Rebecca Kik v. John-Christopher Sbraccia ( 2008 )

Michigan Supreme Court
Lansing, Michigan
Chief Justice: Justices:
Opinion Clifford W. Taylor Michael F. Cavanagh
Elizabeth A. Weaver
Marilyn Kelly
Maura D. Corrigan
Robert P. Young, Jr.
Stephen J. Markman
FILED APRIL 3, 2008
DANIEL JOHN WESCHE and BEVERLY
WESCHE,
Plaintiffs-Appellants,
v No. 129282
MECOSTA COUNTY ROAD
COMMISSION,
Defendant-Appellee.
REBECCA KIK and ROBERT KIK,
Individually and as Personal
Corepresentatives of the ESTATE of
SHARON ANN LEELANI KIK,
Plaintiffs-Appellees,
v No. 132849
JOHN-CHRISTOPHER SBRACCIA,
KINROSS CHARTER TOWNSHIP EMS,
and KINROSS CHARTER TOWNSHIP,
Defendants-Appellants.
BEFORE THE ENTIRE BENCH
CORRIGAN, J.
We granted leave to appeal in these two cases to determine whether the
motor-vehicle exception to governmental immunity, MCL 691.1405, authorizes a
claim for loss of consortium against a governmental agency. The motor-vehicle
exception permits recovery of damages only for “bodily injury” and “property
damage.” A loss of consortium is not a physical injury to the body. Moreover, a
claim for loss of consortium is an independent, albeit derivative, cause of action.
Therefore, the motor-vehicle exception does not waive immunity for such a claim.
In Kik, we also must determine whether the wrongful-death act, MCL
600.2922, permits a loss-of-consortium claim against a governmental agency. The
availability of a wrongful-death action hinges on whether the injured party would
have been entitled to maintain an action and recover damages had a death not
ensued. Because the motor-vehicle exception would not have permitted plaintiffs
to pursue a loss-of-consortium claim if their daughter’s death had not ensued,
plaintiffs are also barred from pursuing such a claim in their wrongful-death
action.
Finally, in Kik, we must also resolve whether a governmental employee is
immune from liability for loss-of-consortium damages. We hold that a
governmental employee is not immune if the plaintiff can satisfy all the
requirements set forth in the gross-negligence exception to the governmental
immunity of employees.
2
Accordingly, we affirm the judgment of the Court of Appeals in Wesche,
affirm in part and reverse in part the judgment of the Court of Appeals in Kik, and
remand both cases for further proceedings not inconsistent with this opinion.
I. FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY
A. WESCHE
Plaintiff Daniel Wesche was seated in his automobile at a red light when
defendant Mecosta County Road Commission’s vehicle, a Gradall hydraulic
excavator,1 rear-ended him. Plaintiffs alleged that the accident injured Daniel’s
cervical spine. Plaintiff Beverly Wesche, Daniel’s wife, was not present at the
accident scene and suffered no bodily injury. She claimed a loss of consortium as
a result of Daniel’s injury.2
The trial court granted summary disposition under MCR 2.116(C)(7) for
defendant regarding Beverly’s loss-of-consortium claim. The Court of Appeals
affirmed, holding that the motor-vehicle exception does not waive governmental
1
The Court of Appeals held that defendant’s Gradall is a motor vehicle for
the purposes of MCL 691.1405. Defendant challenged this aspect of the Court of
Appeals decision in a separate application for leave to appeal, which we denied.
477 Mich 1030 (2007). Thus, this issue is no longer before us.
2
Specifically, Beverly alleged that she had “been damaged by being denied
the normal marital companionship and services from the date of Daniel’s physical
injuries up to the present, with their [sic] being a reasonable likelihood/probability
that some element of same will be permanent.”
3
immunity for loss-of-consortium claims.3 We granted plaintiffs’ application for
leave to appeal and directed that this case be argued and submitted with Kik.4
B. KIK
Plaintiff Rebecca Kik, who was pregnant, was being transported in an
ambulance owned by defendant Kinross Charter Township and operated by
defendant John-Christopher Sbraccia, a township employee. Sbraccia lost control
of the ambulance, which overturned in a ditch. Rebecca suffered injuries and went
into premature labor, delivering the baby, Sharon Kik, who allegedly died the
same day.5
Rebecca and her husband, plaintiff Robert Kik, filed this action individually
and as personal corepresentatives of Sharon’s estate. Their complaint alleged: (1)
Rebecca’s personal-injury claim, (2) Robert’s claim for loss of consortium arising
from Rebecca’s injuries, and (3) a wrongful-death claim on behalf of Sharon’s
estate, including Robert and Rebecca’s claims for loss of society and
companionship.
3
Wesche v Mecosta Co Rd Comm, 267 Mich App 274; 705 NW2d 136
(2005).
4
478 Mich 860 (2007).
5
The original Court of Appeals panel noted that the complaint was not
entirely clear regarding whether Sharon was stillborn or born alive and thereafter
died. Like the original Court of Appeals panel, we will assume for purposes of
our analysis that Sharon was born alive, but our opinion should not be read as
resolving that issue if a dispute on the subject arises below. See Kik v Sbraccia,
268 Mich App 690, 693 n 2; 708 NW2d 766 (2005) (Kik I), vacated in part 268
Mich App 801 (2005).
