Opinion ID: 1659030
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 8

Heading: Duty to Disclose Information

Text: Appellants contend generally that they met their duty in connection with the placement of Jeffrey at Immanuel and that in any event, because Jeffrey's aggressive behavior was apparent, the district court erred in concluding that appellants were negligent. In order to recover in a negligence action brought pursuant to the State Tort Claims Act, a plaintiff must show a legal duty owed by the defendant to the plaintiff, a breach of such duty, causation, and damages. Fu v. State, 263 Neb. 848, 643 N.W.2d 659 (2002). The threshold issue in any negligence action is whether the defendant owes a legal duty to the plaintiff. Id. If there is no legal duty, there is no actionable negligence. Id. Whether a legal duty exists for actionable negligence is a question of law dependent on the facts in a particular situation. Id. In determining whether a legal duty exists, this court employs a risk-utility test, considering (1) the magnitude of the risk, (2) the relationship of the parties, (3) the nature of the attendant risk, (4) the opportunity and ability to exercise care, (5) the foreseeability of the harm, and (6) the policy interest in the proposed solution. Sharkey v. Board of Regents, 260 Neb. 166, 615 N.W.2d 889 (2000). We have stated: `Foreseeability as it impacts duty determinations refers to `the knowledge of the risk of injury to be apprehended. The risk reasonably to be perceived defines the duty to be obeyed; it is the risk reasonably within the range of apprehension, of injury to another person, that is taken into account in determining the existence of the duty to exercise care.' ...'.... ... [T]he law does not require precision in foreseeing the exact hazard or consequence which happens; it is sufficient if what occurs is one of the kinds of consequences which might reasonably be foreseen. Id. at 179, 181, 615 N.W.2d at 900-01 (quoting Knoll v. Board of Regents, 258 Neb. 1, 601 N.W.2d 757 (1999)). Foreseeability in the context of a legal duty is a question of law. Fu, supra . Based on the facts of the case, we have previously recognized that when DHHS had ample information that [a State ward] had a history of violent and abusive behavior and was faced with questions regarding the potential risk posed to children who were exposed to the ward, DHHS had a duty ... to answer truthfully as to any knowledge it had or later acquired as to [the ward's] violent propensities and any danger that [other children] might encounter by being left alone with [the ward]. Anderson/ Couvillon v. Nebraska Dept. of Social Servs., 248 Neb. 651, 658, 538 N.W.2d 732, 738 (1995). See, generally, Johnson v. State of California, 69 Cal.2d 782, 447 P.2d 352, 73 Cal.Rptr. 240 (1968) (discussing that when state placed violent youth with caregivers, state was obligated to inform caregivers regarding youth's latent, dangerous qualities and that state owed duty to such persons to inform them of peril). The evidence in this case shows that pursuant to § 009.20B, when preparing for the placement of a child under DHHS' authority, a DHHS caseworker is to gather certain information and provide that information to the caregiver, including information regarding the child's tendency to be violent. The record reflects that one of the purposes behind providing this information is to protect those persons providing care to the child. DHHS regulations also require that the caseworker be present when a child is being placed with the caregiver, to provide necessary information to the caregiver and to answer any questions. Contrary to the regulations, it is undisputed that Hensler was not present when Jeffrey was admitted to Immanuel and that at best, Hensler gave Immanuel generalized information regarding Jeffrey's tendency to be aggressive. It is undisputed that Hensler did not inform Immanuel that Jeffrey had previously assaulted at least 27 people, that he had three separate convictions for assault, or that he was likely to target female staff members. Curry testified that if such information was not provided to Immanuel, DHHS violated its own guidelines. We have previously stated that while violation of a regulation is not negligence per se, it is evidence of negligence. Goodenow v. State, 259 Neb. 375, 610 N.W.2d 19 (2000). The evidence reflects that Immanuel places historical information regarding a patient in the patient's chart, so that individual staff members will have access to that information. Immanuel staff members testified that they rely upon such historical information's being included in the record when treating patients. It is undisputed that Jeffrey's chart at Immanuel did not contain information regarding his numerous placements, his assault convictions, or his propensity to target female staff members. Fuhrman testified that she was not informed that Jeffrey had assaulted 27 individuals, had been convicted of three assaults on caregivers, or would direct his aggression at female staff members, and that had she known this information, she would have handled Jeffrey differently. Given appellants' failure to disclose critical information, what occurred to Fuhrman was a consequence which might reasonably be foreseen. Sharkey v. Board of Regents, 260 Neb. 166, 615 N.W.2d 889 (2000); Knoll v. Board of Regents, 258 Neb. 1, 601 N.W.2d 757 (1999). We conclude that under the facts of this case, appellants owed a duty to disclose to Immanuel for the benefit of its employees the critical information appellants possessed regarding Jeffrey's violent and dangerous propensities when Jeffrey was admitted to Immanuel. DHHS' own regulations required the agency to disclose information regarding Jeffrey's history of violence to his caregivers in order to protect those individuals who were treating him. Additionally, it was reasonably foreseeable that Immanuel staff members, such as Fuhrman, who were in direct contact with Jeffrey, would be and were in fact at significant risk of injury because the information upon which caregivers would rely was not present in Jeffrey's file.