{ "id": 11219901, "name": "SHARON LYNN LOVELACE, Administratrix of the Estate of SHAYLA MEAGEN MOORE, and SHARON LYNN LOVELACE, Individually, Plaintiffs v. CITY OF SHELBY and THOMAS LOWELL LEE, Defendants", "name_abbreviation": "Lovelace v. City of Shelby", "decision_date": "1999-06-01", "docket_number": "No. COA98-1015", "first_page": "408", "last_page": "415", "citations": [ { "type": "official", "cite": "133 N.C. App. 408" } ], "court": { "name_abbreviation": "N.C. Ct. App.", "id": 14983, "name": "North Carolina Court of Appeals" }, "jurisdiction": { "id": 5, "name_long": "North Carolina", "name": "N.C." }, "cites_to": [ { "cite": "517 S.E.2d 896", "category": "reporters:state_regional", "reporter": "S.E.2d", "weight": 2, "year": 1998, "opinion_index": 0 }, { "cite": "349 N.C. 360", "category": "reporters:state", "reporter": "N.C.", "case_ids": [ 571529, 571604, 571668 ], "year": 1998, "opinion_index": 0, "case_paths": [ "/nc/349/0360-03", "/nc/349/0360-02", "/nc/349/0360-01" ] }, { "cite": "501 S.E.2d 78", "category": "reporters:state_regional", "reporter": "S.E.2d", "year": 1998, "opinion_index": 0 }, { "cite": "129 N.C. App. 596", "category": "reporters:state", "reporter": "N.C. 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CITY OF SHELBY and THOMAS LOWELL LEE, Defendants" ], "opinions": [ { "text": "WALKER, Judge.\nPlaintiff Sharon Lynn Lovelace, individually and in her capacity as administratrix of the estate of her daughter, Shayla Meagen Moore, filed this action on 5 November 1997. Plaintiffs alleged that the defendant City of Shelby (City) was negligent in the dispatch of firefighting personnel to plaintiffs\u2019 home resulting in the death of Shayla. Plaintiffs also made claims against defendant Thomas Lowell Lee, the owner of the house; however, he is not a party to this appeal. The allegations in plaintiffs\u2019 amended complaint relating to the claims against the City may be summarized as follows: Plaintiff and her children, including Shayla, resided at 706 Calvary Street within the corporate limits of the City. A fire was discovered inside their home, and plaintiff and two of her children exited the home, but Shayla did not. At the request of plaintiff, two or more persons contacted the City\u2019s police department by calling the 911 emergency number. Helen Earley, the 911 system operator, answered the calls and informed the callers that emergency response was forthcoming; however, she delayed six minutes before notifying the fire department. The fire department arrived approximately ten minutes after the calls were made even though the station was approximately 1.1 miles from the burning home.\nAlso included in plaintiffs amended complaint were allegations that the actions of the City had created a \u201cspecial duty\u201d or \u201cspecial relationship\u201d between the City and plaintiff:\n10. The City of Shelby, by and through its protective officers, agents and employees, created a special duty to the plaintiff and the plaintiff\u2019s decedent by acknowledging or promising protection to the plaintiff and the plaintiffs decedent, by answering the 911 calls alleged herein and by further acknowledging that, in effect, fire protection service or other appropriate emergency response would be forthcoming. The plaintiff and the plaintiffs decedent relied on the promise of protection.\n11. The defendant City of Shelby, by and through its servants and agents as alleged hereinbefore, undertook to furnish protection to specific individuals, to wit, the plaintiff and the plaintiff\u2019s decedent.\n21. As alleged hereinbefore, a special relationship was formed between the plaintiff, the plaintiff\u2019s decedent and the City of Shelby, in that the 911 operator acknowledged and accepted a responsibility of dispatching the appropriate fire protection or other protection services to the scene of the fire at plaintiff\u2019s home.\n22. The defendant City of Shelby, by and through the acts of its agents and servants, breached its promise of protection to the plaintiff and the plaintiff\u2019s decedent, and breached its promise of providing emergency protection to the plaintiff and the plaintiff\u2019s decedent.\n23. The plaintiff and the plaintiff\u2019s decedent relied on this promise of protection, and their reliance on this protection which was not forthcoming, was causally related to the injuries and death sustained by the plaintiff\u2019s decedent.\n24. The breach of this special duty and breach of agreement regarding this special relationship between the plaintiff, the plaintiff\u2019s decedent and the defendant City of Shelby was a direct and proximate cause of the injuries and death suffered by the plaintiff\u2019s decedent.