Opinion ID: 1132559
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 8

Heading: did the insurance policy waive immunity to the extent of coverage?

Text: ¶ 34. Watts argues that Dr. Tsang was either the employee of a private entity, UAS, and thus had no immunity, or he was an employee of an arm of the State through UAS and thus immunity was waived by the purchase of the liability insurance policy. Since our holding in Issue I has addressed his first contention, we will now address his alternative. ¶ 35. Dr. Tsang argues that his insurance policy was purchased because of the history of changing developments in immunity afforded by the MTCA as this Court has wrestled with interpreting its provisions. He claims he could not afford to teach medical students, supervise procedures and treat patients without insurance until this Court definitively rules that UMMC faculty-physicians are employees covered by the State's immunity. The case before us proves he was prudent in doing so. ¶ 36. The Mississippi Legislature created the MTCA and has determined under what circumstances the State waives its sovereign immunity. Pursuant to § 11-46-16 and § 11-46-17, the Legislature has waived the sovereign immunity of the State, up to the limits of liability insurance purchased by the State entity. However, this particular waiver of immunity only concerns the State entity; it does not apply to a state employee in his or her individual capacity. The trial court in its opinion and order held: The Court is aware that Dr. Tsang has an insurance policy that was not purchased by the University of Mississippi Medical Center or the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning. However, the Court finds that this insurance does not provide for a waiver of immunity pursuant to Miss.Code Ann. § 11-46-16 (1972, as amended). Section 11-46-16 only waives immunity to the extent of insurance purchased by the governmental entity. Dr. Tsang is an employee as contemplated by the Tort Claims Act. His insurance does not waive any immunity. Furthermore, Miss.Code Ann. § 11-46-7(2) bars suit against individual defendants in their personal capacities. ¶ 37. After the trial court issued its opinion, this Court decided Knight v. McKee, 781 So.2d 121 (Miss.2001). In Knight, this Court addressed this very issue, and its holding indicates that the circuit court was right: the purchase of personal medical malpractice insurance by an employee of the State does not waive immunity. In Knight, we said: The fact that the two physicians have personally acquired professional liability insurance is irrelevant to the inquiry as to whether a state employee enjoys immunity under the MTCA. In a recent case, Maxwell v. Jackson County, 768 So.2d 900 (Miss.2000), we held that a county did not waive its immunity protections under the MTCA when it purchased liability insurance in excess of the limits imposed by the MTCA. We now extend this holding to apply to state employees also. Finally, the MTCA contains no provision allowing for the waiver of a state employee's immunity because of the existence of professional liability insurance. Womble, does not provide authority to revoke the immunity granted to state employees by the MTCA. In Barnes v. Singing River Hosp. Sys., 733 So.2d 199, 206 (Miss.1999), we refused to extend Womble to medical malpractice cases against state hospitals. As a natural extension to Barnes, the Court finds that Womble does not apply to medical malpractice cases against physicians who are employed by state hospitals. Knight, 781 So.2d at 123. Pursuant to the precedent of this Court, purchase of medical malpractice insurance by a faculty-physician at the UMMC does not waive immunity to the extent of coverage. This issue is without merit.