Estate of Reagan Tokes, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, Defendant-Appellee.
No. 18AP-723
IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF OHIO TENTH APPELLATE DISTRICT
May 9, 2019
[Cite as Estate of Tokes v. Dept. of Rehab. & Corr., 2019-Ohio-1794.]
(Ct. of Cl. No. 2018-846JD) (REGULAR CALENDAR)
Rendered on May 9, 2019
On brief: Robert B. Newman; O‘Hara, Taylor, Sloan & Cassidy, and Michael J. O‘Hara, for appellant. Argued: Robert B. Newman.
On brief: Dave Yost, Attorney General, Anne Berry Strait, Peter E. DeMarco, and Jeanna V. Jacobus, for appellee. Argued: Anne Berry Strait.
APPEAL from the Court of Claims of Ohio
BEATTY BLUNT, J.
{1} In this wrongful death and survivorship action, plaintiff-appellant, Estate of Reagan Tokes (“Estate“), appeals the decision of the Court of Claims dismissing the Estate‘s complaint against defendant-appellee, Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (“DRC“), under Civ.R. 12(B)(6). Because we find that the public duty immunity statutes are both constitutional and applicable to the Estate‘s claims, we affirm.
I. FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY
{2} At the outset, we are compelled to note the senseless, unquantifiable suffering any violent crime imposes on victims, their families and their loved ones. We note our role in such cases, like the one presently before us, requires us to examine the requisite issues presented with judicial, not emotional, awareness.
{3} According to the complaint, Brian Golsby was convicted of robbery and attempted rape in 2010. (Compl. at ¶ 11.) That conviction yielded him, inter alia, a six-year prison term and a five-year mandatory post-release control period. (Compl. at ¶ 11, 12.) His incarceration for those crimes ended in November 2016, and his post-release control period then began. (Compl. at ¶ 11.) DRC labeled him a high risk offender and placed him in the EXIT Program, a half-way house operated by former defendant NISRE, Inc.1 (Compl. at 14, 23.)
{4} DRC outfitted Golsby with an ankle monitor to comport with a condition of his post-release control. (Compl. at ¶ 15, 16.) The monitor could provide DRC with Golsby‘s exact location contemporaneously with his movements. (Compl. at ¶¶ 17-18.) DRC also instituted a curfew for Golsby. DRC did not program the monitor to allow for automatic notification of curfew violations. (Compl. at 21.)
{5} Between December 2016 and January 2017, Golsby was sanctioned for violating the terms of his probation three times. (Compl. at ¶ 25-28.) DRC did not arrest him or impose more restrictive conditions on him for any of those violations. (Compl. at 28.) Then, between late January and early February 2017, he engaged in a violent “crime wave” that culminated in him raping and murdering Reagan Tokes (“Ms. Tokes“) on February 8, 2017. (Compl. at 29-48).
{6} Police officers arrested him two days later. (Compl. at ¶ 48.) The state charged him with aggravated murder, aggravated robbery and rape. Id. A jury subsequently found him guilty on all counts, and the trial court sentenced him to life in prison without parole. (Compl. at ¶ 48-49.)
{7} The Estate‘s May 2018 complaint in the Court of Claims asserts a wrongful death claim under
{8} In response, DRC moved to dismiss under Civ.R. 12(B)(6). Therein, DRC maintained public duty immunity, found in
{9} The Estate first countered that DRC, through its monitoring of Golsby, knew or should have known of Golsby‘s violent propensities such that DRC had a duty to protect Ms. Tokes. The Estate next retorted that Golsby was on furlough under
{10} DRC replied that there was no statutory duty to confine Golsby after he served his prison sentence. As such, DRC reasoned, it did not owe Ms. Tokes a duty. Next, DRC posited that the public duty rule is constitutional under the specific words of the
{11} The Court of Claims granted DRC‘s motion to dismiss on September 4, 2018. The Court of Claims initially declined to engage in the constitutional analysis. Instead, the Court of Claims reasoned that because the Estate failed to plead sufficient facts to show that a special relationship existed between DRC and Ms. Tokes, public duty immunity applied to bar the Estate‘s claims. The Court of Claims also found DRC‘s counterargument that Golsby was a releasee and not a furloughee on the day he raped and murdered Ms. Tokes persuasive. Consequently, the Court of Claims concluded that the Estate could prove no set of facts entitling it to relief such that Civ.R. 12(B)(6) mandated dismissal. This appeal followed.