\nThe City filed a motion to dismiss pursuant to N.C.R. Civ. P. 12(b)(6) which was denied by the trial court.\nFirst, we note plaintiff has moved to dismiss the City\u2019s appeal as interlocutory. In this case, the trial court\u2019s order \u201cdoes not dispose of the case, but leaves it for further action by the trial court in order to settle and determine the entire controversy.\u201d Veazey v. City of Durham, 231 N.C. 357, 362, 57 S.E.2d 377, 381, reh\u2019g denied, 232 N.C. 744, 59 S.E.2d 429 (1950). Thus, the appeal is interlocutory. However, the appeal may be heard \u201cif the trial court\u2019s decision deprives the appellant of a substantial right which would be lost absent immediate review.\u2019\u2019 Bartlett v. Jacobs, 124 N.C. App. 521, 524, 477 S.E.2d 693, 695 (1996), disc. review denied, 345 N.C. 340, 483 S.E.2d 161 (1997) (citations omitted); see N.C. Gen. Stat. \u00a7 1-277 (1996). Our courts have held that orders denying motions to dismiss grounded on the defense of governmental immunity through the public duty doctrine affect a substantial right and are immediately appealable. Hedrick v. Rains, 121 N.C. App. 466, 466 S.E.2d 281, affirmed, 344 N.C. 729, 477 S.E.2d 171 (1996); Clark v. Red Bird Cab Co., 114 N.C. App. 400, 442 S.E.2d 75, disc. review denied, 336 N.C. 603, 447 S.E.2d 387 (1994). Therefore, plaintiff\u2019s motion to dismiss the City\u2019s appeal is denied.\nThe City contends on appeal that the trial court erred in denying its motion to dismiss the complaint for failure to state a claim upon which relief could be granted. The City argues that the public duty doctrine insulates it from liability in this instance and that the plaintiff has failed to plead any exceptions to the doctrine.\nA motion to dismiss pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6) \u201ctests the legal sufficiency of the pleading against which it is directed.\u201d Derwort v. Polk County, 129 N.C. App. 789, 791, 501 S.E.2d 379, 380 (1998). The motion should be allowed when the factual allegations fail as a matter of law to state the elements of a legally recognizable claim. Id. at 791, 501 S.E.2d at 381. An action for negligence is predicated on the existence of a legal duty owed by the defendant to the plaintiff. Lynn v. Overlook Development, 98 N.C. App. 75, 389 S.E.2d 609 (1990), affirmed in part and reversed in part, 328 N.C. 689, 403 S.E.2d 469 (1991). Therefore, a pleading asserting a claim sounding in negligence must assert a duty on the part of the defendant to the plaintiff.\nThe public duty doctrine is a common law rule first recognized by our Supreme Court in Braswell v. Braswell, 330 N.C. 363, 410 S.E.2d 897 (1991), rehearing denied, 330 N.C. 854, 413 S.E.2d 550 (1992). The rule holds that \u201ca municipality and its agents act for the benefit of the public, and therefore, there is no liability for the failure to furnish police protection to specific individuals.\u201d Id. at 370, 410 S.E.2d at 901. Braswell recognized the doctrine in the context of police protection. Since that holding, our appellate courts have expanded the doctrine to include many government services or responsibilities. See, e.g., Stone v. N.C. Dept. of Labor, 347 N.C. 473, 495 S.E.2d 711, rehearing denied, 348 N.C. 79, 502 S.E.2d 836, cert. denied, \u2014 U.S. \u2014, 142 L. Ed. 2d 449 (1998) (workplace safety inspections); Clark, 114 N.C. App. 400, 442 S.E.2d 75 (investigation of taxicab driver license application); Prevette v. Forsyth County, 110 N.C. App. 754, 431 S.E.2d 216, disc. review denied, 334 N.C. 622, 435 S.E.2d 338 (1993) (animal control); Hunt v. N.C. Dept. of Labor, 348 N.C. 192, 499 S.E.2d 747 (1998) (amusement ride safety inspection); Davis v. Messer, 119 N.C. App. 44, 457 S.E.2d 902, disc. review denied, 341 N.C. 647, 462 S.E.2d 508 (1995) (fire protection); Sinning v. Clark, 119 N.C. App. 515, 459 S.E.2d 71, disc. review denied, 342 N.C. 194, 463 S.E.2d 242 (1995) and Simmons v. City of Hickory, 126 N.C. App. 821, 487 S.E.2d 583 (1997) (building inspections).\nExceptions to the public duty doctrine arise where some form of \u201cspecial duty\u201d exists between the parties. Vanasek v. Duke Power Co., 132 N.C. App. 335, 511 S.E.2d 41 (1999). A \u201cspecial duty\u201d exception exists where the municipality \u201cpromis [es] protection to an individual, the protection is not forthcoming, and the individual\u2019s reliance on the promise of protection is causally related to the injury suffered.