San Antonio State Hospital v. Cowan

75 S.W.3d 19, 2001 WL 1230610
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMarch 8, 2002
Docket04-01-00408-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 75 S.W.3d 19 (San Antonio State Hospital v. Cowan) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
San Antonio State Hospital v. Cowan, 75 S.W.3d 19, 2001 WL 1230610 (Tex. Ct. App. 2002).

Opinions

Opinion by

PHIL HARDBERGER, Chief Justice.

This case revisits once again whether immunity has been waived under the Texas Tort Claims Act (“Act”) based on the use or misuse of tangible personal property. In this case, suspenders and a walker were used by a suicidal, psychotic patient to terminate his existence by strangling himself to death. The suicide attempt was anticipated. It was the reason the patient was involuntarily committed to the San Antonio State Hospital (“Hospital”).

The trial court found sovereign immunity was waived because the patient’s death was caused directly and immediately by the walker and suspenders, both items of tangible personal property. We agree and affirm the trial court’s order denying the Hospital’s plea to the jurisdiction as to the appellees’ claim that the Hospital was negligent in “using or misusing tangible personal property; specifically, the suspenders and pipe from the walker which were within the State Hospital’s custody, possession and control.”

BACKGROUND

On December 15, 1997, James Roy Co-wan, Jr. (“Cowan”) was involuntarily committed to the Hospital. Pursuant to a court order, the Hospital was obligated to take protective custody of Cowan and his personal effects for his own protection. Cowan was placed on suicide watch because of psychotic behavior, acute depression, and suicidal tendencies. The Hospital was required to observe Cowan to ensure his safety and welfare every fifteen minutes. While confined in the Hospital, Cowan committed suicide by strangling himself using his suspenders and a piece of pipe from his walker. The suspenders were “logged in” by employees of the Hospital, and Cowan’s walker was observed at least twenty-one times prior to his suicide.

Cowan’s wife, individually and as representative of Cowan’s estate, and as next friend for Cowan’s minor children, sued the Hospital, alleging negligence and gross negligence claims. Specifically, the petition alleged the Hospital was negligent by:

1. Failing to properly and adequately monitor James Roy Cowan, Jr. despite actual knowledge of the necessity of doing so;
2. Failing to prohibit James Roy Co-wan, Jr. from creating circumstances whereby he could commit suicide or otherwise harm himself;
[21]*213. Failing to prohibit James Roy Co-wan, Jr. from securing implements, tangible personal property or other devices with which he could commit suicide or otherwise harm himself;
4. Failing to maintain proper control over James Roy Cowan, Jr. such as was necessary to safeguard his well-being under the same or similar circumstances;
5. Failing to properly and adequately implement their own internal policies pertinent to suicide watches and observation;
6. Using or misusing tangible personal property; specifically, the suspenders and pipe from the walker which were within the State Hospital’s custody, possession and control;
7. Failing to comply with standard medical practices or exercise sound medical discretion associated with persons under suicide watch;
8. Failing to properly secure the facility, including James Roy Cowan Jr.’s room, to prevent suicide or other harm to his person;
9. Failing to maintain a safe and controlled premises for the care and treatment of James Roy Cowan, Jr., the premises provided amounted to a premises defect; TxCivPrac & Rem Code § 101.022;
10. Failing to have the proper premises and trained personnel available to adequately and properly care and tend to the needs of James Roy Cowan, Jr.; and
11. Failing to anticipate and be prepared for complications in the care and treatment of James Roy Co-wan, Jr.

With regard to the Hospital’s sovereign immunity, the petition alleges that Co-wan’s “death and the damages sustained by Plaintiffs were caused by the condition, use or misuse of tangible personal property under circumstances where the Defendant Hospital would be liable to Plaintiffs according to Texas law were it a private person.”

The Hospital filed a plea to the jurisdiction, asserting that the appellees’ claims did not fall within one of the categories to which a waiver of sovereign immunity applies. The trial court denied the Hospital’s plea to the jurisdiction, and the Hospital filed this interlocutory appeal challenging the trial court’s order.

STANDARD OF REVIEW

A trial court’s ruling on a plea to the trial court’s subject matter jurisdiction is reviewed de novo. Herring v. Welborn, 27 S.W.3d 132, 136 (Tex.App.—San Antonio 2000, pet. denied). In determining whether jurisdiction exists, we accept all allegations in the pleadings as true. Herring, 27 S.W.3d at 136. We may also consider evidence presented to the trial court that is relevant to the jurisdictional issue. Bland Indep. Sch. Dist. v. Blue, 34 S.W.3d 547, 555 (Tex.2000). Because no evidence was presented to the trial court in the instant case, we look solely to the pleadings to determine the jurisdictional question.

SoveReign Immunity

The Texas Tort Claims Act (“Act”) “provides a limited waiver of sovereign immunity, allowing suits to be brought against governmental units only in certain, narrowly defined circumstances.” Tex. Dept. of Crim. Justice v. Miller, 51 S.W.3d 583, 587 (Tex.2001). Under the Act, a governmental entity may be held liable for personal injury caused by a condition or use of tangible personal or real property if the government entity would, were it a private person, be hable to the claimant [22]*22according to Texas law. Tex. Civ. PRAC. & Rem.Code Ann. § 101.021 (Vernon 1997).

The Hospital contends that its immunity was not waived under the Act because the petition does not allege any claim based on the use or misuse of tangible personal property or any injury resulting from a premises defect. The Hospital further contends that immunity is not waived for the petition’s claims regarding the Hospital’s failure to act.

A. Premises Defect

Although the appellees reference a premises defect in their pleadings, none of their claims is properly characterized as a premises defect claim. See Laman v. Big Spring State Hosp., 970 S.W.2d 670, 671-72 (Tex.App.—Eastland 1998, pet. denied). The appellees do not claim that Cowan’s room at the Hospital was defective or that some other condition existing on the Hospital’s real property caused Cowan’s injuries.

B. Use of Tangible Personal Property

The appellees assert that immunity is waived because the Hospital misused the suspenders and the walker by giving the items to Cowan while he was unobserved. The appellees rely on Overton Memorial Hosp. v. McGuire, 518 S.W.2d 528 (Tex. 1975).

In McGuire,

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75 S.W.3d 19, 2001 WL 1230610, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/san-antonio-state-hospital-v-cowan-texapp-2002.