II. STANDARD OF REVIEW
{12} We employ a de novo standard of review when reviewing a judgment on a Civ.R. 12(B)(6) motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted. Ettayem v. Land of Ararat Invest. Group, Inc., 10th Dist. No. 17AP-93, 2017-Ohio-8835, ¶ 19-20, citing Perrysburg Twp. v. Rossford, 103 Ohio St.3d 79, 2004-Ohio-4362, ¶ 5. Such a motion is procedural and tests the sufficiency of the complaint. State ex rel. Hanson v. Guernsey Cty. Bd. of Commrs., 65 Ohio St.3d 545, 548 (1992), citing Assn. for the Defense of the Washington Local School Dist. v. Kiger, 42 Ohio St.3d 116, 117 (1989). When addressing a Civ.R. 12(B)(6) motion, the trial court must presume all factual allegations contained in the complaint are true and must make all reasonable inferences in favor of the non-moving party. Jones v. Greyhound Lines, Inc., 10th Dist. No. 11AP-518, 2012-Ohio-4409, ¶ 31, citing Mitchell v. Lawson Milk Co., 40 Ohio St.3d 190, 192 (1988). The court need not, however, accept as true any unsupported and conclusory legal propositions advanced in the complaint. Morrow v. Reminger & Reminger Co. LPA., 183 Ohio App.3d 40, 2009-Ohio-2665, ¶ 7 (10th Dist.). Additionally, a trial court may not rely on allegations or evidence outside the complaint when reviewing a Civ.R. 12(B)(6) motion. State ex rel. Fuqua v. Alexander, 79 Ohio St.3d 206, 207 (1997). But, “as long as there is a set of facts, consistent with the plaintiff‘s complaint, which would allow the plaintiff to recover, the court may not grant a defendant‘s motion to dismiss.” York v. Ohio State Hwy. Patrol, 60 Ohio St.3d 143, 145 (1991).
III. ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR
{13} The Estate‘s single assignment asserts:
The Court Of Claims Erred In Granting [DRC‘s] Motion To Dismiss Under Rule 12 Where Plaintiff Met Its Pleading Burden To Articulate A Claim Of Negligence That Was Not Subject To State Sovereign Immunity Under Applicable Statutes And Constitutional Provisions.
We address the issues the assignment presents out of order to yield a cohesive analysis.
IV. R.C. 2743.01(E)(1) and 2743.02(A)(3) DO NOT VIOLATE SECTION 16
A. Constitutional and Statutory Framework
{14}
{15}
All courts shall be open, and every person, for an injury done him in his land, goods, person, or reputation, shall have remedy by due course of law, and shall have justice administered without denial or delay.
[Suits against the state.] Suits may be brought against the state, in such courts and in such manner, as may be provided by law.
{16}
The state hereby waives its immunity from liability * * *, and consents to be sued, and have its liability determined, in the court of claims created in this chapter in accordance with the same rules of law applicable to suits between private parties, except that the determination of liability is subject to the limitations set forth in this chapter * * *.
Simply put, this section serves to waive governmental immunity under certain conditions. In turn,
{17} So, the question thus becomes what constitutes a public duty within the confines of the statute.
“Public duty” includes, but is not limited to, any statutory, regulatory, or assumed duty concerning any action or omission of the state involving any of the following:
(a) Permitting, certifying, licensing, inspecting, investigating, supervising, regulating, auditing, monitoring, law enforcement, or emergency response activity[.]
