Opinion ID: 853418
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: The Policy Considerations Are for the Legislature to Resolve

Text: Noble County urges that considerations of public policy require immunity for a governmental entity from liability for an ultimately unsuccessful preliminary injunction. The State, as amicus curiae, urges that the as-yet-undefined threat of damage awards against government officials and agencies seeking injunctive relief will hamper enforcement efforts in areas such as environmental protection, health code enforcement, fire and building safety, and workplace safety. Equally compelling public policy concerns favor allowing the wrongfully enjoined defendant to recover against the government. The requirement of posting bond or alternatively undertaking exposure to damages encourages private parties and the governmental entity alike to be cautious before invoking the extreme remedy of an injunction based on a hastily developed and sometimes incomplete record. Moreover, the threat of damage awards is not necessarily as-yet-undefined. Anticipating Rogers' damages would have been unproblematic. Rogers was living with her family in a house with no roof. It was obvious that she would be required to find another place to live during an adjudication on the merits. That is precisely what happened after the tarpaulin covering her house was ripped away during high winds and brought down a power line. To be sure, taxpayers will shoulder the burden of any damage awards against the government. But the countervailing concern is that denying damages requires a single citizen to bear the loss even if proven correct. Trial Rule 65(C) was adopted by this Court and also enacted by the General Assembly. It resolved this debate in favor of distributing the loss among the taxpayers of the governmental unit rather than letting it fall on a single unfortunate citizen. If the legislature wishes to change that balance, it can do so. Under the current legal regime, however, I believe Rogers is entitled to recover as the Rule provides.