Opinion ID: 1933125
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Intentional or reckless infliction of emotional distress

Text: To recover for intentional infliction of emotional distress, Gray must establish that (1) the State acted intentionally, recklessly or was substantially certain that severe emotional distress would result from its conduct; (2) the State's conduct was so extreme and outrageous as to exceed all possible bounds of decency and must be regarded as atrocious and utterly intolerable in a civilized community; (3) the State's conduct caused Gray emotional distress; and (4) her emotional distress was so severe that no woman reasonably could be expected to endure it. Loe v. Town of Thomaston, 600 A.2d 1090, 1093 (Me.1991). The determination of extreme and outrageous conduct from undisputed facts is an issue for the court. See Gerber v. Peters, 584 A.2d 605, 608 (Me.1990); Restatement (Second) of Torts § 46 comment h (1965). Gray contends that following the initial interview with the child the State intentionally refused to properly investigate the case, and, had there been a proper investigation, the State could not have gone forward on its petition. Gray cites as evidence of outrageous conduct (1) the State's failure to interview the child's treating physicians and therapists, relying merely on incomplete reports submitted by one of these professionals; (2) its caseworker's misrepresentation of the opinions of two consulting professionals that deflected further review of the investigation by his superiors; (3) its caseworker's premature decision to proceed to a hearing after the initial interview with the child without waiting for further investigation; (4) its caseworker's anger with the child's treating physician; (5) the State's failure to coordinate a re-interview of the child while accompanied by Gray as previously agreed; and (6) the State's failure to reveal to the court the opinion of its own counselor, Richard Johnson, as to the absence of jeopardy. The record reveals, however, that on learning of the child's language difficulties the State had the child re-interviewed by a psychologist who had access to extensive background information including the reports of the child's physician and therapist and who concluded that the initial interview with the child was reliable. While the child was in state custody, a state caseworker reviewed reports from the child's therapists and received regular progress reports from the child's temporary caseworker, guardian ad litem, and the staff of the center providing the child's day care. In light of the competent evidence on which the State based its decisions, its caseworker's neglect or refusal to interview available professionals with exculpatory explanations for the child's symptoms and his misrepresentation of the opinions of two social workers to buttress his own suspicions was not such extreme and outrageous conduct as to warrant a recovery from the State for the intentional or reckless infliction of emotional distress. Thus, the court did not err in determining that there was no genuine issue relating to Gray's claim for intentional infliction of emotional distress and that the State was entitled to a judgment as a matter of law. Gerber, 584 A.2d at 608; Staples v. Bangor Hydro-Electric Co., 561 A.2d 499, 501 (Me.1989).