Hence,
{18} When the public duty doctrine is at issue,
(b) The state immunity provided in division (A)(3)(a) of this section does not apply to any action of the state under circumstances in which a special relationship can be
established between the state and an injured party. A special relationship under this division is demonstrated if all of the following elements exist: (i) An assumption by the state, by means of promises or actions, of an affirmative duty to act on behalf of the party who was allegedly injured;
(ii) Knowledge on the part of the state‘s agents that inaction of the state could lead to harm;
(iii) Some form of direct contact between the state‘s agents and the injured party;
(iv) The injured party‘s justifiable reliance on the state‘s affirmative undertaking.
(Emphasis added.) In keeping with this waiver,
{19} To summarize, the cited statutory sections combine to provide the state with immunity from claims involving the alleged performance and non-performance of public duties in the absence of a special relationship between the state and the victim.
B. Constitutional Analysis
{20} We noted above that the Court of Claims refrained from considering the Estate‘s constitutional argument due to lack of jurisdiction. This was proper because constitutional claims are not actionable in the Court of Claims. White v. Ohio Dept. of Rehab. & Corr., 10th Dist. No. 12AP-927, 2013-Ohio-4208, ¶ 17. But because we have jurisdiction over constitutional questions via our status under the Ohio Constitution as an Article III, Section 4 court, and because our constitutional determination may prove dispositive, we consider this issue first.
{21} Initially, DRC asserts it is immune from the Estate‘s suit under the public duty doctrine. The doctrine applies to the DRC. See Hurst v. State Dept. of Rehab., 72 Ohio St.3d 325 (1995) (partially overruled in Wallace v. Ohio Dept. of Commerce, 96 Ohio St.3d 266, 2002-Ohio-4210, but relevantly reinstated by the enactment of
{22} The Estate concedes the public duty doctrine purports to provide governmental immunity in situations akin to the one sub judice. Instead, it disputes
{23} In support, the Estate cites to Justice Pfeiffer‘s concurrence in Garrett v. Sandusky, 68 Ohio St.3d 139, 142 (1994). Therein, the court determined that
{24} Concurring singularly, Justice Pfeiffer stated he would hold that
The actual wording of the amendment expresses the intent of the delegates who enacted it. The General Assembly is responsible for determining the appropriate “courts” in which suits against the state are to be filed, and it must design the “manner,” or procedures, for plaintiffs to follow in these courts. Nowhere in the provision does it say that the General Assembly shall determine what causes of action can be brought against the state. Thus, the true intent of the amendment to
Section 16, Article I was to abolish sovereign immunity in its entirety.This true meaning has been ignored by Ohio case law, but should be acknowledged today. Governmental immunity,
including municipal immunity, is contrary to the clear meaning and mandate of the Ohio Constitution.
Id. at 144. From this, the Estate concludes that
{25} We find the Estate‘s reliance on Justice Pfeiffer‘s Garrett concurrence does nothing to support its argument in this regard. First, Justice Pfeiffer signed the concurrence alone. Second, and perhaps most importantly, Justice Pfeiffer subsequently recognized that his position on the issue was a “losing battle.” Smith v. McBride, 130 Ohio St.3d 51, 2011-Ohio-4674, ¶ 47 (Pfeiffer, J., dissenting).
{26} Instead, we find DRC‘s arguments contra more persuasive. DRC rebuts the Estate‘s theory on multiple fronts. First, DRC relies on
“It is a fundamental principle of law that the state, as a sovereign, is not liable to be sued in its own courts without its express consent.” Raudabaugh v. State (1917), 96 Ohio St. 513, 514. In Raudabaugh * * * the Supreme Court of Ohio, in addressing
Section 16, Article I, Ohio Constitution , held that this section “* * * is not self-executing, and that legislative authority by statute is required as a requisite to the bringing of an action against the state * * *.” In Krause, Admr., v. State (1972), 31 Ohio St. 2d 132, 143, the court noted that in order to safeguard against problems associated with claims against the state “* * * the delegates draftedSection 16 of Article I to empower the General Assembly to denominate in what courts and in what manner suits may be brought against the state.”
