Source: https://www.eslaw.com/news-blog/category/Litigation
Timestamp: 2019-04-19 00:57:43+00:00

Document:
Davis v. State: State is not required to plead and prove an exception to the State Tort Claims Act, and an exception to the State’s immunity may be raised for the first time on appeal or sua sponte.
Instead, the Court held “that an exception to the State’s waiver of immunity under the STCA is an issue that the State may raise for the first time on appeal and that a court may consider sua sponte [(i.e., on its own motion)]”. Id. The Court’s rationale for its holding was that “when a plaintiff’s complaint shows on its face that a claim is barred by one of the exceptions [to the STCA], the State’s inherent immunity from suit is a jurisdictional issue that an appellate court cannot ignore.” Id. While not specifically stated, the Court’s holding in Davis will also apply to claims under Nebraska’s Political Subdivisions Tort Claims Act (the “PSTCA”). See id.
The effect of the Court’s holding in Davis is that a plaintiff bringing a tort claim against the State or against a political subdivision will have to meet somewhat of a heightened pleading standard. In addition to having to comply with the procedural requirements of the STCA or the PSTCA, plaintiff’s will also have to ensure that their complaint does not show, on its face, that the claim is barred by one of the exceptions to the State’s or political subdivision’s waiver of immunity. If it is, the trial court, or even an appellate court, has the inherent power to determine whether the plaintiff’s allegations show that the tort claim is facially barred by an exception to the STCA or the PSTCA. See id. at 980.
The Davis holding also relaxes the pleading standard for the State and political subdivisions. As indicated above, because the Court considers the exceptions to the State’s and political subdivision’s waiver of immunity under the STCA and PSTCA as jurisdictional issues (i.e., whether the court has the power to hear the case), the failure to raise an exception in a responsive pleading or at trial does not operate as a waiver of the defense, and may be raised by either the State, political subdivision, or the court for the first time on appeal.
1 The cases that were overruled were Maresh v. State, 241 Neb. 496, 489 N.W.2d 298 (1992); Hall v. County of Lancaster, 287 Neb. 969, 846 N.W.2d 107 (2014); Doe v. Board of Regents, 280 Neb. 492, 788 N.W.2d 264 (2010); Reimers-Hild v. State, 274 Neb. 438, 741 N.W.2d 155 (2007); Lawry v. County of Sarpy, 254 Neb. 193, 575 N.W.2d 605 (1998); Sherrod v. State, 251 Neb. 355, 557 N.W.2d 634 (1997); and D.M. v. State, 23 Neb. App. 17, 867 N.W.2d 622 (2015).

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