\u201d Id. (quoting Davis, 119 N.C. App. at 56, 457 S.E.2d at 909). Often mentioned as a separate exception, but actually a subset of the \u201cspecial duty\u201d exception, is the \u201cspecial relationship\u201d such as the relation between law enforcement officers and a state\u2019s witness or informant wherein the officers give special protection to the witness or informant because of the information or testimony that will be given and the accompanying greater risk undertaken. Hunt, 348 N.C. at 199, 499 S.E.2d at 751. This relationship is formed by \u201crepresentations or conduct by the police which cause the victim(s) to detrimentally rely on the police such that the risk of harm as the result of police negligence is something more than that to which the victim was already exposed.\u201d Hull v. Oldham, 104 N.C. App. 29, 38, 407 S.E.2d 611, 616, disc. review denied, 330 N.C. 441, 412 S.E.2d 72 (1991). In order to survive the application of the public duty doctrine, the plaintiff\u2019s allegations must fit within an exception to the doctrine. Thus, to properly set forth the \u201cspecial duty\u201d exception, the complaint must allege an \u201covert promise\u201d of protection by defendant, detrimental reliance on the promise, and a causal relation between the injury and the reliance. Derwort, 129 N.C. App. at 793-94, 501 S.E.2d at 382.\nIn this case, plaintiffs allege that the \u201cspecial duty\u201d was created \u201cby answering the 911 calls alleged herein and by further acknowledging that, in effect, fire protection service or other appropriate emergency response would be forthcoming.\u201d Plaintiffs cite Davis, 119 N.C. App. 44, 457 S.E.2d 902, as authority that supports these allegations. In Davis, the allegations of a \u201cspecial duty\u201d were found to be sufficient where a firefighter informed a dispatcher that his fire department would respond even though the burning home was near the border with an adjacent fire district. Id. The fire trucks turned around within a mile of the house and returned to their station when they observed that the burning home was across the district line. Id. The homeowner relied on that direct promise of protection and did not call other fire departments. Id. This Court held that the plaintiff\u2019s allegations stated enough to satisfy the substantive elements of the exception to the public duty doctrine.\nHere, the plaintiffs alleged that by receiving the 911 call, the City acknowledged that \u201cfire protection service or other appropriate emergency response would be forthcoming.\u201d However, there are no allegations of any other promise by the City creating a \u201cspecial duty.\u201d To hold otherwise would impute a \u201cspecial duty\u201d in every case where a 911 call is received.\nA \u201cspecial relationship\u201d cannot be established by the facts alleged. The relationship between the 911 operator and the plaintiffs is not comparable to the relationship between a law enforcement officer and a state\u2019s witness or informant. See Hunt, 348 N.C. at 199, 499 S.E.2d at 751. Further, the relationship did not place the plaintiffs in a position of risk which was \u201csomething more than that to which the victim was already exposed.\u201d Hull, 104 N.C. App. at 38, 407 S.E.2d at 616. Plaintiff cites Isenhour v. Hutto, 129 N.C. App. 596, 501 S.E.2d 78, disc. review allowed, 349 N.C. 360, 517 S.E.2d 896 (1998) as authority that a \u201cspecial relationship\u201d existed. In Isenhour, this Court held that a \u201cspecial relationship\u201d existed between a school crossing guard and a child who was hit by a car after the crossing guard had allowed the child to cross the street. The plaintiffs\u2019 allegations were sufficient to establish a duty on the part of the crossing guard to each child who crossed the street. Id. In this case, no individual relationship existed between the dispatcher and the plaintiffs which increased their risk.\nPlaintiff also alleges that the City\u2019s employee, Helen Earley, violated N.C. Gen. Stat. \u00a7 62A-2, the Public Safety Telephone Act, by delaying her notification of the fire department and that her violation constitutes negligence per se. Plaintiff argues negligence per se as an additional justification for the trial court\u2019s order denying the City\u2019s motion to dismiss. Without determining whether N.C. Gen. Stat. \u00a7 62A-2 is a safety statute creating any duty, we note that violation of a statutory duty does not create a \u201cspecial duty\u201d between parties unless the statute also creates a private cause of action. Vanasek, 132 N.C. App. at 338-39, 511 S.E.2d at 44. N.C. Gen. Stat. \u00a7 62A-2 sets out the legislative purpose for the Public Safety Telephone Act and contains no provision for a private cause of action. See N.C. Gen. Stat. \u00a7 62A-2 (1997). Thus, any alleged violation does not create an exception to the public duty doctrine.