Opinion ID: 2590190
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Constitutionality of Cap on Damages of Weber Fire District

Text: ¶ 32 This Court has addressed the constitutionality of statutory limits or caps on compensatory damages in three cases. See Bott v. DeLand, 922 P.2d 732 (Utah 1996); McCorvey v. State Dep't of Transp., 868 P.2d 41 (Utah 1993); Condemarin v. University Hosp., 775 P.2d 348 (Utah 1989). Two cases have held the damage cap in Utah Code Ann. § 63-30-34 unconstitutional as applied. In Bott, a unanimous court held that provision unconstitutional insofar as it limited one's right under Article I, section 9 to a remedy for violation of the right to be free from unnecessary abuse. ¶ 33 Plaintiffs argue that the cap on damages as applied to the District is unconstitutional under Condemarin. Condemarin held unconstitutional under Article I, sections 11 and 24, a cap on damages awarded against the University of Utah Hospital, a government agency that the Court held performed a proprietary or nonessential governmental function of providing medical services. Plaintiffs in this case contend that fire fighting activities are not essential governmental activities under the standards stated in DeBry v. Noble, 889 P.2d 428 (Utah 1995), and that the cap is therefore unconstitutional under Condemarin. ¶ 34 In response, the District argues that fire fighting is an essential governmental function and that McCorvey controls. McCorvey held constitutional a cap on damages against a governmental agency performing the essential governmental function of highway design and maintenance. ¶ 35 Thus, whether Condemarin or McCorvey governs the constitutionality of the damage cap depends on the nature of the services performed, the government agency, and the effect of liability in rendering those services. See DeBry, 889 P.2d 428. DeBry held that the legal principles the Legislature established in the landmark Governmental Immunity Act of 1965, as construed in Standiford v. Salt Lake City Corp., 605 P.2d 1230 (Utah 1980), reflected the proper constitutional boundary between those governmental activities that are entitled to immunity under governmental immunity law (subject to legislative waiver) and are not subject to Article I, section 11 protections, and those governmental activities that are not subject to immunity and that are subject to the remedies protected by Article I, section 11. [8] See De-Bry, 889 P.2d at 440. ¶ 36 Prior to the enactment of the Governmental Immunity Act of 1965, governmental immunity law in this state was entirely a product of judge-made case law. Under that case law, governmental activities deemed to be proprietary were not immune and governmental activities deemed to be governmental as opposed to proprietary were immune. See Standiford, 605 P.2d at 1231-35. The Governmental Immunity Act of 1965, 1965 Utah Laws 290 ch. 139, sought to rationalize the conflicting and chaotic case law that had developed under the governmental/proprietary test and other similar tests that the courts had applied. See De-Bry, 889 P.2d at 432-40. To that end, the Act enunciated basic principles to be applied in deciding what governmental activities were immune and what were not. As originally enacted, the 1965 Act did not address the common law doctrine of official immunity. Thus, the liability of government employees for their torts, remained wholly intact. This official immunity law was also almost wholly judge-made. ¶ 37 In this state, the governmental/proprietary test, which gave rise to highly confused legal analysis and inconsistent results, is no longer determinative of whether a governmental agency is entitled to governmental immunity. See DeBry, 889 P.2d 428; Madsen v. Borthick, 658 P.2d 627 (Utah 1983); Thomas v. Clearfield, 642 P.2d 737 (Utah 1982); Johnson v. Salt Lake City, 629 P.2d 432 (Utah 1981); Standiford, 605 P.2d 1230. The same is true in most other states. See Charles S. Rhyne, The Law of Local Government Operations 1142-44 (1980). [9] ¶ 38 Standiford, 605 P.2d 1230, was the first case to adumbrate the scope of governmental immunity as established by the principles enunciated in the 1965 Act. Standiford noted the inconsistent and chaotic status of governmental immunity case law as it existed prior to the Governmental Immunity Act of 1965. Standiford provided a new basis for distinguishing between governmental activities that were immune and those that were not. See DeBry, 889 P.2d at 436-42. ¶ 39 Following Standiford, DeBry for the first time addressed the inherent tension between Article I, section 11 rights and governmental immunity. In DeBry, this Court stated: [P]olicies favoring governmental immunity cannot be viewed in isolation from article I, section 11 and the harsh effect of denying individuals a remedy for what may be devastating injuries. In applying the Standiford test, the Court must, among other things, evaluate whether the effect of tort liability would promote public safety or defeat essential or core governmental activities and programs that are critical to the protection of public safety and welfare. DeBry, 889 P.2d at 440 (citations and footnotes omitted). ¶40 Rollow v. Ogden City, 66 Utah 475, 243 P. 791 (Utah 1926), held that fire fighting activities were governmental activities under the common law governmental/proprietary test and therefore immune from tort liability. Plaintiffs contend that under the test set out in DeBry fire fighting is not an essential governmental function entitled to immunity because fire protection can be and sometimes is offered by private organizations. However, DeBry rejected the proposition that just because an activity that is performed by government may be, or sometimes is, performed privately, that activity is therefore a nonessential governmental activity and not entitled to immunity. See DeBry, 889 P.2d at 441-42. Fire fighting, as well as most governmental activities, can be and sometimes is done by private organizations. Whether a particular function may be performed by nongovernmental entities is only one factor to be considered in determining whether that function is a governmental function and therefore immune. See id.; see also Madsen, 658 P.2d 627; Thomas, 642 P.2d 737. [10] ¶ 41 There are compelling reasons why fire fighting activities historically have been, and should be, deemed an essential governmental activity. Fire fighting is essential to the safety of persons and property in a community. Those engaged in fire fighting activities, in discharging their necessary duties, undertake the highly hazardous activities necessary for the protection of persons and property. Fire fighting requires instantaneous decisions by persons in highly hazardous circumstances that involve the safety of firefighters themselves and the security of the community, or large parts of it. Imposing the potential for legal liability for injuries occurring to persons and property is incompatible with the inherent risks of fire fighting. After-the-fact judicial decisions assessing the propriety of a firefighter's decision could seriously impede effective fire fighting by promoting the value of caution over that of prompt action. Indeed, tort actions for injuries to persons or property based on untoward results in fire fighting could result in an overall loss in safety, rather than greater safety and protection, even more so than is the case with respect to the enforcement of building regulations. See DeBry, 889 P.2d at 441. ¶ 42 For these reasons, the law holds that the security of the community as a whole as well as the security of individuals is more safe and secure with tort immunity for fire fighting than without it. In short, we hold, consistent with the law as it existed prior to the enactment of the Act and consistent with sound policy, that fire fighting activities are an essential and core governmental activity. [11] ¶ 43 It follows that fire fighting activities are core governmental activities under DeBry, and are immune from tort remedies, except insofar as the Legislature has waived that immunity, as it has with respect to the operation of emergency vehicles, such as fire fighting vehicles, while driven on public highways. It also follows that the limitation of the District's damages under Utah Code Ann. § 63-30-34 is constitutional under Article I, section 11 as construed in McCorvey, 868 P.2d 41.