Title: Levandoski v. Jackson County School District

State: mississippi

Issuer: Mississippi Supreme Court

Document:

328 So. 2d 339 (1976) Georgette LEVANDOSKI, Administratrix of Estate of Rose Marie Levandoski, Deceased v. JACKSON COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT et al. No. 48546. Supreme Court of Mississippi. March 16, 1976. Levi, Wilson & Denham, P.A., Ocean Springs, for appellant. *340 Eaton, Cottrell, Galloway & Lang, Gulfport, Megehee, Brown & Williams, Pascagoula, for appellees. Before GILLESPIE, INZER and ROBERTSON, JJ. ROBERTSON, Justice. Georgette Levandoski, Administratrix of the Estate of her minor daughter, Rose Marie Levandoski, Deceased, brought suit against the Jackson County School District; the Board of Education of the Jackson County School District; M.H. Mallette, Jackson County Superintendent of Education; St. Martin Attendance Center; the Trustees of St. Martin Attendance Center; Richard Vogle; Charles Duffie; Burl E. Cooley; Mrs. Kenneth R. McGill; and Mrs. Rebecca Dowdle, in the Circuit Court of Jackson County to recover damages for the wrongful death of Rose Marie. On motion to quash process and dismiss the action because of immunity from suit (when acting in their official capacities) by reason of governmental sovereignty, this action was dismissed as to Jackson County School District, Jackson County School District Board of Education, M.H. Mallette, Superintendent of Education of Jackson County, St. Martin Attendance Center, and Trustees of St. Martin Attendance Center. Plaintiff does not appeal from the order dismissing these defendants. M.H. Mallette, individually, Richard Vogle, head principal, Charles Duffie, acting principal of St. Martin Junior High School, Burl E. Cooley, Principal, who was absent and at another attendance center on February 1, 1973, Mrs. Kenneth R. McGill and Mrs. Rebecca Dowdle, teachers, filed separate demurrers to the amended declaration of administratrix, each demurrer stating: The demurrer of each defendant was sustained by the circuit court "for the reason that the Amended Declaration fails to state a cause of action against the said defendants", and the amended declaration dismissed. Plaintiff appeals. In her amended declaration, the administratrix alleged: Plaintiff charged in her declaration that Vogle, Duffie and Cooley were guilty of gross, wanton and willful negligence in that they designed and administered a grossly defective system of reporting absences, and in the hiring of teachers incompetent, negligent, and careless in the reporting of absences. Plaintiff charged that these negligent acts on the part of Vogle, Duffie and Cooley "were a direct and proximate cause or a substantial, contributing cause of the decedent's death." Plaintiff charged Mrs. Dowdle and Mrs. McGill with gross, wanton and willful negligence, in failing to report the unauthorized absence of Rose Marie, failing to look for her, failing to keep a watchful eye on the students in their charge, and failing to allow others to look for Rose Marie. The circuit court was correct in sustaining the demurrers of these defendants to the amended declaration because it did not state a cause of action against these defendants. Even if defendants Vogle, Duffie and Cooley were negligent in designing and administering the reporting system for unauthorized absences, and even if defendants McGill and Dowdle were negligent in reporting the unauthorized absence of Rose Marie, no causal connection was alleged or charged between the so-called negligent acts of these defendants and the wrongful death of Rose Marie. The plaintiff, herself, did not know and consequently could not charge where, when, how or why Rose Marie was killed, nor who committed this terrible crime. 78 C.J.S. Schools and School Districts § 238, page 1197, contains this statement: We find these statements in the Annotation on this point in 38 A.L.R.3d 830 (1971): The annotation also has this to say: For these reasons, the judgment of the circuit court, sustaining demurrers to the amended declaration, is affirmed. AFFIRMED. GILLESPIE, C.J., PATTERSON and INZER, P. JJ., and SMITH, SUGG, WALKER and BROOM, JJ., concur.