546 N.E.2d 449 | Ohio Ct. App. | 1988
The cause is on appeal from a judgment of the Lucas County Court of Common Pleas.
The parties to this action have stipulated to the following facts. On February 13, 1986, plaintiff-appellant, James Falzone, who is legally blind, had just deboarded one of defendant-appellee Toledo Area Regional Transit Authority's ("TARTA's") buses and was walking north on Fearing Avenue in Toledo. While walking on Fearing Avenue, appellant was struck by a motor vehicle driven by Thaddeus S. Rutkowski. Appellants settled their cause against Rutkowski who was dismissed as a party to this suit.
Ultimately, appellants' theory of liability against TARTA was that TARTA was negligent in excluding blind persons from its policy of providing door-to-door bus service for handicapped persons.
On May 6, 1987, TARTA moved for summary judgment as to any issue regarding negligence. In support of the motion for summary judgment, appellee alleged that TARTA is a "political subdivision" as defined by Ohio's sovereign immunity statutes, R.C.
From said judgment, appellants set out the following assignment of error:
"The trial court erred in granting defendant TARTA's motion for summary judgment in that TARTA is not entitled to the protection of Chapter 2744 of the Ohio Revised Code, the soveriegn [sic] immunity statute[s]."
In this assignment of error, appellants contend that the trial court erred in granting appellee's summary judgment motion in that a regional transit authority, in particular, appellee TARTA, is not entitled to the protections granted to political entities by R.C. Chapter 2744.
On a motion for summary judgment, the moving party has the burden of showing that no genuine issue exists as to any material fact and that he is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.Harless v. Willis Day Warehousing Co. (1978),
8 Ohio Op. 3d 73,
In this case, appellants contend that appellee TARTA is not a political subdivision that should be shielded from liability by R.C. Chapter 2744. R.C.
"(A) In a civil action brought against a political subdivision * * * to recover damages for injury * * * allegedly caused by any act or omission in connection with a governmental or proprietary function, the following defenses or immunities may be asserted to establish non-liability:
"* * *
"(5) The political subdivision is immune from liability if the injury, death, or loss to persons or property resulted from the exercise of judgment or discretion * * * unless the judgment * * * was exercised with malicious purpose, in bad faith, or in a wanton or reckless manner."
Appellants rely primarily on R.C.
Additional consideration of R.C.
"For the purposes of this chapter, the functions of political subdivisions are hereby classified as governmental functions andproprietary functions. * * *" (Emphasis added.)
According to R.C.
Additionally, in Spitaleri v. Metro RTA (1980),
"A regional transit authority may be created in the manner provided in section
In Schwenk v. Miami Valley RTA (C.P. 1975), 4 Ohio Op. 3d 145, the court applied R.C.
Accordingly, appellee, a regional transit authority and a political subdivision, qualifies for sovereign immunity within R.C.
For all of the aforestated reasons, *168 appellants' assignment of error is found not well-taken.
On consideration whereof, the court finds substantial justice has been done the parties complaining and the judgment of the court of common pleas is affirmed.
Judgment affirmed.
RESNICK, P.J., HANDWORK and GLASSER, JJ., concur.