Kasco v. Tuscarawas County, Unpublished Decision (1-21-2003)
Kasco v. Tuscarawas County, Unpublished Decision (1-21-2003)
Opinion of the Court
OPINION
{¶ 1} Plaintiff-appellant Michael Kasco, Jr. appeals from the June 25, 2002, Judgment Entry of the Tuscarawas County Court of Common Pleas granting, in part, the Motion for Summary Judgment filed by defendants-appellees Tuscarawas County, Tuscarawas County Commissioners, and Tuscarawas County Engineer.{¶ 3} On August 30, 2001, appellant Michael Kasco, Jr. filed a complaint against appellees Tuscarawas County, Tuscarawas County Commissioners, Tuscarawas County Engineer and against Kelcorp Construction in the Tuscarawas County Court of Common Pleas. Appellant, in his complaint, alleged, in part, that appellees were negligent in the design and construction of the bridge, resulting in damage to appellant's property, and that appellee Tuscarawas County, by and through its agents, wrongfully appropriated part of appellant's land for construction of the bridge. Appellees filed an answer to appellant's complaint on September 10, 2001. As memorialized in a Judgment Entry filed on February 26, 2002, appellant was granted a default judgment against Kelcorp Construction on the issue of liability.
{¶ 4} Thereafter, appellees filed a Motion for Summary Judgment on May 17, 2002. After appellant filed a memorandum in opposition to the same on June 12, 2002, appellees filed a reply brief on June 24, 2002. Following an oral hearing on appellees' motion, the trial court, pursuant to a Judgment Entry filed on June 25, 2002, granted appellees' motion in part and denied the same in part. The trial court specifically denied appellees' motion on the issue of whether or not appellee Tuscarawas County, by and through its agents, had wrongfully appropriated appellant's property. The trial court, in its entry, indicated that there was "no just reason for delay" pursuant to Civ.R. 54(B).
{¶ 5} It is from the trial court's June 25, 2002, Judgment Entry that appellant now appeals, raising the following assignments of error:
{¶ 6} "I. The trial court erred in granting summary judgment in favor of defendant/appellee, Tuscarawas County and Tuscarawas County Engineer, in that they do not have immunity under O.R.C. Chapter 2744 for bridge construction and design.
{¶ 7} "II. The trial court erred in granting summary judgment in favor of defendant/appellee, Tuscarawas County and Tuscarawas County Engineers, in that they do not have immunity under O.R.C. Chapter 2744 for claims based upon and resulting in violations of the United States and Ohio Constitutions.
{¶ 8} "III. The trial court committed prejudicial error in the language of its June 25, 2002 judgment entry when it found and adjudged appellant had no recoverable claims against "all defendants" named in causes of action 1, 2 and 3 of said appellant's complaint."
{¶ 10} Summary judgment proceedings present the appellate court with the unique opportunity of reviewing the evidence in the same manner as the trial court. Smiddy v. The Wedding Party, Inc. (1987),
{¶ 11} "Summary judgment shall be rendered forthwith if the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, written admissions, affidavits, transcripts of evidence in the pending case and written stipulations of fact, if any, timely filed in the action, show that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. * * * A summary judgment shall not be rendered unless it appears from such evidence or stipulation and only from the evidence or stipulation, that reasonable minds can come to but one conclusion and that conclusion is adverse to the party against whom the motion for summary judgment is made, such party being entitled to have the evidence or stipulation construed most strongly in the party's favor."
{¶ 12} Pursuant to the above rule, a trial court may not enter summary judgment if it appears a material fact is genuinely disputed. The party moving for summary judgment bears the initial burden of informing the trial court of the basis for its motion and identifying those portions of the record that demonstrate the absence of a genuine issue of material fact. The moving party may not make a conclusory assertion that the non-moving party has no evidence to prove its case. The moving party must specifically point to some evidence which demonstrates the moving party cannot support its claim. If the moving party satisfies this requirement, the burden shifts to the non-moving party to set forth specific facts demonstrating there is a genuine issue of material fact for trial. Vahila v. Hall,
{¶ 13} The parties in the case sub judice do not dispute that appellee Tuscarawas County is a political subdivision as such term is defined in R.C.
{¶ 14} "(A)(1) * * * Except as provided in division (B) of this section, political subdivision is not liable in damages in a civil action for injury, death, or loss to persons or property allegedly caused by an act or omission of the political subdivision or an employee of the political subdivision in connection with a governmental or proprietary function."
{¶ 15} In order to overcome the above general grant of immunity, a plaintiff must fit within one of the five exceptions to immunity contained in R.C.
{¶ 16} "(B) Subject to sections
{¶ 17} "(1) Except as otherwise provided in this division, political subdivisions are liable for injury, death, or loss to person or property caused by the negligent operation of any motor vehicle by their employees upon the public roads, highways, or streets when the employees are engaged within the scope of their employment and authority . . .
