Lead Opinion
In this case, the Court once again addresses the proper use of the writ of cer-tiorari when a governmental entity raises sovereign immunity as a basis for a motion
For the reasons that follow and in keeping with our recent precedent in Citizens and Keck, we hold that Miami-Dade County’s claim that it is entitled to sovereign immunity is not renewable by the appellate courts through a petition for writ of certiorari because there is no irreparable harm and because there are essential facts in dispute. We further hold that the Third District erred in concluding that a “police emergency exception” conferred planning-level sovereign immunity on the County in this case. Accordingly, we quash the Third District’s decision.
FACTS
This case stems from an unfortunate factual scenario, where police officers and the business owner, Jose Lazaro Rodriguez, both responded to a burglary alarm at Rodriguez’s business, and during this incident, Rodriguez was shot by one of the responding police officers. A video camera at the business recorded part of the incident but did not show the circumstances of the actual shooting because the police officer and Rodriguez were out of the view of the camera at that precise time.
Rodriguez filed a complaint against Miami-Dade County for negligence based on the wrongful shooting and for negligent retention and supervision of Officer Hernandez, one of the responding officers.
After the County obtained a recording from security cameras that had captured the events surrounding the shooting, the County filed a motion for summary judgment, asserting that the video footage definitively established that Officer Hernandez was not negligent because it showed that before he fired his gun, Rodriguez
Rodriguez opposed the motion for summary judgment, asserting that the video footage was inconclusive as to several key points and demonstrated that Officer Hernandez responded recklessly to the scene of the burglary alarm, violated basic safety procedures, and negligently created the situation where he shot an innocent civilian. Rodriguez contended that there was no emergency situation that required the officer to shoot anybody, until the officer himself recklessly created a dangerous situation by charging on the scene without providing any warning.
In support, Rodriguez relied on the affidavit of Michael Manning, a retired lieutenant from the City of Miami Police Department, who discussed numerous errors that he believed the responding officers committed, including his assertion that Officer Hernandez improperly rushed into the situation, separated from his partner, and placed himself in a dangerous position where he might need to use deadly force. Rodriguez also filed an affidavit to oppose the motion for summary judgment, in which he contested the facts. The affidavit stated that when Rodriguez drove to the store in response to the burglary alarm, he did not see any police. However, he did notice a person crawling into the store through a hole in the glass of the front door to his store. Rodriguez asserted that he had his gun in his hand and had planned to detain the robber from a distance until the police arrived. Rodriguez stated that after he exited his truck, he was shot in the left buttock from behind and the impact spun him around clockwise so that he was rotated in the direction of the shooter. He never heard anybody shout “Police” or “Freeze!”
At a hearing on the motion for summary judgment, the trial court indicated that it was troubled because the video did not “tell the entire story,” especially since the shooting itself was not visible on the video. Further, the trial court questioned whether it could determine as a matter of law that the officer was responding to an emergency, as the County asserted. The trial court denied the County’s motion as to Count I (the negligence claim) and granted the County’s motion as to Count II (the negligent retention claim).
The County filed a petition for writ of certiorari with the Third District, which the Third District granted. The district court recognized that generally it would not use its certiorari jurisdiction “to review orders either denying motions to dismiss or denying motions for summary judgment where the sovereign argues that it is not hable as alleged because no duty can be demonstrated” in a negligence action. Rodriguez,
Finally, in its opinion, the Third District recognized that determining the applicability of sovereign immunity is often “inextri
In invoking the police emergency exception, the Third District stated that this Court had “created a clear exception for police action in emergency situations.” Id. at 1221 (citing City of Pinellas Park v. Brown,
ANALYSIS
The certified conflict issue in this case is whether the Third District erred in holding that it had certiorari jurisdiction to review a non-final order denying the County’s motion for summary judgment. However, because the Third District relied on the “emergency exception” as a basis for concluding that the County was immune from suit as a matter of law, we also must review the application of that doctrine to the facts of this case.
