Opinion ID: 1855119
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: the trial court erred in extending the protection of the city's immunity to officer thomas.

Text: ¶ 24. It is unclear in the trial court's order granting summary judgment on what basis Officer Thomas was held to be entitled to immunity. The trial judge's order states that since this accident occurred in [the] time period when absolute immunity existed, and there was no waiver, then the City and its employees enjoyed the protection of sovereign immunity at the time of the lawsuit. (emphasis added). Clearly, the City's immunity stems from the re-enactment of immunity by § 11-46-3. However, as Gale asserts, the protection afforded by § 11-46-3(1) applies only to the State and its political subdivisions, and not to employees sued individually. ¶ 25. Gale argues that because the protection afforded by Miss.Code Ann. § 11-46-3(1) (Supp.1999) applies only to the state and its political subdivisions, and not to employees sued individually, there was no basis on which the trial court could have found Officer Thomas immune from suit where Officer Thomas did not assert public official qualified immunity as a basis for summary judgment. Gale did not argue to the trial court that Officer Thomas is not entitled to qualified immunity. Gale argued only, in regards to Officer Thomas, that § 11-46-9(1)(c) precludes his receiving immunity. Miss.Code Ann. § 11-46-9(1)(c) (Supp.1999) (precludes a government entity and its employees acting within the course and scope of employment from being held liable for an act of an employee engaged in the performance of duties relating to police or fire protection unless the employee acted in reckless disregard of the safety of another). ¶ 26. Gale again argues that this Court's rationale in Mosby, 716 So.2d 551 (Miss. 1998), is applicable to the issue at hand. In Mosby, this Court reversed the trial court's grant of summary judgment in favor of the Oxford police officers engaged in a high speed chase. The Court found that a material issue of fact existed as to whether the officers exceeded their authority in the performance of their discretionary duties, thus precluding the application of qualified immunity on the facts before the Court. See Mosby, 716 So.2d at 557-58. In the case at hand, Gale asserts that there is nothing in the record upon which the trial court could have relied in reaching a determination that Officer Thomas was protected by qualified immunity, and thus, as in Mosby, this Court should remand the case to the trial court for a determination of whether Officer Thomas was entitled to qualified immunity. ¶ 27. Gale's argument regarding qualified immunity is misplaced. Gale seems to claim that the only manner in which Officer Thomas may receive immunity is through the application of qualified immunity. It is true that Officer Thomas receives no protection from the enactment and reenactment of sovereign immunity by § 11-46-3(1), which applies only to the state and its political subdivisions. Miss.Code Ann. § 11-46-3(1) (Supp.1998). However, the City and Thomas point to Miss.Code Ann. § 11-46-7(2) (Supp.1999). This section, in effect at the time of the Gale's injury, precludes an employee from being held personally liable for acts occurring within the course and scope of employment. Section 11-46-7(2) had not been enacted on December 24, 1992, the date on which the Mosby incident occurred. This Court has noted that Mosby does not address § 11-46-7(2) and that Mosby is thus limited to its own facts and issues. Jones v. Baptist Memorial Hosp.Golden Triangle, Inc., 735 So.2d 993, 997 (Miss.1999). Specifically, § 11-46-7(2) provides: An employee may be joined in an action against a governmental entity in a representative capacity if the act or omission complained of is one for which the governmental entity may be liable, but no employee shall be held personally liable for acts or omissions occurring within the course and scope of the employee's duties. For the purposes of this chapter an employee shall not be considered as acting within the course and scope of his employment and a governmental entity shall not be liable or be considered to have waived immunity for any conduct of its employee if the employee's conduct constituted fraud, malice, libel, slander, defamation or any criminal offense. Miss.Code Ann. § 11-46-7(2) (Supp.1998) (emphasis added). ¶ 28. This Court applied § 11-46-7(2) in Duncan v. Chamblee, 757 So.2d 946 (Miss. 1999). In that case, Duncan, a student, brought suit against a teacher employed by the Leake County School District for allegedly excessive corporal punishment. Duncan, in his complaint, alleged that the teacher, Chamblee, was acting within the course and scope of her employment with the school when the alleged torts occurred. Id. at 950. The Court noted that this allegation was fatal to Duncan's attempt to hold Chamblee liable because § 11-46-7(2) precluded Duncan from holding Chamblee personally liable for acts occurring within the course and scope of her duties. Id. ¶ 29. In the case sub judice, there was no dispute of fact before the trial court as to whether Officer Thomas was acting in the course and scope of his employment at the time of the accident. On appeal, Gale argues that Officer Thomas was not acting within the course and scope of his employment because his allegedly running the red light was a criminal offense. However, Gale's complaint charges that Thomas was acting in furtherance of the business of the aforesaid City of Jackson and within the course of his employment. In answering Gale's complaint, the City and Thomas admit that Officer Thomas was at the time of the accident, the agent, employee, and servant of the City of Jackson and was acting in furtherance of the business of the City and within the course and scope of his employment.... As in Duncan, Gale's assertion that Officer Thomas was acting within the course of his employment at the time of the accident is fatal to her attempt to hold Thomas personally liable. ¶ 30. To summarize, the trial court based its grant of summary judgment on the finding that, according to the rationale of Gressett, the City was protected from suit by the immunity granted by Miss.Code Ann. § 11-46-3 (Supp.1998). The trial judge apparently extended that finding to Officer Thomas as well. As Gale asserts, the immunity granted by § 11-46-3 applies only to the state and its political subdivisions, not to employees sued in their individual capacities. However, Gale's argument on appeal is that the trial court's grant of summary judgment was improper because there was no basis on which the trial court could have concluded Officer Thomas is entitled to qualified immunity. Regardless of whether Officer Thomas is entitled to qualified immunity, as Appellees assert, § 11-46-7(2) precludes Gale from holding Officer Thomas personally liable. No issue of material fact exists as to whether § 11-46-7(2) applies as all parties to this action have conceded that Officer Thomas was acting within the scope of his employment at the time of the accident. The grant of summary judgment as to Officer Thomas, while not made entirely clear by the trial judge's order or even under the correct statutory grounds, was proper.