Galvan v. Board of County Commissioners for Curry County

261 F. Supp. 3d 1140
CourtDistrict Court, D. New Mexico
DecidedJune 1, 2017
DocketCiv. No. 16-535 GJF/KRS
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 261 F. Supp. 3d 1140 (Galvan v. Board of County Commissioners for Curry County) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. New Mexico primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Galvan v. Board of County Commissioners for Curry County, 261 F. Supp. 3d 1140 (D.N.M. 2017).

Opinion

[1142]*1142MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

THE HONORABLE GREGORY J. FOURATT, UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE, Presiding by Consent

, THIS MATTER is before the Court on Defendant’s “Motion for Summary Judgment No. I: Notice Under the New Mexico Tort Claims Act” (“Motion”) [ECF No. 24], filed Fébruary 17, 2017. After careful considération of the pertinent law, the parties’ briefing, and the testimony and exhibits introduced at the May 11, 2017 evidentiary hearing, the Court will grant the Motion and will dismiss for lack of jurisdiction Plaintiffs claim of negligence under the New Mexico Tort Claims Act. For the reasons discussed below, the Court concludes that the Defendant did not have actual notice that litigation was likely to ensue against it as a result of the inrhate-on-inmate assault that Plaintiff suffered in the Curry County Detention Center. Furthermore, the Court concludes that Plaintiff was not physically or legally incapacitated in the aftermath of the ássault so as to' excuse her failure to comply -with the notice requirements of the New Mexico Tort Claims Act. :

I. BACKGROipND AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

This case arises out of Plaintiffs incarceration at the' Curry County Detention Center “Women’s Annex” in Clovis, New Mexico. Pl.’s Compl. 2, ECF No. 1. Plaintiff was incarcerated there from January 21, 2014, through May 30, 2014, when she was transferred to another facility. Id. Plaintiff alleges that on or about February 1, 2014, she was battered by another inmate, during which she sustained a broken hand, scratches on her face, and bruising on her head, knee, and face. Id. at 3-4. Plaintiff further alleges that the incident occurred in parj; due to overcrowding, insufficient staffing of correctional officers and staff, and inadequate building maintenance, including roof leaks and toxic black mold. Id. at 3.

On May 20, 2014, in preparation for filing her lawsuit, Plaintiff submitted written notice via counsel of her tort claim to the Curry County Clerk. Def.’s Mot., Ex. C at 3-4, ECF No. 24. Plaintiffs written notice stated in part;

Notice is hereby given to you pursuant to the New Mexico Tort Claims Act (41-4-1 et seq.), that my client Veronica Galvan was beaten by an inmate by the name of Kimberly Lee More [sic] in January, 2014. An incident report was made and the Curry County Adult Detention Center was on actual notice of the incident. Ms. Galvan suffered [sic] was pulled out of a chair and beaten (including being kneed in the face), resulting in á scratch on her ‘face (chin) and several bumps' on her head. She continues to suffer headaches from the incident but has been denied proper medical care including but not limited to the performance of an M.R.I. of her skull along with other diagnosis and treatment of her condition. Ms. Galvan had indicated to Detention Center employees that there was a problem with Ms. Kimberly Moore'being housed in the annex because she is the wife of Mr. Guerra. Ms. Galvkn is a close friend of the Perez family. Despite this known animosity, Ms. Galvan was continued to be housed- with her in the Women’s Annex. Notice of tort claim pursuant to § 41-4-6 NMSA is hereby given for the negligence of. the Curry County Board of Commissioners in the operation and/or maintenance of the Women’s Annex and failure to provide Ms. Galvan with proper medical care in a timely fashion in. violation of § 41-4-9 and 10 NMSA.-A claim for violation of Ms. Gal-van’s civil rights, and privileges and immunities secured by the constitution and [1143]*1143laws of the United States and New Mexico is also asserted pursuant to § 41-4-12 NMSA.

Id.

Plaintiff then filed this case on June 7, 2016, asserting claims against Defendant for violations of the Fourteenth Amendment and negligence under the New Mexico Tort Claims Act.1 Pl.’s Compl. 8-13. On February 17, 2017, Defendant moved for summary judgment on Plaintiffs negligence claim. ECF No. 24. Plaintiff responded on February 28, 2017 (ECF No. 25), and Defendant replied on March 13, 2017 (ECF No. 26). .

II. SUMMARY OF ARGUMENTS

Defendant argues that Plaintiffs claim under the New Mexico Tort Claims Act must be dismissed because she did not comply with the statutory requirement concerning written notice. Furthermore, Defendant.contends that Plaintiff is unable to establish actual notice by depending solely on the jail’s incident report since the report did not alert the County,that litigation was likely, to ensue against it, Def.’s Mot. 1-6. In response, Plaintiff does not dispute that she did not comply with the statute’s 90-day written notice requirement. Instead, she asserts that the jail’s internal incident report provided Defendant with actual notice that Plaintiff would bring this lawsuit. Alternatively, Plaintiff argues that the 90-day clock for providing notice was tolled because she was incapacitated as a result of the beating she suffered. Pl.’s Resp. 6-11.

III. ANALYSIS

Under the New Mexico Tort Claims Act, a claimant ordinarily must submit her claim to the appropriate government official within 90 days of the alleged tort. In pertinent part, the statute governing notice provides:

A. Every person who claims damages from the state or any local public body under the Tort Claims Act shall cause to be presented to.... the county clerk of a county for claims against the county, .... within ninety days after an occurrence giving rise to a claim for which immunity has been waived under the Tort Claims Act, a written notice stating the time, place and circumstances of the loss or injury.

N.M. Stat, Ann. § 41-4-16 (1977) (emphasis added). The purpose of the notice requirement “is to ensure that the agency allegedly at fault is notified that it may be subject to a lawsuit.” Lopez v. State, 122 N.M. 611, 930 P.2d 146, 149 (1996). This notice requirement permits the governmental entity “to protect itself against false or exaggerated claims while also permitting it to identify and settle meritorious claims.” Lopez, 930 P.2d at 149. If the notice requirement is not met, a court lacks jurisdiction to consider the case. See § 41-4-16(B) (“No suit or action for which immunity has been waived under the Tort Claims Act shall be maintained and no court shall haye jurisdiction to consider any suit or action against the state or any local public body unless notice .has been given as required by this section....”).

A. Exception to the General Rule: Actual Notice

The statute provides both an exception and a tolling provision that are relevant to [1144]*1144the instant Motion. First, the written notice requirement is excused in situations where the governmental entity had actual notice. In relevant part, Section 41-4-16 provides:

B. No suit or action for which immunity has been waived under the Tort Claims Act shall be maintained and no court shall have jurisdiction to consider any suit or action against the state or any local public body unless notice has been given as required by this section, or unless the governmental entity had actual notice of the occurrence.

Id. (emphasis added).

Whether a state or local government body should be imputed to have received actual notice is a threshold issue to be determined by the trial court.

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Bluebook (online)
261 F. Supp. 3d 1140, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/galvan-v-board-of-county-commissioners-for-curry-county-nmd-2017.