§ The Compendium

Cases & Incidents,
by topic and jurisdiction.

Browse landmark cases that shaped haunt industry law and legal precedents. Each entry includes the disposition, jurisdiction, and our plain-English summary of why it matters. Note that not all involve haunts — some involve escape rooms, extreme sports, or the like, but all have lessons for us haunters.

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Waivers & Liability Releases · Assumption of Risk 2026 · Utah
Deer Valley Resort Co. v. Olson
Laid Off, But Still Bound — Utah Supreme Court Enforces Pre-Employment Waiver Beyond the Employment Relationship
Utah Supreme Court enforced a pre-employment waiver against former ski resort employees injured days after layoff. Lessons on employee waivers for haunted attraction operators.
Premises Liability · Assumption of Risk · Waivers & Liability Releases 2022 · New York
A Haunting in Hollis
The Haunted House That Became a Legal Horror Show
Structural and safety failures at a Queens, NY haunted attraction led to patron lawsuits. Premises liability and assumption of risk lessons for haunted house operators.
Waivers & Liability Releases · Recklessness 2021 · Iowa
Lukken v. Mt. Crescent
A Waiver Is Not a Blank Check — Iowa Court Draws the Line at Reckless Conduct
Iowa Supreme Court: a pre-injury waiver bars ordinary negligence claims but cannot release willful or reckless conduct. The line every recreational venue operator needs to understand.
Assumption of Risk 2021 · Missouri
Munoz v. Six Flags St. Louis LLC
Six Flags Wins - Missouri Court Upholds Assumption-of-Risk Defense at Fright Fest
Missouri appellate court upholds assumption of risk at Six Flags Fright Fest. Being startled and falling is an inherent risk of Halloween haunt events, not operator negligence.
Waivers & Liability Releases 2021 · Pennsylvania
Santiago v. Philly Trampoline Park, LLC
Bound to Fail: Pennsylvania Court Bounces One Parent’s Attempt to Bind Spouse and Child
Pennsylvania court ruled one parent cannot bind a spouse and minor child through a trampoline park waiver. Critical lessons on family consent and liability release drafting.
Fire Safety & Building Codes 2019 · International
Koszalin Escape Room Fire
Five Lives, One Locked Door — The Tragedy That Changed Escape Room Law Worldwide
Five teenagers died in the 2019 Koszalin, Poland escape room fire. The tragedy prompted worldwide scrutiny of escape room fire safety standards and sweeping regulatory changes.
Fire Safety & Building Codes 2019 · New York
Myss Tic Escape Rooms
No Escape from the Fire Code: FDNY Permanently Locks Out Myss Tic Escape Rooms
FDNY permanently shut down Myss Tic Escape Rooms for fire code violations including locked exits and missing suppression systems. A cautionary tale for escape room operators.
Actor & Patron Contact · Recklessness 2019 · Louisiana
When the Actor Goes Too Far - Performer Liability at Haunted Attractions
When the Scare Goes Too Far — Performer Liability at a Haunted Attraction
Missouri appellate court upholds assumption of risk at Six Flags Fright Fest. Being startled and falling is an inherent risk of Halloween haunt events, not operator negligence.
Waivers & Liability Releases 2018 · Texas
Quiroz v. Jumpstreet, LLC
Paralyzed, But Bound — Texas Court Upholds Trampoline Park Waiver
Texas court upheld a trampoline park waiver against a paralyzed patron's claims on every ground challenged — a detailed roadmap for what makes a Texas liability waiver enforceable.
Assumption of Risk 2017 · California
Grotheer v. Escape Adventures, Inc. (2017 CA Court of Appeal).
Up, Up and Away… Into a Lawsuit? California Court Deflates Hot Air Balloon Crash Claim
California appellate court applies assumption of risk to adventure tourism. Useful analysis for escape room and immersive attraction operators on the scope of inherent risk.
Premises Liability 2017 · Missouri
