Henderman v. WATER & SEWERAGE AUTHORITY

Decision Date17 May 1999
Docket NumberNo. S99A0407.,S99A0407.
Citation271 Ga. 192,515 S.E.2d 617
CourtGeorgia Supreme Court
PartiesHENDERMAN et al. v. WALTON COUNTY WATER & SEWERAGE AUTHORITY et al.

OPINION TEXT STARTS HERE

Cheryl Regina Benton Reid, Thomas O. Marshall, Holland & Knight, LLP, Atlanta, for Henderman et al.

Thomas Monroe Mitchell, Richard A. Carothers, Carothers & Mitchell, LLC, Buford, Allan R. Roffman, Lambert & Roffman, Madison, Christina A. Craddock, William S. Allred, Bovis, Kyle & Burch, Atlanta, for Walton County Water and Sewerage Authority et al.

FLETCHER, Presiding Justice.

David Henderman and Glenda Henderman brought suit against the Walton County Water and Sewerage Authority, its manager Wendell Geiger, and Hightower Consulting Engineers alleging that the defendants negligently designed, inspected, and maintained the water lines into the Hendermans' home and that the Hendermans suffered personal and property damage from bacteria-laden water. The Hendermans appeal the trial court's grant of summary judgment to the Authority and Geiger on the grounds of sovereign immunity and to Hightower on the basis that the Hendermans failed to establish that Hightower committed any negligent act. Because the legislature did not exceed its authority in granting sovereign immunity to the Authority and because the record shows that there are no genuine issues of material fact with regard to the claims against Hightower, we affirm.

1. The legislation creating the Authority provides that it is "deemed to be a political subdivision of the State of Georgia" and that it "shall have the same immunity and exemption from liability for torts and negligence as Walton County."1 The creation of a political subdivision of the state and the extension of immunity to that subdivision is within the authority of the legislature.2 Therefore, the trial court did not err in granting summary judgment to the Authority on the basis of sovereign immunity.

2. The Hendermans sued Geiger in his individual capacity, alleging that he refused to flush the water lines in the subdivision following the Hendermans' request. The Hendermans contend that the decision to flush the lines was a ministerial act and therefore Geiger may be held liable if he acted negligently.3 Geiger contends that the decision to flush the lines is discretionary and therefore he is entitled to immunity unless he acted with malice or an intent to injure.4 Generally, a discretionary act is one that requires the examination of facts and the exercise of considered judgment before deciding on a course of action,5 whereas a ministerial act is one that is a mandatory fixed obligation for which mandamus will lie to compel performance.6 Whether an act is discretionary or ministerial depends on the facts of the case.7

There is no evidence in the record regarding any policy of the Authority that required flushing of lines when a customer complained. Rather, the evidence showed that the Authority left the decision on when to flush the lines to the judgment of the manager. Therefore, the decision to flush the lines is a discretionary act. Because the Hendermans presented no evidence to raise a triable issue of fact regarding whether Geiger acted with malice or an actual intent to injure, the trial court properly granted...

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9 cases
  • Barnett v. Caldwell
    • United States
    • Georgia Supreme Court
    • January 29, 2018
    ...even considering statutory mandate that school officials "shall" create a school safety plan); Henderman v. Walton Cty. Water & Sewerage Auth ., 271 Ga. 192, 193, 515 S.E.2d 617 (1999) (water authority manager failed to flush water lines after complaint by a customer). These holdings make s......
  • McDowell v. Smith
    • United States
    • Georgia Supreme Court
    • June 29, 2009
    ...a discretionary duty because it called for the exercise of personal deliberation and judgment); Henderman v. Walton County Water & Sewerage Auth., 271 Ga. 192, 193(2), 515 S.E.2d 617 (1999) (refusal to flush water lines after complaint by a customer was a discretionary act where no policy r......
  • Murray v. Georgia Dept. of Transp.
    • United States
    • Georgia Court of Appeals
    • March 19, 2007
    ...punctuation omitted.) Common Cause/Ga. v. City of Atlanta, 279 Ga. 480, 482, 614 S.E.2d 761 (2005) Henderman v. Walton County Water & Sewerage Auth., 271 Ga. 192, 193, 515 S.E.2d 617 (1999). To prove that an employee's act was ministerial because a mandamus could have been successfully soug......
  • Youngblood v. GWINNETT ROCKDALE NEWTON
    • United States
    • Georgia Supreme Court
    • April 12, 2001
    ...to extend to a political subdivision of this state "the same immunity" as a particular county. Henderman v. Walton County Water & Sewerage Authority, 271 Ga. 192, 193(1), 515 S.E.2d 617 (1999). See also Athens-Clarke County v. Torres, 246 Ga.App. 215, 217(2), 540 S.E.2d 225 (2000). Henderma......
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