Opinion ID: 2519893
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 9

Heading: Negligent Performance of Statutory and Contractual Obligations

Text: Primary Health asserted that the State was negligent in failing to dispatch enrollment information to its employees, namely Ms. Huffman, and in failing to timely respond to its request for eligibility information on Ms. Huffman. Relying on Stott by and through Dougall v. Finney, 130 Idaho 894, 950 P.2d 709 (1997), Primary Health asserts that the negligent performance of a contract or violation of a statute or regulation can provide grounds for a negligence claim. Initially, we note that Stott only recites the well established principles relating to negligence per se or negligence as a matter of law; it does not in any way touch on negligent performance of a contract. The district court properly held that Primary Health did not cite to a statute that was violated. The duty of the State under the contract, to provide enrollment information to state employees, according to the evidence, was met. The evidence showed not that the State failed to dispatch the required information, but that Ms. Huffman was out of the state and did not receive the information so that she could elect an insurance company during the open enrollment period. With respect to the allegation that the State was negligent in supplying information of Ms. Huffman's hours worked in order to verify her eligibility, Primary Health did not show that Ms. Huffman was ineligible. Primary Health's claim of negligence was properly dismissed by the district court, particularly where Primary Health failed to establish any causal connection between any alleged negligent acts by the State and the damages it asserted.