Talmadge v. District School Bd. of Lake County, 77-1514

Decision Date01 March 1978
Docket NumberNo. 77-1514,77-1514
Citation355 So.2d 502
PartiesRobert TALMADGE, by his next friend and natural guardian, Billy Talmadge, and Billy Talmadge, Individually, Appellants, v. DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD OF LAKE COUNTY, Sonny Walters, and Auto Owners Insurance Company, Appellees.
CourtFlorida District Court of Appeals

David M. Hammond of Meyers, Mooney & Adler, P. A., Orlando, for appellants.

Monroe E. McDonald of Sanders, McEwan, Mims & McDonald, Orlando, for appellee Walters.

RYDER, Judge.

Talmadge appeals an order of the trial court dismissing Walters as a defendant in a suit filed by Talmadge against Walters, appellee District School Board of Lake County (Board), and their insurer, Auto Owners Insurance Company. We reverse for reasons hereafter expressed.

Talmadge was a student at Tavares Middle School and Walters was his physical education instructor. Talmadge filed a complaint against Walters, the Board, and its insurer seeking damages for injuries received while Talmadge was performing on a trampoline. The complaint alleged that Walters forced Talmadge to perform certain acrobatics on the trampoline against his will, and while so performing, Talmadge sustained injuries to his knee and teeth. Talmadge further alleged Walters had provided him with only minimal instructions on the trampoline and that Talmadge had little experience on the equipment and was therefore unprepared to safely perform the acrobatics demanded by Walters.

Walters filed a motion to dismiss himself as a defendant in the lawsuit on the ground that, under Section 768.28(9), Florida Statutes (1975), no cause of action exists against him. The motion to dismiss was granted and the propriety of the granting of this motion is the sole issue on appeal.

Section 768.28(9), Florida Statutes (1975), does not clearly provide that no cause of action may be sustained against an employee of the Board, nor does it clearly provide that an individual employee is immune from suit as a result of injuries sustained due to his negligence. While it does state, "No . . . employee, or agent of the state . . . shall be held personally liable in tort . . .," the statute goes on to indemnify such an employee for a monetary judgment rendered against him personally with the following language:

". . . (T)he state shall pay any monetary judgment which is rendered in a civil action personally against an . . . employee . . . which arises as a result of any act . . . within the scope of his...

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5 cases
  • District School Bd. of Lake County v. Talmadge
    • United States
    • Florida Supreme Court
    • February 14, 1980
    ...background of conflicting district court decisions. Donner v. Hetherington, 370 So.2d 1225 (Fla. 3d DCA 1979); Talmadge v. District School Board, 355 So.2d 502 (Fla. 2d DCA 1978); Paul v. Heritage Insurance Co. of America, 363 So.2d 563 (Fla. 3d DCA 1978); Metropolitan Dade County v. Kelly,......
  • Donner v. Hetherington
    • United States
    • Florida District Court of Appeals
    • May 15, 1979
    ...favor. 1 In Paul v. Heritage Ins. Co. of America, 363 So.2d 563 (Fla. 3d DCA 1978), following Talmadge v. District School Board of Lake County, 355 So.2d 502 (Fla. 2d DCA 1978), we interpreted Sec. 768.28(9), Florida Statutes (1977) to permit the maintenance of an action against a public em......
  • Rice v. Lee, s. AZ-365
    • United States
    • Florida District Court of Appeals
    • July 2, 1985
    ...of action within the scope of his employment or function. (Emphasis supplied.) The case of Talmadge v. District School Board of Lake County, 355 So.2d 502 (Fla.2d DCA 1978) (Talmadge I), involved review of a trial court ruling in a negligence action wherein the School Board, its insurer, an......
  • Paul v. Heritage Ins. Co. of America, 77-2539
    • United States
    • Florida District Court of Appeals
    • August 15, 1978
    ...of the state employee while acting within the course and scope of state employment. That case is Talmadge v. District School Board of Lake County, 355 So.2d 502 (Fla. 2d DCA 1978). Each of these cases purported to interpret Section 768.28(9), Florida Statutes (1977), which is, in relevant p......
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