\nFor the reasons stated herein, we reverse the order of the trial court and remand for entry of an order allowing the City\u2019s motion to dismiss.\nReversed and remanded.\nJudge HUNTER concurs.\nJudge WYNN dissents.", "type": "majority", "author": "WALKER, Judge." }, { "text": "Judge Wynn\ndissenting.\nAlthough I agree with the conclusion reached by the majority, I must dissent because the case sub judice is indistinguishable from our prior holding in Davis v. Messer, 119 N.C. App. 44, 457 S.E.2d 902 (1995). The plaintiffs in this matter, like the plaintiff in Davis, have alleged facts sufficient to establish a prima facie case of negligence as well as sufficient facts to demonstrate that their case falls within the \u201cspecial duty\u201d exception to the public duty doctrine. Therefore, I am obliged to follow the precedent set forth in Davis and find that the plaintiffs have alleged sufficient facts to warrant reversal of the trial court\u2019s granting of the defendants\u2019 Rule 12(b)(6) motion.\nAdditionally, I believe that our Supreme Court should reexamine the vitality of the public duty doctrine adopted in Braswell v. Braswell, 330 N.C. 363, 410 S.E.2d 897 (1991). Since the pronouncement of that decision, our courts have struggled to pigeonhole individual cases into specific, narrow exceptions to reach justifiable results. Indeed, the majority opinion cites numerous examples of such cases. A more appropriate solution may be a return to our time-tested prior law which allowed for recovery in cases where the plaintiff can present evidence of gross or reckless negligence. That approach adequately balanced the state\u2019s ability to protect governmental entities from the floodgates of litigation while at the same time protecting its citizens from blatantly unlawful conduct. Moreover, this approach would simplify this area of jurisprudence so that our citizens can better understand this arena of our common law.", "type": "dissent", "author": "Judge Wynn" } ], "attorneys": [ "Deaton & Biggers, P.L.L.G., by W. Robinson Deaton, Jr. and Lydia A. Hoza; and Hamrick, Mauney, Flowers, Martin & Moore, by Fred A. Flowers, for plaintiff s-appellees.", "Stott, Hollowell, Palmer & Windham, LLP, by Martha Raymond Thompson, for defendant-appellant City of Shelby." ], "corrections": "", "head_matter": "SHARON LYNN LOVELACE, Administratrix of the Estate of SHAYLA MEAGEN MOORE, and SHARON LYNN LOVELACE, Individually, Plaintiffs v. CITY OF SHELBY and THOMAS LOWELL LEE, Defendants\nNo. COA98-1015\n(Filed 1 June 1999)\n1. Appeal and Error\u2014 appealability \u2014 motion to dismiss denied \u2014 public duty doctrine\nThe City\u2019s appeal from the denial of a motion to dismiss was interlocutory but was heard because it was grounded on the defense of governmental immunity through the public duty doctrine.\n2. Governmental Immunity\u2014 public duty doctrine \u2014 911 call\u2014 no individual relationship\nThe trial court erred by denying defendant-City\u2019s motion to dismiss a negligence action arising from a slow response to a 911 call reporting a fire where plaintiffs alleged that by receiving the 911 call the City acknowledged that fire protection or other appropriate emergency response would be forthcoming. No individual relationship existed between the dispatcher and the plaintiffs which increased their risk; to hold otherwise would impute a \u201cspecial duty\u201d in every case where a 911 call is received.\n3. Telecommunications\u2014 Public Safety Telephone Act \u2014 no private cause of action\nThe Public Safety Telephone Act, N.C.G.S. \u00a7 62A-2, contains no provision for a private cause of action and any violation by a slow 911 response does not create an exception to the public duty doctrine for purposes of governmental immunity to a negligence action.\nJudge Wynn dissenting\nAppeal by defendant City of Shelby from an order entered 12 March 1998 by Judge Ronald K. Payne in Cleveland County Superior Court. Heard in the Court of Appeals 1 April 1999.\nDeaton & Biggers, P.L.L.G., by W. Robinson Deaton, Jr. and Lydia A. Hoza; and Hamrick, Mauney, Flowers, Martin & Moore, by Fred A. Flowers, for plaintiff s-appellees.\nStott, Hollowell, Palmer & Windham, LLP, by Martha Raymond Thompson, for defendant-appellant City of Shelby." }, "file_name": "0408-01", "first_page_order": 438, "last_page_order": 445 }