Court Opinion

ID: 9657707
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-23 20:35:13.28234+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:13:47.768678
License: Public Domain

MESCHKE, Justice,
dissenting.
Because I believe that no part of state government is above or beyond the law, I respectfully dissent.
Years ago, this court “solicit[ed] legislative action” on the “matter of sovereign immunity of the state itself.” Kitto v. Minot Park District, 224 N.W.2d 795, 803 (N.D.1974). “The injustices of state immunity remain for one who is injured by the wrongful act of the state government.” Id. Those injustices remain still.
When government is not governed by the same laws as its citizens and private institutions, it is troubling. Sovereign immunity is a hallmark of a totalitarian form of government, not of a constitutional democracy, as recent events in eastern Europe tend to evidence. Schloesser v. Larson, 458 N.W.2d 257 (N.D.1990) (Meschke, Justice, dissenting). “These outmoded and undemocratic concepts [‘sovereign and governmental immunities’], buttressed on most dubious foundations, have no place — as a *438matter of law apart from deliberate local legislative or constitutional policies — in a free society where government is the servant of the people — not their master.” 2 S. Speiser, C. Krause & A. Gans, The American Law of Torts § 6:1, p. 10 (1985) [hereinafter American Law of Torts]. Sovereign immunity saves a state fiscal inconvenience through injustice to individuals.
In my separate opinions in Schloesser v. Larson and in Dickinson Public School District v. Sanstead, 425 N.W.2d 906, 910 (N.D.1988), I detailed my reasons for concluding that sovereign immunity is textually unfounded, lacks historical accuracy, and is judicially irrational. I will not repeat my reasons here, but only reiterate that “[i]t does not make sense to read the subordinate sentence in the ‘open courts’ Declaration [of Rights, N.D. Const, art. I, § 9] as supervening the meaning of the declared rights.” Schloesser, 458 N.W.2d at 262. See also N.D. Const. art. I, § 24 (“The provisions of this constitution are mandatory and prohibitory unless, by express words, they are declared to be otherwise”). What good is constitutional assurance that “every man for any injury done him in his lands, goods, person or reputation shall have remedy by due process of law,” if not for protection from government?
Today’s opinion upholds sovereign immunity on precedent, not on reason. (“[W]e have consistently adhered to that decision”). “But stare decisis is no more a barrier to judicial reconsideration of the ‘injustices of state immunity’ than to abrogation of governmental immunity for the political subdivisions of the state. Kitto v. Minot Park District, 224 N.W.2d 795, 802-03 (N.D.1974). Unjust and unsupportable interpretations should be reconsidered.” Schloesser, 458 N.W.2d at 261 (Meschke, Justice, dissenting). Many “courts, following long and arduous weighing of of [sic] the various policy factors, have judicially abolished such immunity for reasons already stated of anachronism and historical inaccuracy, of unsuitability to democratic American institutions, as unfitting modern notions of social justice to injury victims.” 2 American Law of Torts § 6:7, pp. 38-39 (footnotes omitted). This court has on occasion reconsidered and overruled other past precedents when important. Otter Tail Power Co. v. Von Bank, 72 N.D. 497, 8 N.W.2d 599 (1942); Iverson v. Lancaster, 158 N.W.2d 507 (N.D.1968); Melland v. Johanneson, 160 N.W.2d 107 (N.D.1968). Today’s decision scarcely reconsiders, but rather simply perpetuates precedent.
The only added rationalization in today’s decision, that the majority’s interpretation “is consistent with the United States Supreme Court’s interpretation of the Eleventh Amendment to the United States Constitution for suits in federal court,” is puzzling. It is agreed among all concerned with confused, federal procedure that the “Eleventh Amendment does not apply in state courts.” See Will v. Michigan Dept. of State Police, 491 U.S. 58, 109 S.Ct. 2304, 2307, 105 L.Ed.2d 45 (1989) (Justice White for a five Justice majority) and 109 S.Ct. at 2312 (Justice Brennan for a four Justice minority). Compare Howlett v. Rose, — U.S. -, 110 S.Ct. 2430, 110 L.Ed.2d 332 (1990). The Eleventh Amendment only reduces a state’s responsibility in federal courts; it does not enshrine the sovereign immunity of any state.
Law equally applicable to citizen and government alike could acquit the University from any liability in this kind of case. A principal is not usually liable for an intentional tort committed by an agent acting outside the scope of employment, as where the agent acts for his own personal gratification and adversely to the principal. See 3 Am.Jur.2d Agency § 280 (1986). While there are factual elements in this defense (and perhaps a qualification if the principal knows of the agent’s wayward propensities), equal application of the law would often avoid the liability of a principal for an errant agent. See Lyon v. Carey, 533 F.2d 649 (D.C.Cir.1976) (Question for jury whether rape by deliveryman stemmed from personal purpose or arose from trucking company’s business, but affirmed JNOV for store that sent the bed for delivery). Compare Marston v. Minneapolis Clinic of Psychiatry, 329 N.W.2d 306 (Minn.1982); Binstock v. Fort Yates Public School District No. 4, 463 N.W.2d 837 *439(N.D.1990). Unfortunately, the judicial branch again chooses to immunize a part of government from generally applicable law. For these reasons, I respectfully dissent.
LEVINE, J., concurs.