Tompkins Ex Rel. Newby v. Carlsbad Irrigation District

1981 NMCA 072, 630 P.2d 767, 96 N.M. 368
CourtNew Mexico Court of Appeals
DecidedJune 16, 1981
Docket5068
StatusPublished
Cited by20 cases

This text of 1981 NMCA 072 (Tompkins Ex Rel. Newby v. Carlsbad Irrigation District) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New Mexico Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Tompkins Ex Rel. Newby v. Carlsbad Irrigation District, 1981 NMCA 072, 630 P.2d 767, 96 N.M. 368 (N.M. Ct. App. 1981).

Opinion

OPINION

WOOD, Judge.

Douglas, an infant approximately seventeen months old at the time, drowned in water standing in a culvert. The culvert carried irrigation ditch water underneath a highway. Plaintiff sought damages from CID (Carlsbad Irrigation District) and the directors of CID. Defendants moved to dismiss and converted that motion to one for summary judgment by the use of an exhibit showing the organization of CID and certain depositions. Rule of Civ. Proc. 12(b). The trial court denied the motion; we granted defendants’ application for an interlocutory appeal. We discuss: (1) whether a governmental entity is involved; (2) § 41-4-6, N.M.S.A. 1978; (3) § 41-4-11, N.M.S.A. 1978; and (4) the legal sufficiency of the damage claim.

Governmental Entity

Governmental entities and public employees acting within the scope of duty are granted immunity from liability for tort except as provided in the Tort Claims Act, § 41-4-4(A), N.M.S.A. 1978 (1980 Cum. Supp.). Public employee is defined to include officers of a governmental entity, § 41 — 4-3(E), N.M.S.A. 1978. The status of the individual defendants as officers of CID is not challenged; the individual defendants are public employees for the purposes of this suit if CID is a governmental entity.

Section 41 — 1-3, supra,

1. in subsection B, defines governmental entity as the state or any local public body as defined in subsections C and G;

2. in subsection C, defines local public body as all political subdivisions of the state and their agencies, instrumentalities and institutions; and

3. in subsection G, defines state or state agency to mean the State of New Mexico or any of its branches, agencies, departments, boards, instrumentalities or institutions.

The organization of CID was completed upon entry of a court order approving organization in 1933. The organization was pursuant to Chapter 73 of the Compiled Laws, 1929, see Ch. 73, Articles 10 and 11, N.M.S.A. 1978. Irrigation districts so organized were validated by Laws 1934 (S.S.), Ch. 9, now appearing as §§ 73-13 — 43 to 73-13-46, N.M.S.A. 1978. There is no issue as to the valid organization of CID; our concern is with a provision in the 1934 validating law.

Section 73-13-44, supra, refers to irrigation districts organized under the irrigation law and states “the aforesaid irrigation districts are hereby created, established and organized and continued bodies corporate and politic . . . . ” “[T]he legislature has power to create . . . political subdivisions for a public purpose.” Albuquerque Met. Arroyo Flood Con. A. v. Swinburne, 74 N.M. 487, 394 P.2d 998 (1964).

The Legislature having established CID as a “body politic,” the issue is whether a body politic is a political subdivision and, thus, a local public body under the Tort Claims Act. We do not consider whether CID is a state agency because of the decision in Hooker v. Village of Hatch, 66 N.M. 184, 344 P.2d 699 (1959), which held that the Elephant Butte Irrigation District was not an agency of the state.

Davy v. McNeill, 31 N.M. 7, 240 P. 482 (1925), states that irrigation districts are not municipal corporations, but public corporations for municipal purposes. See also Daniels v. Watson, 75 N.M. 661, 410 P.2d 193 (1966). We do not involve ourselves with the meaning of quasi-municipal because such is irrelevant in this case. See Gallagher v. Albuquerque Metro., Etc., 90 N.M. 309, 563 P.2d 103 (Ct.App.1977). Whether CID is a quasi-municipal corporation is not an issue; the issue is whether CID is a local public body.

In re Dexter-Greenfield Drainage District, 21 N.M. 286, 154 P. 382 (1915), points out that irrigation districts are organized for the purpose of exercising a public function and not for private gain. Gutierrez v. Middle Rio Grande Consv. District, 34 N.M. 346, 282 P. 1, 70 A.L.R. 1261 (1929), states that irrigation is a public use. Gibbany v. Ford, 29 N.M. 621, 225 P. 577 (1924), defined a political subdivision as “formed or maintained for the more effectual or convenient exercise of political power within certain boundaries or localities, to whom the electors residing therein are, to some extent, granted power to locally self-govern themselves.” The provisions of Ch. 73, Articles 10 and 11, N.M.S.A. 1978, meet this definition. Donalson v. San Miguel County, 1 N.M. (Gild.) 263 (1859), held that a county, authorized by the Legislature, was a body “politic and corporate.”

The authority cited in the immediately preceding paragraph would sustain a holding that CID is a political subdivision. In addition, we have a legislative declaration that an irrigation district, such as CID, is a body corporate and politic. Such a body is a political subdivision. Gallagher v. Albuquerque Metro., Etc., supra; see In re Garrison Diversion Conservancy District, 144 N.W.2d 82 (N.D.1966). CID is a local public body as defined in § 41-4-3, supra, and is a governmental entity. Accordingly, the Tort Claims Act applies to the claims against defendants.

Section 41-4-6

This section reads:

41-4-6. Liability; buildings, public parks, machinery, equipment and furnishings.
The immunity granted pursuant to Subsection A of Section 41 — 4—4 NMSA 1978 does not apply to liability for damages resulting from bodily injury, wrongful death or property damage caused by the negligence of public employees while acting within the scope of their duties in the operation or maintenance of any building, public park, machinery, equipment or furnishings. Nothing in this section shall be construed as granting waiver of immunity for any damages arising out of the operation or maintenance of works used for diversion or storage of water.

Defendants contend the last sentence of this section provides immunity from plaintiff’s damage claim. According to the depositions, the ditch involved brought water from CID’s canal; the culvert involved carried the ditch water underneath the highway; the water standing in the culvert resulted from the operation or maintenance of works used for the diversion of water.

Plaintiff does not contend that, factually, CID does not come within the last sentence of § 41-4-6, supra. Plaintiff’s contention is: “Nowhere does the section use the term irrigation district and ... if this were read into the bill, it would clearly be violative of Art. IV, § 16” of the Constitution of New Mexico.

Article IV, § 16 of our Constitution, states requirements concerning the title of legislative enactments. The titles to the New Mexico Tort Claims Act, as enacted by Laws 1976, Ch. 58, and to the amendatory act, Laws 1977, Ch. 386, are not involved.

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Bluebook (online)
1981 NMCA 072, 630 P.2d 767, 96 N.M. 368, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/tompkins-ex-rel-newby-v-carlsbad-irrigation-district-nmctapp-1981.