Rubino v. City of Sterling Heights

• Decision Date: 13 November 1979
• Docket Number: Docket No. 78-2482
• Parties: Marco RUBINO and Anna Rubino, Plaintiffs-Appellants, v. CITY OF STERLING HEIGHTS, a Municipal Corporation, Defendant-Appellee.
• Court: Court of Appeal of Michigan — District of US

Page 43

290 N.W.2d 43

94 Mich.App. 494

Marco RUBINO and Anna Rubino, Plaintiffs-Appellants, v. CITY OF STERLING HEIGHTS, a Municipal Corporation, Defendant-Appellee.

Docket No. 78-2482.

Court of Appeals of Michigan.

Nov. 13, 1979.

Released for Publication April 4, 1980.

Barry P. Waldman, Detroit, for plaintiffs-appellants.

Kenneth C. Perry, Jr., Detroit, for defendant-appellee.

Before T. M. BURNS, P. J., and CAVANAGH and MacKENZIE, JJ.

PER CURIAM.

Marco Rubino was injured on February 9, 1972, while working on a water main construction project for defendant City of Sterling Heights when a pipe plug he was removing exploded and hit his leg. Subsequently, Marco Rubino and Anna Rubino, his wife, brought an action for damages against the City of Sterling Heights. On August 4, 1977, the defendant moved for summary judgment on the ground of governmental immunity. Plaintiffs made a motion seeking to amend their complaint to include counts alleging nuisance and breach of contract. Plaintiffs appeal as of right the granting of summary judgment in favor of defendant and the denial of their motion to amend.

Plaintiffs contend that the trial court erred in granting summary judgment in favor of defendant on the ground of governmental immunity. When reviewing the granting of a motion for summary judgment under GCR 1963, 117.2(1), we assume as true the plaintiff's factual allegations as well as any conclusions reasonably drawn therefrom. We then determine whether the plaintiff's claim, on the pleadings, is so clearly unenforceable as a matter of law that no factual development can permit recovery. Antkiewicz v. Motorists Mutual Insurance Company, 91 Mich.App. 389, 283 N.W.2d 749 (1979).

Tort liability of a governmental agency is dealt with in M.C.L. § 691.1407; M.S.A. § 3.996(107), which provides in part:

"Except as in this act otherwise provided, all governmental agencies shall be immune from tort liability in all cases wherein said government agency is engaged in the exercise and discharge of a governmental function."

In Parker v. Highland Park, 404 Mich. 183, 273 N.W.2d 413 (1978), the Michigan Supreme Court dealt with the construction of the term "governmental function". Justices Fitzgerald, Kavanagh, and Levin stated that the term was limited to activities that are "of essence to governing". In a separate opinion, Justice Moody reached the following conclusion:

"To delineate a complete and balanced definition of governmental function within a simplistic format would be presumptuous. However, as a basic guideline, the crux of the governmental essence test should be founded upon the inquiry whether the purpose, planning and carrying out of the activity, due to its unique character or governmental mandate, can be effectively accomplished only by the government. Unless liability would be an unacceptable interference with government's ability to govern, activities that fall outside this perimeter, although performed by a government agency, are not governmental functions and therefore not immune." (Emphasis supplied.) 404 Mich. at 200, 273 N.W.2d at 419.

We conclude that, under Parker, the operation of a municipal water system is not a governmental function. Since the government is not the only entity involved in supplying the public with drinking water, it is not an operation that can be effectively accomplished only by the government. The public's demand for water is additionally met by various privately owned companies, property owners' associations, and other entities. The existence of privately run water distribution systems indicates that their maintenance does not necessarily require tax funding; such systems can be supported by the fees charged to users.

Further, it is significant that citizen participation in a government operated water system is not mandatory. A property owner already receiving water from a private well is not required to hook up to an available public water supply.

Finally, tort liability does not result in an impermissible interference with the government's ability to govern. A water distribution system is of such nature that potential liability may be taken into consideration as a cost of doing business. Thus, because the operation of a water distribution system is not a governmental function, the trial court erred in granting summary judgment in favor of defendant on the...