Hon. VirgilA. Fielden chairman .Onmittoe Clabassnd&otooouuts Audiin, 'fexv
Dear Girt
Cpinim Ho.~C&M 2es Liabilityof the State for hospitali- m+ion k&g shot'* employeeof Liquor.Co&ml Board.
Your requestfor 811opinionon the following,questionr
'Is State of %xaa~liable for hospitalbill. as result of inj&ies to person shot by employeeof Liquor ControlBoard,nhiah ahooting ,,ooourredduringi raid of injuredparty*6 prmises?'
haa been reoeirsdbythia offioe.
Thb ireoti,.as ae understAndthem,,areabout'88follmsf
(brBmwnber 12; 1996, the sheriffof Morris Comity,Texas, calledupon the Paris offiooof the Liquor ControlBoard for assiatanosand he was joinedby In~otors Tom Warren and Y. L. tilp, employeesof the Texas Liquor ControlBoard,fbr tImpurpose of attemptingto arrestone Ross Davis, while ti the proaessof manufaoturingillicit liquorIn Mofiis C-tfWs. As the oNioers.approauhedthe mmne of the still,,RossDavis and anotherman by the name of Clyde Pollm, who wan assistinghim tit& the still, StWtCd IUilUing. Clyde Poll~.wns capturedtut Ross Davis was armed dth esMean Luger pistol and atbemptsto fightenU.iuto submisaim throughthe firingof shots were apparentlyunavailing.The officersbooam rsattercdin the wooded tsotionand during the prooeas of waitingand aaarohing,Mr. tilp ia.sow manner seeas to have shot Ross Davis in the loge alp assumsd'responsibility for havingfired the shot whioh struokDiyis,but deniedintentionmf hittinghim. Hr. Culp calledfor an nmbulanosand asoompaniedDavir to the Ragland Clinio-Hospital where ha asked the mtteadmts to give mediaal treatmnt, givingasaurauw that he would do everthingpossibleto 8ea that oaapensation muld bs made for any servioerendered.The,Ragl+ndClinio- Hospitalis now askingthe St&e legislatureto appropriaybo 4889.6sto to pay Datia'shospitalbill.' , Eon. Virgil A. Fielden,April 25, 1939, Page 2 C-668
In the oam of BrooksVI. State, 68 SE 2nd 534, in whioh as application for writ of error was denied,the oourt says:.
*A State employeeinjuredwhile working on highway,allegedlyby nsrrliaenoe of fellow employee,held not entitiledto recoverfrom tG stato.~ This is not exactlyin point but the oourt goes furtherand says,
"The state fs engagedin a governmentalfun&ion end is not liable for the torts or negligenooof its servantsin absenoeof express assumptionof suah 1iabiliw.s
The aourtshave oorr~istmtlyfollowedthe holdingin the ErooksoasO* In State vs. Porlstoin,79 SE 2nd 14S, the oourt says%
' A mere moral obligatim of the State will not supportas appropriation of state nloZlby t0 individuals, unless there is alreadyi,uforgo a law whioh makes the tidividual'selaim a legal obligationof the State."
As the State of Texas,though the Liquor ControlBoard of the State of Texas,is engaged in a governbsmtal~fU!&tionr. we think thatthe.,State olearlyis not liable for the torts or negligonoeof the servantsof the Liquor Colrfrol. BDard lrithe absonoeof e%pressassumptionof.suohliability.
If there is a moral obligationon the part of the State to pay this claim, ti view of the dooisionin the Perlsteinoaso, this alone is not snffieient to supportan appropriation Of Stat0 money fo pay same W&es8 there i6 alreadyin foroe a law whioh makes an individual'solaima legal obligation of the state. There is not such law in foroe in this State at this time.
?@ are,'theref6re~ that the State not legally liablefor this men's hospitalbill.
We trust that this satisfactorily Wmwors your question.
very truly yours ATTOEEEYQEEE9AhOPlcExAs,
a/ Fred c. .Chaad1or : I
:-, 'EyFred C. Chandler Asaiatant APPROVED:
s/ Gerald C. Mann ATTOEEEYOEEEEALOF TEEAS