Schmitz v. Xenia Board of Education, Unpublished Decision (1-17-2003)
Schmitz v. Xenia Board of Education, Unpublished Decision (1-17-2003)
Opinion of the Court
OPINION
{¶ 1} Plaintiff-appellant Serena Schmitz, both individually and as the administrator of the estate of Terry D. Schmitz, II, deceased, appeals from an order of the trial court dismissing her complaint against the Xenia Board of Education, defendant-appellee, for failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted. Schmitz contends that the trial court erred in concluding that her complaint, sounding in employer intentional tort, is barred by the statutory immunity provided to school districts and other governmental entities by R.C.{¶ 2} We conclude that a cause of action for employer intentional tort cannot arise out of a plaintiff's employment or a plaintiff's decedent's employment, or it would be barred by the immunity extended to employers by virtue of R.C.
{¶ 3} In her reply brief, for the first time, Schmitz contends that her causes of action for loss of consortium and infliction of emotional distress should not have been dismissed because they are not derivative claims. This argument was not made in Schmitz' original brief, and is not responsive to any arguments set forth in the Xenia Board of Education's brief. Accordingly, we conclude that that is not properly raised.
{¶ 4} The judgment of the trial court is Affirmed.
{¶ 6} The twelfth paragraph of Schmitz's complaint is worth setting forth in full: "12. Pursuant to Mitchell v. Lawson Milk Co.,
{¶ 7} "(A) The Defendant Xenia Board of Education did not furnish employment and a place of employment which were free from recognized hazards that were causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm to employees, in that the out rigging devices provided with the Genie personnel lift were not utilized; yet, despite knowledge of the risk of harm to an employee operating and/or using such life, Defendant Xenia Board of Education required Plaintiff's decedent Terry D. Schmitz, II, to work such that a tip over of the lift and hence serious injury was substantially certain to occur.
{¶ 8} "(B) Defendant Xenia Board of Education did not assess hazards regarding the use of the Genie personnel lift; yet, despite knowledge of the risk inherent in operating a Genie personnel lift without the use of outrigging devices, Defendant Xenia Board of Education required Plaintiff's decedent Terry D. Schmitz, II, to work such that the lift could tip over and hence serious injury was substantially certain to occur.
{¶ 9} "(C) Defendant Xenia Board of Education knowingly failed to provide appropriate training pursuant to Hannah v. Dayton Power Light,
{¶ 10} "(D) Defendant Xenia Board of Education knowingly failed to promulgate and enforce polices and/or procedures regarding the use of the genie personnel Lift in high winds, without assistance, and without conditioning use of the lift on using the outriggers.
{¶ 11} "Despite knowledge of these requirements of the law, Defendant Xenia Board of Education failed to comply with said requirements and required Plaintiff's decedent Terry D. Schmitz, II, to work under circumstances such that a tip over of the Genie Personnel Lift was substantially certain to occur, and in fact did occur, proximately causing Plaintiff's decedent injuries, death and damages."
{¶ 12} The Board moved to dismiss Schmitz's complaint for failure to state a claim upon which relief could be granted, pursuant to Civ.R. 12(B)(6). The Board asserted that it is immune from liability by virtue of R.C. Chapter 2744. The trial court agreed with the Board and dismissed the complaint. Schmitz appeals from the dismissal of her complaint.
{¶ 14} "The trial court erred to the prejudice of appellant by granting appellee's motion to dismiss."
{¶ 15} Both parties agree that the statutory immunity from liability enjoyed by school districts and other political subdivisions of the State of Ohio is subject to the following exception: "Civil actions by an employee, or the collective bargaining representative of an employee against his political subdivision relative to any matter that arises out of the employment relationship between the employee and the political subdivision." R.C.
{¶ 16} We addressed this very question in Stanley v. City ofMiamisburg (Jan. 28, 2000), Montgomery App. No. 17912. We concluded, in that decision, that a cause of action for an employer intentional tort is not related to "any matter that arises out of the employment relationship between the employee and the political subdivision." The essence of an employer intentional tort is that the intentional injury "effects a complete breach of the employment relationship, and for purposes of the legal remedy for such an injury, the two parties are not employer and employee, but intentional tortfeasor and victim. . . ." Brady v.Safety-Kleen Corp. (1991),
{¶ 17} Schmitz urges us to reconsider our decision in Stanley v.City of Miamisburg, supra, in light of Donnely v. Herron (2000),
{¶ 18} We are not persuaded that Donnely v. Herron, supra, affects the analysis in Stanley v. City of Miamisburg, supra. The immunity provided to employers under the workers' compensation statute is comparable to the immunity provided to fellow employees under that statute. The immunity provided to employers is set forth in R.C.
{¶ 19} Considering the municipal immunity and workers' compensation immunity statutes together, there appear to be two mutually exclusive possibilities. Either an injury received by an employee arises out of his employment, in which event the employer is entitled to immunity under R.C.
{¶ 20} In short, Schmitz cannot have it both ways. She cannot assert that her late husband's injury arose out of his employment relationship with the Board, for purposes of claiming the exception to municipal immunity, while simultaneously claiming that the injury did not arise out of his employment, so as to avoid workers' compensation immunity. We are not persuaded that we should overrule Stanley v. City ofMiamisburg, supra, which we approve and follow.
{¶ 21} Near the very end of her reply brief, Schmitz argues, for the first time, that her causes of action for loss of consortium and for infliction of emotional distress are independent claims, and are not derivative of the wrongful death claim. In her original brief, Schmitz did not refer to any causes of action other than the employer intentional tort claim. At no point in her original brief did Schmitz contend that the trial court improperly dismissed her other causes of action.
{¶ 22} The filing of a reply brief is provided for in App.R. 16(C), which provides, in pertinent part, that: "The appellant may file a brief in reply to the brief of appellee * * *." Because a reply brief is intended to constitute a reply to the appellee's brief, new assignments of error are not permitted. Sheppard v. Mack (1980),
{¶ 23} Schmitz's sole assignment of error is overruled.
GRADY and YOUNG, JJ, concur.
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