{27} Given the clear pronouncement set forth in Raudabaugh and Krause that the section is not self-executing, the Estate argues Schenkolewski v. Cleveland Metroparks Sys., 67 Ohio St.2d 31 (1981) overturned Krause. However, Schenkolewski simply held courts, not just the legislature, maintain constitutional authority to “modify or abrogate common law doctrines of governmental or sovereign immunity.” Schenkolewski at 36. Schenkolewski thus diverged from Krause only to the extent Krause held it was within the legislature‘s exclusive province to modify common law governmental immunity. It is worth noting that in reaching that determination the court cited Raudabaugh‘s and Krause‘s joint holding that
{28} The Estate‘s final contention regarding the unconstitutionality of
{29} Accordingly, we hold
{30} Having determined that the public duty doctrine is constitutional, we next focus on whether
C. The Court of Claims Correctly Applied the Public Duty Doctrine to Dismiss the Action.
{31} The Estate alleges that the Court of Claims erred by concluding DRC owed no duty such that DRC was not liable for Golsby‘s criminal actions. DRC retorts that the Court of Claims correctly found no duty present under any theory of recovery so we should uphold the Court of Claims’ dismissal. After due consideration, we determine DRC‘s argument carries more weight in this instance.
{32} We return to the confines of the complaint for this portion of the analysis. At its core, the complaint sounds in negligence. The Estate therefore has the burden of sufficiently pleading a duty, a breach of that duty and an injury resulting from the breach to sustain its wrongful death and survivorship claims. Schnetz v. Ohio Dept. of Rehab. & Corr., 195 Ohio App.3d 207, 2011-Ohio-3927, ¶ 20 (10th Dist.). The parties’ arguments center on the duty element; we therefore limit our focus to that aspect of the negligence requirements as our examination proves conclusive on this point.
{33} ” ‘Legal duty’ has been defined as an obligation imposed by law on one person to act for the benefit of another person due to a relationship between them.” Power v. Boles, 110 Ohio App.3d 29, 33 (10th Dist.1996). “If the defendant owed the plaintiff no duty of care, there can be no action for negligence.” Bungard v. Dept. of Job & Family Servs., 10th Dist. No. 07AP-447, 2007-Ohio-6280, ¶ 19. Whether a duty exists is a question of law for the court to determine. Id.
{34} Herein, the Estate proffers three theories as to how or why DRC owed Ms. Tokes a duty. First, the Estate asserts DRC had a special relationship with her that prevents the application of the public duty doctrine. Second, the Estate argues DRC had a statutory duty to her under
1. The Special Relationship Exception does not Apply.
{35} To begin, the Estate concedes DRC‘s alleged negligent performance or non-performance of supervising and monitoring Golsby while he was on post-release control falls within the confines of the definition of public duty under
{36} The rule “is used to determine the first element of negligence, the existence of a duty on the part of the state. If the duty owed is general in nature, the wrong created by its breach is to the public in general and, therefore, not individually actionable.” (Citation omitted.) Hurst at 329.3 As noted above, the public duty doctrine insulates DRC from liability for the performance and non-performance of public duties in the absence of a special relationship. See Banks v. Ohio Bur. of Workers’ Comp., 10th Dist. No. 17AP-748, 2018-Ohio-5246, ¶ 14. Accordingly, the Estate must sufficiently plead the existence of a special relationship to avoid imposition of the public duty doctrine and Civ.R. 12(B)(6) dismissal. See Rudd v. Ohio State Hwy. Patrol, 10th Dist. No. 15AP-869, 2016-Ohio-8263, ¶ 14-18 (noting absence of special relationship factors in the complaint to affirm dismissal); see also Rooney v. Ohio State Hwy. Patrol, 10th Dist. No. 16AP-204, 2017-Ohio-1123, ¶ 21-22 (same).