Certiorari Review
Subsequent to the Third District’s decision in Rodriguez, we recently clarified the extremely narrow scope of a district court’s ability to use its certiorari jurisdiction to address a non-final order where the trial court denied the defendant’s claim that the suit was barred by sovereign immunity. Accordingly, we first review this Court’s decisions in Citizens Property Insurance Corp. v. San Perdido Ass’n,
Generally, parties must wait until after a final order is issued before seeking appellate review. As we explained in Citizens Property Insurance, “[v]ery few categories of non-final orders qualify for the use of th[e] extraordinary writ” of common law certiorari. Citizens Prop. Ins. Corp.,
On the same day that we issued our decision in Citizens Property Insurance, we also issued our decision in Keck v. Eminisor,
In Keck, we emphasized that the applicable statute, section 768.28(9)(a), specifically entitled a governmental employee not to “be named as a party defendant” for acts within the scope of his or her employment. Id. The Court reasoned that “if a defendant who is entitled to the immunity granted in section 768.28(9)(a) is erroneously named as a party defendant and is required to stand trial, that individual has effectively lost the right bestowed by statute to be protected from even being named as a defendant.” Id. Despite recognizing that statutory immunity, we did not utilize the common law writ of certiorari, but as in Tucker, we requested the Florida Bar Appellate Court Rules Committee to submit a proposed narrow amendment to Florida Rule of Appellate Procedure 9.130. Id. Noting the inconsistent use of certiora-ri to review claims of sovereign immunity, a majority of the Court requested that the Committee “undertake a comprehensive review of whether the categories of non-final orders in rule 9.130(a)(3) should be expanded to include the denial of any claim of immunity where the question presented is solely a question of law.” Id. at 370 (Pariente, J., concurring with an opinion, in which Lewis, Labarga, and Perry, JJ., joined).
Consistent with our recent holdings in Citizens and Keck, we reiterate that the continuation of litigation and any ensuing costs, time, and effort in defending such litigation does not constitute irreparable harm. Thus, the use of certiorari review is improper in such an instance. Moreover, in addition to irreparable harm that cannot be remedied on appeal, before granting certiorari relief, the district court
In this case, the Third District did not analyze whether the error it discussed amounted to a departure from the essential requirements of law. It is unclear whether the district court considered this prong, particularly in light of its statement that “[i]t is the imminent threat or existence of irreparable harm that gives us jurisdiction in this case.” Rodriguez,
We again emphasize, consistent with our precedent, that an appellate court can grant a petition for writ of certiorari only where there is “(1) a departure from the essential requirements of the law, (2) resulting in material injury for the remainder of the case (3) that cannot be corrected on postjudgment appeal.” Williams,
The Viability of a Police Emergency Exception in This Case
The Third District also erred when, relying on Kaisner and Pinellas Park, it applied the police emergency exception as a basis for invoking certiorari jurisdiction and declaring that Miami-Dade County was immune from suit as a result of the actions of its police officers in this case. For the reasons addressed below, we hold that the circumstances present in this case do not rise to the level of invoking the narrow emergency exception because this is not the kind of situation implicating police planning-level decisions. Further, we disapprove the Third District’s broad statement that this Court has “created a clear exception for police action in emergency situations,” Rodriguez,
A review of Kaisner and Pinellas Park reveals that neither case utilized a writ of certiorari. In addition, neither of those cases concluded that the police emergency exception was applicable. In Kais-ner, the plaintiffs brought an action against two officers after the plaintiff was struck by another vehicle when the deputies stopped him for an expired inspection sticker. Kaisner,
In a footnote, the Court emphasized that it would not necessarily reach the same decision if the issue involved “an emergency requiring swift action to prevent harm to others, albeit at the risk of harm to petitioners” because those types of decisions with a high level of urgency would be “entitled to great deference, and may in fact reach a level of such urgency as to be considered discretionary and not operational.” Id. at 738 n. 3 (emphasis added). While the statements in this footnote are dicta, they illustrate the extremely limited scope of a serious police emergency exception, where the actions of the police would constitute a planning decision immune from suit rather than an operational one scrutinized under the principles of negligence.
In the second case relied on by the Third District, Pinellas Park,
Further, the Court rejected the argument that the conduct at issue fell within the police emergency exception because to fall within the exception, “the serious emergency must be one thrust upon the police by lawbreakers or other external forces, that requires them to choose between different risks posed to the public.” Id. at 1227. The Court stressed that under the police emergency exception, officers had “no option but to choose between two different evils. It is this choice between risks that is entitled to the protection of sovereign immunity in appropriate cases, because it involves what essentially is a discretionary act of executive deci
Neither Pinellas Park nor Kaisner applied the police emergency exception as a basis for immunity. Thus, this Court has never had the occasion to determine under what circumstances, if any, the police emergency exception would constitute a planning-level decision under the Commercial Carrier test so as to render the responsible governmental entity immune from liability, as opposed to circumstances surrounding whether the responding police were negligent under the totality of the circumstances. Because we conclude that the circumstances of this case would not fall under the narrow exception outlined in Pinellas Park and Kaisner, we do not reach the viability of that doctrine here.
