Opinion ID: 1364338
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: south carolina tort claims act

Text: We have been asked whether a private person, who is court-appointed to serve as guardian ad litem in a private custody proceeding, is acting as an agent or employee of the State of South Carolina within the definition of employee set forth in the South Carolina Tort Claims Act, § 15-78-30(c) (Supp. 1995), in the performance of her official duties as guardian ad litem. Section 15-78-30(c) defines employee as any officer, employee, or agent of the State or its political subdivisions, including elected or appointed officials, law enforcement officers, and persons acting on behalf or in service of a governmental entity in the scope of official duty, whether with or without compensation, but the term does not include an independent contractor doing business with the State or any political subdivision thereof. Asbill argues that guardians ad litem fit the definition of employee under section 15-78-30(c) because a guardian is an agent of the State or its political subdivisions. We disagree. Agency implies the existence of a fiduciary relation which results from the manifestation of consent by one person to another that the other shall act on his behalf. See Restatement (Second) of Agency § 1 (1957). The relationship between the court and a guardian ad litem is not an agency relationship. The guardian ad litem functions as a representative of the court which appointed her to assist the court in properly protecting the interests of an incompetent person. Shainwald v. Shainwald, 302 S.C. 453, 395 S.E.2d 441 (Ct. App.1990). Nevertheless, the guardian is not acting on behalf of the court; she does not effect legal relationships between the court and third parties. See Peeples v. Orkin Exterminating Co., 244 S.C. 173, 135 S.E.2d 845 (1964). Similarly, the relationship between the court and the guardian ad litem is not an employer-employee relationship. Accordingly, we find that guardians ad litem are not employees under section 15-78-30(c).