The Darkness Haunted House, St. Louis, MO
When the Atmosphere Becomes the Hazard — Fog, Asthma, and the Duty to Warn
A Missouri patron with asthma suffered a severe reaction to theatrical fog at The Darkness haunted house. What operators need to know about duty to warn for atmospheric effects.
Assumption of Risk 2016 · New Jersey
Six Flags Fright Fest, NJ
The Haunted Trail Fights Back — New Jersey Extends Assumption of Risk to Outdoor Haunts
New Jersey court extends assumption of risk to outdoor haunted trail attractions at Six Flags Great Adventure. Guidance for operators of outdoor haunt and scare trail experiences.
Premises Liability · Comparative Negligence 2015 · Florida
Disney's Haunted Mansion, Orlando, FL
Theming Doesn't Trump Safety — It's Supposed to Be Scary, Not Defective
Florida premises liability case examining whether themed environmental features can constitute hazards. Theming doesn't insulate operators from basic premises safety duties.
Assumption of Risk 2015 · California
Griffin v. The Haunted Hotel, Inc.
Fear Is the Point — Chainsaw Chase Survives Legal Challenge
California court upheld assumption of risk after a patron fell fleeing a chainsaw actor at a San Diego haunted attraction. Being chased is an inherent risk of the haunt experience.
Assumption of Risk · Premises Liability · Waivers & Liability Releases 1996 · Missouri
Benn v. Full Moon Productions, Inc.
The "Beast" Standard — You Cannot Sue a Haunted House for Being Successfully Haunted
Missouri court held haunted house operators aren't liable for injuries patrons sustain reacting to the scares they paid to experience. The foundational Beast standard for haunt law.
Assumption of Risk 1996 · Louisiana
Mays v. Gretna Athletic Boosters
The Very Nature of the Thing — Louisiana's Classic Statement on Patron Risk
Louisiana's foundational ruling that certain risks are inherent to the haunted house experience. The court's 'very nature of a haunted house' language has shaped haunt law for decades.
Real Estate & Property 1991 · New York
Stambovsky v Ackley
As a Matter of Law, the House Is Haunted — Real Estate Disclosure and the Ghostbusters Ruling
The Ghostbusters ruling — New York court held a seller who publicly promoted a home as haunted could not deny it to a buyer. Real estate disclosure meets the haunted house.
Premises Liability · Fire Safety & Building Codes 1984 · New Jersey
The Haunted Castle Fire - Six Flags Great Adventure, 1984
Eight Lives Lost, A Code Rewritten — The Fire That Changed Haunt Law Forever
The 1984 Six Flags Haunted Castle fire killed eight teenagers and directly led to NFPA 101's Special Amusement Building provisions. The tragedy that rewrote haunt fire safety law.
Assumption of Risk 1973 · Louisiana
Bonanno v. Continental Casualty Co.
Assumption of Risk Has No Age Limit — The 1973 Case That Set the Stage for Scare Law
An 84-year-old patron was injured by fellow visitors' fright reactions at a New Orleans haunted house. Louisiana's 1973 foundational ruling on assumption of risk in haunted attractions.
Premises Liability · Employment & Staffing 2026 · Louisiana
When a Scare Actor Makes Contact - The (Likely) Settlement in Dickey v. Thirteenth Floor
A Clown, a Platform, and a Quiet Settlement — How Most Haunt Injury Cases Really End
A scare actor at New Orleans Nightmare allegedly jumped from an elevated position and landed on a patron, knocking her unconscious. The federal lawsuit ended in a dismissal with prejudice that almost certainly reflects a settlement — a textbook example of how most haunt injury cases actually resolve.
Waivers & Liability Releases · Tennessee
McKamey Manor
The Limits of Consent - McKamey Manor and the Legal Edge of Extreme Haunts
McKamey Manor's extreme waiver pushes the legal limits of consent. Analysis of whether the most aggressive haunted attraction waivers can survive legal challenge.