Opinion ID: 1935834
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Individual liability of defendants.

Text: Appellants' final contention is that the trial court ought to have granted their motion for summary judgment because they cannot be individually liable in tort even if they did not place the highway warning signs in conformity with the state highway commission's legislative directive. Here again appellants advance two arguments supportive of their position. The first is that since the appellants were agents of the state highway commission under sec. 84.01 (3) (sec. 84.01 (5), Stats. 1965), their acts were the acts of such commission and, therefore, they are entitled to partake of the governmental immunity enjoyed by the commission. Appellants cite no authority for this proposition. There is none. It is obvious that the state is immobile absent employees or agents to carry on its functions. All state employees are, therefore, agents of the state when performing those tasks entrusted to them. [To agree with appellants' position that they, as agents of the highway commission, ought to be allowed to partake of the governmental immunity enjoyed by that commission, this court would have to overlook the long settled law of this state, embodied in sec. 270.58, [13] that public officers or employees may be proceeded against in their official capacities.] [] We conclude, therefore, that appellants, as public officials, may be proceeded against for dereliction of their duties resulting in injury to another. Appellants' second argument is that they cannot be liable in tort because the doctrine of respondent superior applies only as between those parties actually performing the acts complained of and their superiors. Bypassed, according to appellants, are those employees in the middle of the supervisory chain of command. Here, appellants are essentially reasserting their earlier argument that they are not the proper parties defendant to this action. Appellants urge that Clausen v. Eckstein [14] supports their argument. Clausen does stand for the proposition that the doctrine of respondent superior runs from the agent actually responsible for the act and his superiors. In that case, an injured plaintiff attempted to sue a city engineer and a sewer contractor for an alleged failure to properly warn motorists of excavations and dirt piles. We held that the trial court properly dismissed the suit against the city engineer because his duty did not include the placing of warning signs: . . . As representative of the city, Carter had general supervision over the performance of the job but he was not engaged in laying the sewer nor doing it for his own benefit. The doctrine of respondent superior does not apply to Carter because Potter, not Carter, was the ministerial agent of the city. If Potter failed to place a necessary light the liability attaching to a superior would proceed from him to the city and not to Carter. Potter was not Carter's agent or servant. [15] But appellants' reliance upon Clausen is misplaced because it again assumes that the proper defendants are those members of the sign crew who actually dug the hole and implanted the signs. But here both appellants had personal nondelegable authority and responsibility for the placement of highway warning signs. The thrust of Clausen is that the respondent superior chain extends from those who are responsible for an act to their superiors. Here, the appellants were responsible for the proper sign placement and, therefore, are the proper parties defendant. Appellants also argue that the trial court effectively granted their motion for summary judgment by finding that the highway warning sign was clearly visible, in the night time, to an oncoming motorist. The court further and correctly noted, however, that this determination was not germane to the question of the safe placement of the highway warning. By the Court. Order affirmed. The following memorandum was filed on March 27, 1973.