Opinion ID: 1727659
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: Question of Sovereign Immunity

Text: The first question is whether this action against the State was precluded by exemptions set forth in the State Tort Claims Act. At all times relevant to this case, the applicable statute provided: The State Tort Claims Act shall not apply to: . . . . (9) Any claim arising out of the malfunction, destruction, or unauthorized removal of any traffic or road sign, signal, or warning device unless it is not corrected by the governmental entity responsible within a reasonable time after actual or constructive notice of such malfunction, destruction, or removal. § 81-8,219. Under this provision, the State is immune from liability against allegations of a malfunctioning traffic signal unless the malfunction was not corrected by the State within a reasonable time after it received actual or constructive notice of the problem. Whether the allegations made by a plaintiff present a claim that is precluded by exemptions set forth in the State Tort Claims Act is a question of law. See, Blitzkie v. State, 241 Neb. 759, 491 N.W.2d 42 (1992); Hammond v. Nemaha Cty., 7 Neb.App. 124, 581 N.W.2d 82 (1998). An appellate court has an obligation to reach its conclusion on this question independent from the conclusion reached by the trial court. Blitzkie v. State, supra . To determine whether Fickle's action was precluded by the traffic-signal exemption in the State Tort Claims Act, the district court had to determine that the State had notice of a malfunction in the traffic signal but did not correct the malfunction within a reasonable time. On appeal under the State Tort Claims Act, the findings of the trial court will not be disturbed unless clearly wrong. Blitzkie v. State, supra .