Opinion ID: 1197058
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Trial Court's Determination Regarding Sovereign Immunity

Text: {17} In this case, Dr. Handmaker had written employment contracts with UNM. His breach of contract claim centers around the terms of employment under those contracts, including the procedure and grounds necessary for termination from an administrative position. UNM concedes that Dr. Handmaker's 1993-1994 written contract, which designated him as administrator of the developmental disabilities program and included a $10,000 administrative salary, included his position as director of the UAP. Dr. Handmaker does not claim that UNM entered into a separate unwritten contract with respect to his administrative position with the UAP. As a result, from the facts appearing in the record on summary judgment, we determine that this action is based on a written contract. Thus, applying Section 37-1-23(A), we conclude that the trial court did not err in denying UNM's motion for summary judgment on the ground of sovereign immunity. Cf. Carrillo, 114 N.M. at 622, 845 P.2d at 145 (concluding that the trial court did not err in denying a motion for summary judgment on the ground of qualified immunity).