Opinion ID: 796898
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Tobias

Text: 94 Chesher alleges that Tobias, like Parrott, had knowledge of Condon's art project and yet continued to meet with Condon and permit him access to the Morgue and to Tobias's autopsy subjects. Tobias's own deposition testimony confirms that he likely had even greater knowledge of Condon's intentions than did Parrott because, on two separate occasions, Condon actually exhibited his offending photographs to Tobias. Nonetheless, Tobias did not object to Condon's continued access to the Morgue and to Tobias's autopsy subjects. In particular, Tobias acknowledged that even after seeing the offending photographs, he left [Condon] alone in the morgue in the course of conducting Senteney's autopsy. 95 Tobias not only permitted Condon to continue accessing the Morgue after viewing the offending photographs, but also began developing his own crime scene photographs at Condon's studio. Parrott questioned the propriety of these photographs by stating that they simply shouldn't have been in a commercial photographer's studio. Although Tobias contends that his photographs were not improper and that Parrott permitted him to develop photographs at Condon's studio, Parrott disputes both of these assertions. In particular, he stated that Tobias's crime-scene photographs and his work at Condon's studio could be seen as collecting souvenirs or an attempt at art. 96 The record contains sufficient evidence to support a jury finding that Tobias acted recklessly under § 2744.03(A)(6)(b) with regard to both his own and Condon's photographs. He disregarded the great risk of harm posed by permitting Condon to continue the art project and by entrusting his own highly sensitive crime-scene photographs to Condon. Tobias asserts by way of defense that he consulted Parrott and Utz as his supervisors, that he warned Condon about taking the offending photographs, and that he permitted Condon to continue only because of what he perceived to be the approval of Parrott and Utz. Nevertheless, a jury could reasonably find that Tobias's continued acquiescence to Condon's presence at the Morgue, his act of leaving Condon alone with an autopsy subject even after viewing his offensive photographs, and his entrustment to Condon of the crime-scene photographs amounted to wanton or reckless conduct. 97 At the very least, we cannot say as a matter of law that no reasonable jury could make such a finding. This is where we disagree with our dissenting colleague. He concedes that Tobias may have been negligent (Dissenting Op. at 20), but has determined as a matter of law that no reasonable jury could find that Tobias's conduct crossed the line from negligence to recklessness. But such distinctions are almost always left for a jury — rather than appellate judges — to decide. Whitfield v. Dayton, 167 Ohio App.3d 172, 854 N.E.2d 532, 540 (2006) ([W]hether particular acts demonstrate the presence of wantonness, recklessness, or merely negligence is normally a decision for the jury, based on the totality of the circumstances.). We see no basis on this record to take that determination away from the jury. 98 In reaching a contrary conclusion, our dissenting colleague focuses on the fact that Tobias held a relatively low-level position at the Coroner's Office. We fail to discern, however, why Tobias's position would have hindered his ability as a qualified physician to recognize the risks posed by Condon's alleged art project at the Morgue. Similarly, the dissent does not explain why Tobias's position should mitigate his responsibility for acts within the limited scope of his authority, such as allegedly leaving Condon alone to photograph Tobias's own autopsy subject after having seen examples of Condon's offending photographs. The district court thus properly denied Tobias's motion for summary judgment based on statutory immunity as to Chesher's intentional-infliction-of-emotional-distress claim. 99 Just as Parrott's acts fell within the scope of his employment under Caruso and Martin, however, so too did Tobias's. See Caruso, 737 N.E.2d at 563; Martin, 590 N.E.2d at 417. Even though Tobias permitted Condon to continue taking the photos after Tobias realized that some of them were troubling, he likely believed that Condon was also conducting legitimate business. Tobias's actions cannot be said to have been personally motivated, as the court in Caruso required, particularly in light of Parrott's acknowledged failure to notify the staff that Condon's project had been cancelled. See 737 N.E.2d at 622. Similarly, Tobias's own crime-scene photos and his work at Condon's studio can be seen as work-related or, in any event, not motivated by strictly personal concerns. See Jackson, 602 N.E.2d at 366-367.