In this case, the motion for summary judgment was based on the County’s assertion that it was immune from suit as a matter of law because the officers were responding to an emergency — a motion Rodriguez opposed by presenting evidence that the police failed to adhere to reasonable standards of public safety. Here, the trial judge, while recognizing that there was a recording of most of the facts surrounding the shooting, concluded that the video did not include all of the relevant chain of events and did not include any auditory track. Further, in this case, the affidavit of the expert retired police officer asserted that the responding officers committed a number of errors that created a dangerous situation. The trial court denied the summary judgment motion, stating that there were disputed issues of fact as to whether a serious emergency existed and whether the police response created or added to the danger.
We conclude that the trial court properly denied summary judgment. Although the County moved for summary judgment, disputed issues of fact remain, including whether the police created or substantially contributed to the shooting through negligent acts, as alleged by Rodriguez. In addition, the video upon which the County relies does not provide the entire story. Thus, we agree that the police emergency exception does not apply as a matter of law to immunize the County from suit in this case. Rather, the focus is on whether or not the police officers were negligent under all the circumstances, which would include the fact that the police officers were responding to a burglary, and whether they perceived that they were facing a serious threat that required immediate action through the use of deadly force. On the other hand, assuming the jury finds negligence, the actions of Rodriguez could be considered by the jury as comparative negligence in contributing to causing, or being the cause of, his own injuries.
There is no question that, by virtue of what police officers do every day, they are often exposed to dangerous situations, especially when responding to calls involving crimes in progress. But it is quite another thing to say that when the police respond to those situations, their employer is always immune from suit arising from negligent acts. If police agencies were immune from tort suits in all situations where the police are called to respond to an ongoing crime, the police emergency exception could eviscerate the waiver of sovereign immunity for negligent conduct.
CONCLUSION
Because the County has failed to show the necessary prongs for certiorari, we
It is so ordered.
Notes
. Based on this certified direct conflict, we have jurisdiction. See art. V, § 3(b)(4), Fla. Const.
. Rodriguez also initially claimed that the police delayed providing prompt medical attention, a claim that he later abandoned.
.In fact, section 768.28(9)(a), Florida Statutes (2008), entitles an individual employed by a governmental entity to be immune from suit unless the employee has acted "in bad faith or with malicious purpose or in a manner exhibiting wanton and willful disregard of human rights, safety, or property.”
. The four-part test of Commercial Carrier asks the following:
(1) Does the challenged act, omission, or decision necessarily involve a basic governmental policy, program, or objective? (2) Is the questioned act, omission, or decision essential to the realization or accomplishment of that policy, program, or objective as opposed to one which would not change the course or direction of the policy, program, or objective? (3) Does the act, omission, or decision require the exercise of basic policy evaluation, judgment, and expertise on the part of the governmental agency involved? (4) Does the governmental agency involved possess the requisite constitutional, statutory, or lawful authority and duty to do or make the challenged act, omission, or decision? If these preliminary questions can be clearly and unequivocally answered in the affirmative, then the challenged act, omission, or decision can, with a reasonable degree of assurance, be classified as a discretionary governmental process and nontortious, regardless of its unwisdom.
Kaisner,
. Both Florida A & M and Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority denied jurisdiction based on the reasoning of Roe. Specifically, in Florida A & M,
Concurrence Opinion
concurring in result only.
Although I agree that the decision on review should be quashed, I disagree with the analysis employed by the majority. I would quash the Third District’s decision simply because there was no basis for the Third District to determine that the circuit court’s denial of summary judgment constituted a departure from the essential requirements of law.
I am inclined to agree with the Third District’s analysis regarding the proper scope of the emergency exception from the waiver of sovereign immunity. But the issue on which this case properly turns is not whether the Third District correctly applied the emergency exception. Instead, the issue is whether the Third District could properly conclude that the circuit court departed from the essential requirements of law.
A determination that the circuit court departed from the essential requirements of law in failing to apply the emergency exception is unwarranted because the scope of the emergency exception remains ill-defined in the Florida case law. Although the emergency exception is mentioned in the majority opinion in Kaisner v. Kolb,
I disagree with the majority’s conclusion that legal immunity from suit is not a proper basis for determining that the jurisdictional requirements for certiorari are satisfied. Once it is legally established that the statutory waiver of sovereign immunity is inapplicable, the sovereignly immune entity is both immune from liability and immune from suit. At that point, the erroneous continuation of legal proceedings against the immune governmental entity constitutes irreparable harm because the full benefit of the legal immunity from suit cannot be restored on appeal. The Court has never offered any cogent explanation of why the violation of immunity from suit does not constitute irreparable harm. The Court’s attempt to provide an explanation in Citizens Property Insurance Corp. v. San Perdido Ass’n,
