Opinion ID: 1811547
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Claims Against Colbert County

Text: The sheriff of Colbert County is a constitutionally established executive officer of the State of Alabama (Ala. Const. 1901, Art. V, § 112, § 138) and is not considered an employee of the county for the purposes of imposing liability upon the county. Parker v. Amerson, 519 So.2d 442 (Ala.1987). The sheriff's authority over the jail is totally independent of the Colbert County Commission. Ala.Code 1975, § 14-6-1. Therefore, even if Aldridge can be held liable for his conduct as sheriff of Colbert County, Colbert County itself cannot be held vicariously liable for his actions or inaction. King principally argues, however, that Colbert County had a statutory duty to maintain the jail in good repair. Ala.Code 1975, § 11-14-10 provides: The county commission shall erect courthouses, jails and hospitals and other necessary county buildings, and such county commission shall have authority to levy a special tax for that purpose. Each county within the state shall be required to maintain a jail within their county. Under § 14-6-104, the county is obligated to pay any expenses for the maintenance of the jail. While legal custody and charge of the jail is vested in the sheriff, § 14-6-1, the chairman of the county commission is authorized to enter and inspect the jail once each week. § 11-14-22. Interpreting the statute that is now § 11-14-10, this Court stated that the phrase expense incident to the ... maintenance... of each county jail refers to maintenance of the building and its equipment. Holcombe v. Mobile County, 229 Ala. 77, 78, 155 So. 640, 640 (1934). In Keeton v. Fayette County, 558 So.2d 884, 886 (Ala.1989), we held that, by using the phrase `maintain a jail' in § 11-14-10, the Legislature intended to require the county commission to keep a jail and all equipment therein in a state of repair and to preserve it from failure or decline. In his affidavit in support of Colbert County's motion for summary judgment, Charles H. Thompson, the Colbert County administrator, stated, The maintenance and running of the county jail is not a function of Colbert County, but is a function of the Sheriff of Colbert County or his duly appointed deputy. The County of Colbert did not maintain the jail at the time alleged in the complaint and did not cause any part of the jail to become in disrepair or cause any condition which could cause an electrical shock to any inmate.... [T]he County did no [maintenance] or work inside the jail building. Because we hold that § 11-14-10 places an affirmative duty upon the County to maintain the jail and keep it in a state of repair, we conclude that the court erred in granting Colbert County's motion for a summary judgment. Colbert County's assertion that it did not actively cause a condition of disrepair cannot, independently of other evidence, save the County from liability. Colbert County had a legal duty to keep the jail in a reasonably safe state of repair. In order to prevail at trial, however, King must also prove that the County breached that duty and that its breach was the proximate cause of King's injury. Considering Colbert County's motion for summary judgment and the brief and affidavits submitted in support thereof, we conclude that Colbert County failed to make a prima facie showing that there was no genuine issue of material fact with regard to these other elements. Therefore, the burden did not shift to King to present substantial evidence in support of his claims against the county. [1] Ex parte Head, 572 So.2d 1276 (Ala.1990). Accordingly, the summary judgment is reversed as to Colbert County, with regard to both the negligence claim and the wantonness claim. Rule 56(c)(3); Bird v. Auto Owners Ins. Co., 572 So.2d 394 (Ala.1990).