{37} To satisfy that responsibility, the Estate must allege adequate facts establishing each of the following elements: (1) DRC assumed, by means of promises or actions, an affirmative duty to act on behalf of Ms. Tokes as the injured party; (2) DRC had knowledge through its agents that inaction could produce harm; (3) DRC‘s agents had direct contact with Ms. Tokes; and (4) Ms. Tokes justifiably relied on DRC‘s affirmative undertaking.
{38} As the Court of Claims correctly concludes, the Estate fails to sustain its burden in this regard. Indeed, the complaint does not allege that DRC and Ms. Tokes had a special relationship. As such, the complaint makes no mention of DRC‘s affirmative duty to act on behalf of Ms. Tokes. The Estate resultantly fails to address the justifiable reliance element. Additionally, the Estate does not allege DRC and Ms. Tokes had any direct
{39} Thus, because the Estate concedes DRC‘s supervising or monitoring Golsby was a public duty, and because we determine that the complaint fails to plead sufficient facts to establish a special relationship existed between DRC and Ms. Tokes under
2. Negligence per se is not Available Because R.C. 2967.26 is Inapplicable.
{40} We now turn our attention to the Estate‘s argument that the public duty doctrine is inapplicable because the Estate is proceeding under
prisoner transferred to transitional control under this section shall be confined * * * during any period of time that the prisoner is not actually working at the prisoner‘s approved employment, engaged in a vocational training or another educational program, engaged in another program designated by the director, or engaged in other activities approved by the department.
(Emphasis added.) The Estate thus argues DRC had a statutory duty to secure and confine Golsby between curfew hours and DRC‘s failure to do so resulted in Golsby‘s raping and murdering Ms. Tokes. Accordingly, the Estate posits DRC‘s alleged omission constitutes negligence per se under
{41} On this point, the Estate relies on Reynolds v. State, Div. of Parole & Community Servs., 14 Ohio St.3d 68 (1984). The primary Reynolds plaintiff was raped by a prisoner while the prisoner was on a work-release furlough under
Once a decision has been made to furlough a prisoner pursuant to
R.C. 2967.26 , a cause of action can be maintained against the state for personal injuries proximately caused by the failure to confine the prisoner during non-working hours in accordance withR.C. 2967.26(B) . Such a failure to confine is negligence per se, and is actionable pursuant toR.C. 2743.02 .5
Id. at paragraph two of the syllabus. In sum, Reynolds held the state could face liability charges when a furloughed prisoner personally injured another individual because
{42} From this, the Estate declares DRC‘s placing an ankle monitor on Golsby and imposing curfew on him is sufficiently akin to Golsby being on furlough such that DRC had a duty under
{43} Even if we could properly examine the Estate‘s furlough argument, we would still hold that Reynolds is inapposite and no duty is present here pursuant to
{44} Secondly, because Golsby was on post-release control on the day he raped and murdered Ms. Tokes, the Court of Claims correctly noted that Golsby was a “releasee” under
3. Common Law Duty
{45} Lastly, the Estate turns to Sections 314 and 315 of the 2 Restatement of the Law 2d, Torts at 122 (1965) and to Estates of Morgan v. Fairfield Family Counseling Ctr., 77 Ohio St.3d 284 (1997), to argue DRC owes a common law duty to control Golsby‘s conduct.7 (See Appellant‘s Brief at 15.)
{46} Our analysis on this score is quick. Having held above that public duty immunity applies, even if a common law duty under Sections 314, 315 or Morgan exists, the public duty rule would still operate to insulate DRC from liability because the Estate failed to adequately plead the elements of a special relationship. Consequently, we conclude that the Estate fails to establish DRC could be held liable for Golsby‘s actions under Sections 314, 315 or Morgan and we overrule this portion of the assignment of error.
V. CONCLUSION
{47} For the foregoing reasons, we affirm the decision of the Court of Claims dismissing the case under Civ.R. 12(B)(6) and overrule the single assignment of error.
Judgment affirmed.
KLATT, P.J., and SADLER, J., concur.