{¶ 18} "(2) Except as otherwise provided in sections
{¶ 19} "(3) Except as otherwise provided in section
{¶ 20} "(4) Except as otherwise provided in section
{¶ 21} "(5) In addition to the circumstances described in divisions (B)(1) to (4) of this section, a political subdivision is liable for injury, death, or loss to person or property when liability is expressly imposed upon the political subdivision by a section of the Revised Code, including, but not limited to, sections
{¶ 22} Thus, the issue for determination is whether bridge construction and design are governmental, as opposed to proprietary, functions. The definitions of governmental function and proprietary function are mutually exclusive. Greene Cty. Agricultural Soc. v.Liming,
{¶ 23} R.C.
{¶ 24} "Governmental function" means a function of a political subdivision that is specified in division (C)(2) of this section or that satisfies any of the following:
{¶ 25} "(a) A function that is imposed upon the state as an obligation of sovereignty and that is performed by a political subdivision voluntarily or pursuant to legislative requirement;
{¶ 26} "(b) A function that is for the common good of all citizens of the state;
{¶ 27} "(c) A function that promotes or preserves the public peace, health, safety, or welfare; that involves activities that are not engaged in or not customarily engaged in by nongovernmental persons; and that is not specified in division (G)(2) of this section as a proprietary function."
{¶ 28} In turn, R.C.
{¶ 29} In contrast, R.C.
{¶ 30} "(1) "Proprietary function" means a function of a political subdivision that is specified in division (G)(2) of this section or that satisfies both of the following:
{¶ 31} "(a) The function is not one described in division (C)(1)(a) or (b) of this section and is not one specified in division (C)(2) of this section;
{¶ 32} "(b) The function is one that promotes or preserves the public peace, health, safety, or welfare and that involves activities that are customarily engaged in by nongovernmental persons."
{¶ 33} We find that the construction and design of a bridge are governmental functions under R.C.
{¶ 34} Based on the foregoing, we find that the construction and design of a bridge are governmental functions. Since none of the exceptions to nonliability set forth in R.C. 2744(B), cited above, are applicable, we find that the trial court did not err in holding that appellee Tuscarawas County was immune from liability.
{¶ 35} We further find that appellee Tuscarawas County Engineer is immune from liability. Pursuant to R.C.
{¶ 36} For the foregoing reasons, we find that the trial court did not err in granting summary judgment in favor of appellees Tuscarawas County and Tuscarawas County Engineer with respect to the issue of bridge construction and design.
{¶ 37} Appellant's first assignment of error is, therefore, overruled.
{¶ 39} As is stated above, appellant, in his complaint, alleged in his Fourth Cause of Action that appellee Tuscarawas County, by and through its agents, wrongfully appropriated appellant's land while constructing the bridge. The trial court, in its June 25, 2002, Judgment Entry, expressly held that appellee Tuscarawas County was not entitled to summary judgment on such cause of action. There are no other causes of action in appellant's complaint alleging such an unconstitutional taking.
{¶ 40} Appellant's second assignment of error is, therefore, overruled.
{¶ 42} The trial court, in its June 25, 2002, Judgment Entry, stated, in part, as follows:
{¶ 43} "FINDS that from a review of the evidence to be considered pursuant to Rule 56, Ohio Rules of Civil Procedure, reasonable minds can come to but one (1) conclusion on Plaintiff's Causes of Action 1, 2, and 3 pertaining to all Defendants and on Causes of Action 1, 2, 3 and 4 pertaining to all individual Defendants as those causes of action are set forth in the Complaint against the Defendants and that conclusion is unfavorable to the Plaintiff, the party against whom the Motion for Summary Judgment has been made, said Plaintiff having been entitled to, and having received, a construction of said evidence most strongly in his favor." (Emphasis Supplied.) . . .
{¶ 44} "FINDS that the evidence allowed to be considered on a Summary Judgment Motion supports the conclusion that Plaintiff has no recoverable claims against all Defendants on Causes of Action 1, 2, and 3 and no recoverable claims against the individual Defendant on Cause of Action 4 as well." (Emphasis Supplied.) . . .
{¶ 45} "ORDERED, ADJUDGED and DECREED that Defendant's 5/17/2002 Motion for Summary Judgment is Granted as follows:
{¶ 46} "Summary Judgment is Granted to all individual Defendants against Plaintiff on Causes of Action 1, 2, 3, and 4." Appellant argues that by including the above underlined language in its entry, the trial court may, "in its exuberance", have reversed the default judgment granted in favor of appellant and against Kelcorp.
{¶ 47} However, as noted by appellees, in their brief, Kelcorp Corporation did not join in the Motion for Summary Judgment filed by appellees. The language "all Defendants" clearly, therefore, only applies to appellees.
{¶ 48} Appellant's third assignment of error is, therefore, overruled.
{¶ 49} Accordingly, the judgment of the Tuscarawas County Court of Common Pleas is affirmed.
Edwards, J., Farmer, P.J. and Boggins, J. concur In Re: Sovereign Immunity/Bridge.
"A) Except as provided in division (B) of this section, the county engineer shall have general charge of the following: "(1) Construction, reconstruction, improvement, maintenance, and repair of all bridges and highways within the engineer's county, under the jurisdiction of the board of county commissioners;"
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.