with his arms wrapped around him. When asked how he knew the mat was