City of San Antonio v. Bynum

937 S.W.2d 596, 1996 Tex. App. LEXIS 5581, 1996 WL 729264
Court of Appeals of Texas·Decided December 18, 1996·No. No. 04-96-00620-CV·Published·Cited by 2 cases

Opinion

OPINION

CHAPA, Chief Justice.

The appellees, Sharon Bynum and Jesse Handley, sued the appellants, the City of San Antonio and its police officer Kenneth Davis, for damages arising from a high-speed police chase. Davis and the City appeal the trial court’s denial of their motions for summary [598] judgment based on official immunity. We affirm the trial court’s orders as to Bynum, but we reverse the orders as to Handley and render partial judgment in favor of Davis and the City.

Summary of Facts

On Halloween night 1991, Rudy Rodriguez and several friends stole a pickup truck, which the owner reported to police contained a shotgun, rifle, and over 200 rounds of ammunition. Rodriguez drove the truck for several hours until he was spotted by Officer Davis, who turned on his emergency lights.

Rather than stop, Rodriguez sped away and, at some point, turned off his headlights. He drove over a curb, ran one stop sign, and was in the process of running a second stop sign when he hit the vehicle in which Bynum and Handley were passengers.

Bynum and Handley filed suit against Davis for pursuing Rodriguez “in a reckless manner and at speeds up to 70 m.p.h.” when Rodriguez’s headlights were turned off. They also sued the City on the basis of respondeat superior.1 Thereafter, Davis and the City independently moved for summary judgment, contending that official immunity barred the suit. When the trial court denied the motions, Davis and the City appealed. See Tex. Civ. Peac. & Rem.Code Ann. § 51.014(5) (Vernon Supp.1997) (authorizing interlocutory appeal).

Standard of Review

When reviewing the motions for summary judgment in this appeal, we recognize that movants have the burden of showing they are entitled to judgment as a matter of law because there are no genuine issues of material fact. Nixon v. Mr. Property Management Co., 690 S.W.2d 546, 548 (Tex.1985). Evidence favorable to the nonmovants is taken as true, and every reasonable inference in favor of the nonmovants is resolved in their favor. Id. at 548-49. When defendants move for summary judgment on an affirmative defense, like official immunity, they must conclusively prove each element of the defense as a matter of law. City of Lancaster v. Chambers, 883 S.W.2d 650, 653 (Tex.1994); Montgomery v. Kennedy, 669 S.W.2d 309, 310-11 (Tex.1984).

Official Immunity

The affirmative defense of official immunity is available to police officers who perform (1) discretionary duties (2) in good faith (3) within the scope of their authority. Chambers, 883 S.W.2d at 653. Here, the parties agree that Davis acted with discretion within the scope of his authority. Thus, our discussion is limited to whether Davis acted in good faith. See Antu v. Eddy, 914 S.W.2d 166, 170 (Tex.App.—San Antonio 1995, no writ).

1. Test for Good Faith

To establish his good faith as a matter of law, Davis must prove that a reasonably prudent officer, under the same or similar circumstances, might have believed that the action taken was justified. Chambers, 883 S.W.2d at 656-57; Antu, 914 S.W.2d at 171. Whether the officer is negligent is not dispositive of the good faith element. Chambers, 883 S.W.2d at 655; City of Beverly Hills v. Guevara, 911 S.W.2d 901, 904 (Tex.App.—Waco 1995, no writ).

To controvert the officer’s summary judgment proof on good faith, the plaintiffs must do more than show that a reasonably prudent officer could have decided to take a different action; the plaintiffs must produce evidence that no reasonable person in the defendant’s position could have thought that the facts were such that they justified the defendant’s acts. Chambers, 883 S.W.2d at 657; Antu, 914 S.W.2d at 171.

2. Jesse Handley

In their first point of error, Davis and the City maintain the trial court erred in denying their motions for summary judgment as to Jesse Handley because he admit[599] ted that Davis acted in good faith.2 We agree.

Davis sent Handley requests for admissions that were not answered within thirty days of service. By operation of law, these requests were deemed admitted. See Ruiz v. Nicolas Trevino Forwarding Agency, Inc., 888 S.W.2d 86, 88 (Tex.App.—San Antonio 1994, no writ). The second request stated “[t]hat at all times made the basis of this lawsuit, OFFICER KENNETH DAVIS acted in ‘good faith.’ ” This statement was sufficient to support summary judgment. See State v. Carrillo, 885 S.W.2d 212, 214 (Tex.App.—San Antonio 1994, no writ).

Accordingly, we sustain the first point of error.

3. Sharon Bynum

In their second point of error, Davis and the City contend the trial court erred in denying their motions for summary judgment as to Sharon Bynum because (1) collateral estoppel bars her claim if they are entitled to summary judgment as to Handley; and (2) there is no disputed issue of material fact. The first argument was waived because it was not presented to the trial court.3 See Tex.R.App. P. 52(a); In the Interest of Striegler, 915 S.W.2d 629, 640 (Tex.App.—Amarillo 1996, writ denied). We therefore address only the second argument.

To establish his good faith, Davis produced the affidavit of San Antonio police officer Daniel Georgiou, who summarized his credentials, including familiarity with the standard operating procedures for the City’s police department. After reviewing the pleadings, Davis’s deposition, and the relevant police reports, Georgiou testified that:

[ A] reasonable police officer in Kenneth Davis’ position on November 1,1991 could have believed that the need to immediately apprehend the suspects outweighed a clear risk of harm to the public in continuing the pursuit. It is farther my opinion that Officer Kenneth Davis complied with the Texas Motor Vehicle laws and the policies, procedures and regulations of the San Antonio Police Department at all times during the incident in question. It is my opinion that all the actions of Officer Kenneth Davis in connection with the incident in question were undertaken in good faith.

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City of San Antonio v. Bynum, 937 S.W.2d 596, 1996 Tex. App. LEXIS 5581, 1996 WL 729264 (Tex. Ct. App. 1996).

937 S.W.2d 596 (City of San Antonio v. Bynum) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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