Opinion ID: 2587281
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The CGIA Jurisdictional Inquiry

Text: The General Assembly enacted the CGIA in 1971 in response to a trilogy of cases abrogating Colorado's common law of governmental immunity. See ch. 323, sec. 1, §§ 130-11-1 to -17, 1971 Colo. Sess. Laws 1204, 1204-11; Evans v. Board of County Comm'rs, 174 Colo. 97, 105, 482 P.2d 968, 972 (1971) (abrogating common law sovereign immunity and recognizing that the legislature could reestablish governmental immunity by statute). The CGIA establishes immunity from suit for public entities and their employees in tort cases, but then waives immunity under certain circumstances and also provides exceptions to certain waivers. Springer v. City & County of Denver, 13 P.3d 794, 798 (Colo.2000); § 24-10-106. The CGIA derogates Colorado's common law. Consequently, we strictly construe the statute's immunity provisions. See Springer, 13 P.3d at 798; Bertrand v. Board of County Comm'rs, 872 P.2d 223, 227 (Colo. 1994). As a logical corollary, we broadly construe the provisions withholding immunity in the interest of compensating victims of governmental negligence. Springer, 13 P.3d at 798; Corsentino v. Cordova, 4 P.3d 1082, 1086 (Colo.2000); Walton v. State, 968 P.2d 636, 643 (Colo.1998). A C.R.C.P. 12(b)(1) motion to dismiss on grounds of immunity under the CGIA raises a jurisdictional issue; the plaintiff has the burden of demonstrating jurisdiction. See Trinity Broad. of Denver, Inc. v. City of Westminster, 848 P.2d 916, 924-25 (Colo.1993). When the alleged jurisdictional facts are in dispute, the trial court should conduct an evidentiary hearing before ruling on the jurisdictional issue. See Fogg v. Macaluso, 892 P.2d 271, 276 (Colo.1995). Where there is no evidentiary dispute, governmental immunity or waiver of immunity is a matter of law, and the trial court may rule on the jurisdictional issue without a hearing. See Corsentino, 4 P.3d at 1087; Swieckowski v. City of Fort Collins, 934 P.2d 1380, 1384 (Colo.1997). Here, the trial court accepted all of Padilla's assertions of fact as true; consequently, it did not abuse its discretion in proceeding to rule on the School District's motion to dismiss without convening an evidentiary hearing.