Opinion ID: 699613
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Negligent Hiring, Supervision, and Retention of Postal Employees

Text: 18 The Tonellis next appeal the district court's grant of summary judgment on their claims regarding the hiring, supervision, and retention of postal employees. The government contends that these claims are barred by the discretionary function exception of the Federal Tort Claims Act. See 28 U.S.C. Sec. 2680(a). 19 The discretionary function exception prohibits any FTCA claim based upon the exercise or performance or the failure to exercise or perform a discretionary function or duty ... whether or not the discretion involved be abused. Id. Determining whether a particular governmental decision qualifies under the discretionary function exception is a two-step process. First, we must determine whether the challenged conduct involves the failure to follow a mandatory statute, rule or regulation. Berkovitz v. United States, 486 U.S. 531, 536, 108 S.Ct. 1954, 1958-59, 100 L.Ed.2d 531 (1988). If so, the discretionary function exception does not apply. Id. The Tonellis have not alleged that the post office failed to follow a specific mandatory rule. Next, we must determine whether the challenged governmental decision involves the type of discretion that Congress intended to shield from liability. Id. Judgment calls which involve public policy considerations are immune from liability even if the government agent making a particular decision did not consciously consider policy factors. Id. at 537, 108 S.Ct. at 1959; United States v. Gaubert, 499 U.S. 315, 325-26, 111 S.Ct. 1267, 1275-76, 113 L.Ed.2d 335 (1991). 20 Issues of employee supervision and retention generally involve the permissible exercise of policy judgment and fall within the discretionary function exception. See, e.g., K.W. Thompson Tool Co. v. United States, 836 F.2d 721 (1st Cir.1988). However, this action involves allegations that the post office failed to act when it had notice of illegal behavior. Failure to act after notice of illegal action does not represent a choice based on plausible policy considerations. Consequently, the unresolved notice issue renders summary judgment inappropriate on the employee supervision and retention claims. Thus, we reverse the district court's dismissal of these claims. 21 In contrast, the Tonellis' allegations of negligent hiring cannot survive the discretionary function inquiry. The post office's choice between several potential employees involves the weighing of individual backgrounds, office diversity, experience and employer intuition. These multi-factored choices require the balancing of competing objectives, and are of the nature and quality that Congress intended to shield from tort liability. United States v. S.A. Empresa de Viacao Aerea Rio Grandense (Varig Airlines), 467 U.S. 797, 813, 104 S.Ct. 2755, 2764, 81 L.Ed.2d 660 (1984). Cf. Layton v. United States, 984 F.2d 1496, 1501-02 (8th Cir.) (decision to use a particular contractor for timber-cutting requires balancing of competing objectives, and is protected by the discretionary function exception), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 114 S.Ct. 213, 126 L.Ed.2d 170 (1993). Permitting FTCA claims involving negligent hiring would require this court to engage in the type of judicial second-guessing that Congress intended to avoid. We affirm the district court's dismissal of the negligent hiring claim.