Westervelt v. Department of Corrections
Westervelt v. Department of Corrections
Opinion of the Court
Appellant, an inmate at the Ionia Reformatory, claims he was sexually at
Plaintiff claims that failure to raise the defense of governmental immunity in the first responsive pleading constitutes waiver. We disagree.
GCR 1963, 111.3 provides that defenses not asserted in the responsive pleading are waived, while GCR 1963, 118.1 permits amendment of pleadings by leave of the court. Affirmative defenses may be raised by amendment, even if not raised in the initial answer. Ben P. Fyke & Sons v Gunter Co, 390 Mich 649; 213 NW2d 134 (1973). Clearly, the affirmative defense of governmental immunity can only be waived when not asserted.
Defendant raised governmental immunity as a defense through a motion for accelerated judgment. Said motion not being brought within the time set by GCR 1963, 108.2, it must be considered a motion out of time. GCR 1963, 108.7(2) grants the trial court discretion to hear motions out of time. Guastello v Citizens Mutual Ins Co, 11 Mich
Appellant contends this case falls within the defective condition exception to governmental immunity. MCL 691.1406; MSA 3.996(106). We reject this argument. The fact that an injury occurred in a public building does not in and of itself bring that injury within the defective condition exception. Cody v Southfield-Lathrup School Dist, 25 Mich App 33; 181 NW2d 81 (1970). Plaintiffs injuries were caused by inmates rather than the physical building. His allegation of defective condition is in effect a claim that the physical structure was so designed that inmates could not be adequately supervised. Plaintiff cannot invoke the defective condition exception for failure to provide adequate supervision since the thrust of the exception is to provide redress for injuries caused by structural fault or failure to properly maintain a building. Lockaby v Wayne County, 63 Mich App 185; 234 NW2d 444 (1975). Such was hot the case here.
Plaintiffs contention that the governmental immunity statute is unconstitutional is without merit. White v Detroit, 74 Mich App 545; 254
With respect to plaintiffs nuisance claim it is based upon maintaining and operating the Ionia Reformatory in a fashion hazardous to the inmates. This claim fails even in light of the Michigan Supreme Court’s decision in Gerzeski v Dept of State Highways, 403 Mich 149; 268 NW2d 525 (1978). Gerzeski held that the nuisance exception to governmental immunity applies to intentional but not negligent nuisances. The claim in the instant case was predicated upon negligently maintaining a nuisance.
Affirmed. No costs, interpretation of a statute involved.
Dissenting Opinion
(dissenting). I cannot agree that the claims raised in plaintiff’s complaint are subject to summary dismissal by the court on the basis of governmental immunity and, therefore, dissent.
In Count III of his amended complaint, plaintiff alleged that the "facility was designed, constructed, maintained and operated in a dangerous and defective condition in that it did not provide for constant and unobstructed observation of all areas by the supervisory personnel” and that the facility "was dangerous in that it physically separated the plaintiff and potentially dangerous inmates from observation and supervision by the correctional facility staff”.
In two recent opinions, a five-member majority
Plaintiff has pled facts which bring his complaint within the statutory exception as interpreted by the Supreme Court. He is claiming a defect in the building, not mere negligence in the supervision of the inmates in the building. Whether he can prove that a correctional facility which does not provide for constant observation is a defective building, or whether, if shown to be defective, the building was the cause of his injuries is something to be shown at trial. See, Lockaby v Wayne County, 63 Mich App 185, 191; 234 NW2d 444 (1975) (N. J. Kaufman, J., dissenting in part), lv gtd, 400 Mich 814 (1977). The Court of Claims, by summarily dismissing the complaint, and the majority, by affirming that dismissal, are confusing the legal and fact-finding roles of the Court of Claims. Plaintiff is entitled to trial on the merits of the defective building allegations.
Similarly, I disagree with the majority’s analysis of plaintiff’s claim of nuisance in Count IV of the complaint. There may be a variance between what plaintiff has alleged and what he can prove, but
I would reverse and remand for further proceedings in the Court of Claims.
The point in question is discussed in § IIB of Justice Fitzgerald’s opinion in Pichette v Manistique Public Schools. The Chief Justice and Justice Levin signed the opinion authored by Justice Fitzgerald. Justices Moody and Williams joined in this part of Justice Fitzgerald’s opinion in their own separate opinions.
Since there was no majority opinion in either of the cited cases, the applicable rule to be drawn from them is unclear. See, Affiliated FM Ins Co v Department of State Highways, 86 Mich App 203; — NW2d — (1978). At the very least, governmental immunity is no bar to an intentionally created nuisance in fact, the position set forth by Justices Moody and Williams.
Reference
- Cited By
- 3 cases
- Status
- Published