Opinion ID: 796898
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The County's argument

Text: 68 Hamilton County's argument in this appeal presents an unusual issue. As outlined in the procedural history, the County originally moved to dismiss Chesher's claims based on immunity under Chapter 2744. The district court granted that motion as to the claims against the County for the intentional infliction of emotional distress and for civil conspiracy, but denied the motion as to Chesher's negligence claims in an order dated December 17, 2004. Its denial of immunity for the negligence claim was based on the exception to immunity found in § 2744.02(B)(4), which precludes immunity for acts of negligence that occur within or on the grounds of buildings used in connection with the performance of governmental functions. See Hubbard, 780 N.E.2d at 547. The County did not then and does not now appeal that order. 69 Moreover, as the County itself emphasizes, it has never moved for summary judgment on the remaining negligence claim based on statutory immunity. Logic dictates, then, that the negligence claim remains pending against the County. The County argues on appeal, however, that the district court erred by sua sponte denying the County summary judgment on the basis of statutory immunity when the court quoted from a portion of its prior December 2004 order in its more recent order issued in September of 2005. But that more recent order primarily concerned the employee-defendants' motions for summary judgment and the County defendants' motions for summary judgment based on grounds other than statutory immunity. 70 Because the County did not move for summary judgment on Chesher's negligence claim, the district court had no occasion to reconsider the earlier ruling on the County's motion to dismiss. The district court's quotation of its earlier order, when viewed in context, simply served to clarify to the multiple parties involved in this complex case which claims remained pending and which claims the court had earlier dismissed. Contrary to the County's argument, the district court did not sua sponte deny the County summary judgment on grounds that the County itself never asserted. 71 We therefore decline to address the County's immunity arguments at the present time. See Wright v. Holbrook, 794 F.2d 1152, 1157 (6th Cir.1986) ([T]he general rule is that this court will not consider issues not raised in the district court.). The County remains free, of course, to move for summary judgment on Chesher's negligence claim upon remand of this case to the district court. 72