4
Defendants moved for partial summary disposition under MCR
2.116(C)(7), arguing that they are immune from all claims other than for bodily
injury and property damage. Kinross Charter Township and Kinross Charter
Township EMS argued that (1) the motor-vehicle exception does not waive
immunity for loss-of-consortium claims and (2) the limitations on the underlying
motor-vehicle exception claim apply to the wrongful-death action. Sbraccia
argued that he was immune because the governmental agency that employed him
was immune. The trial court rejected defendants’ arguments and denied the
motion. The original Court of Appeals panel affirmed in part and reversed in
part.6 On Robert’s loss-of-consortium claim based on Rebecca’s injuries, the
panel stated that it was bound by the decision in Wesche barring such a claim, but
that it would have decided the issue differently if Wesche had not been
controlling.7 On the wrongful-death claim, the panel held that the wrongful-death
act controlled the damages that could be recovered and that the claims for loss of
society and companionship arising from the infant’s death could proceed despite
the language of the motor-vehicle exception. Finally, the panel held that MCL
691.1407(2)(c) permitted plaintiffs to pursue loss-of-consortium claims against
Sbraccia if they could establish gross negligence.
6
Kik I, supra at 711-712.
7
The three-judge panel in Kik I was bound to follow Wesche because it was
a prior published decision of the Court of Appeals issued on or after November 1,
(continued…)
5
A special panel of the Court of Appeals convened pursuant to MCR
7.215(J) to resolve the conflict between Wesche and the decision of the original
panel in Kik.8 The special panel’s majority overruled Wesche and held that loss-
of-consortium claims are permitted under the motor-vehicle exception. Three
members of the special panel opined in dissent that the Wesche panel had correctly
decided the issue.
Defendants applied for leave to appeal in this Court. We granted the
application and directed that the case be argued and submitted with Wesche.9
II. STANDARD OF REVIEW
“This Court reviews de novo motions for summary disposition. Questions
of statutory interpretation are questions of law that are also reviewed de novo by
this Court.” Renny v Dep’t of Transportation, 478 Mich 490, 495; 734 NW2d 518
(2007). Our goal in interpreting a statute is to give effect to the Legislature’s
intent as reflected in the statutory language. Id. “When the language of a statute
is unambiguous, the Legislature’s intent is clear and judicial construction is neither
(…continued)
1990, that had not been reversed or modified by this Court or by a special panel of
the Court of Appeals. MCR 7.215(J)(1).
8
Kik v Sbraccia, 272 Mich App 388; 726 NW2d 450 (2006) (Kik II).
9
478 Mich 861 (2007).
6
necessary nor permitted.” Griffith v State Farm Mut Automobile Ins Co, 472 Mich
521, 526; 697 NW2d 895 (2005).
III. ANALYSIS
A. THE MOTOR-VEHICLE EXCEPTION DOES NOT WAIVE IMMUNITY
FOR LOSS OF CONSORTIUM
The governmental tort liability act (GTLA), MCL 691.1401 et seq.,
provides: “Except as otherwise provided in this act, a governmental agency is
immune from tort liability if the governmental agency is engaged in the exercise
or discharge of a governmental function.” MCL 691.1407(1). This grant of
immunity is subject to six statutory exceptions.10
These cases hinge on the proper interpretation of the motor-vehicle
exception, MCL 691.1405, which provides:
Governmental agencies shall be liable for bodily injury and
property damage resulting from the negligent operation by any
officer, agent, or employee of the governmental agency, of a motor
vehicle of which the governmental agency is owner, as defined in
Act No. 300 of the Public Acts of 1949, as amended, being sections
257.1 to 257.923 of the Compiled Laws of 1948.
This language is clear: it imposes liability for “bodily injury” and “property
damage” resulting from a governmental employee’s negligent operation of a
10
The six statutory exceptions are: the highway exception, MCL 691.1402;
the motor-vehicle exception, MCL 691.1405; the public-building exception, MCL
691.1406; the proprietary-function exception, MCL 691.1413; the governmental-
hospital exception, MCL 691.1407(4); and the sewage-disposal-system-event
exception, MCL 691.1417(2) and (3).
7
government-owned motor vehicle. The waiver of immunity is limited to two
categories of damage: bodily injury and property damage.
Although the GTLA does not define “bodily injury,” the term is not
difficult to understand. When considering the meaning of a nonlegal word or
phrase that is not defined in a statute, resort to a lay dictionary is appropriate.
Horace v City of Pontiac, 456 Mich 744, 756; 575 NW2d 762 (1998). The word
“bodily” means “of or pertaining to the body” or “corporeal or material, as
contrasted with spiritual or mental.” Random House Webster’s College
Dictionary (2000). The word “injury” refers to “harm or damage done or
sustained, [especially] bodily harm.” Id. Thus, “bodily injury” simply means a
physical or corporeal injury to the body. It is beyond dispute that a loss of
consortium is not a physical injury to a body. “A claim for loss of consortium is
simply one for loss of society and companionship.” Eide v Kelsey-Hayes Co, 431
Mich 26, 29; 427 NW2d 488 (1988). Thus, because loss of consortium is a
nonphysical injury, it does not fall within the categories of damage for which the
motor-vehicle exception waives immunity.
Moreover, loss of consortium is not merely an item of damages. Rather,
this Court has long recognized that a claim for loss of consortium is an
independent cause of action. Id. at 29, citing Montgomery v Stephan, 359 Mich
33, 41; 101 NW2d 227 (1960), and Prosser & Keeton, Torts (5th ed), § 125, pp
931-934. Although a loss-of-consortium claim is derivative of the underlying
bodily injury, it is nonetheless regarded as a separate cause of action and not
8
merely an item of damages. Eide, supra at 37. The motor-vehicle exception does
not waive immunity from this independent cause of action; the waiver of
immunity is limited to claims for bodily injury and property damage.11
We reject the Kik II panel’s conclusion that the motor-vehicle exception
creates a threshold for liability that, once met, permits the recovery of damages for
loss of consortium. MCL 691.1405 plainly states that governmental agencies
“shall be liable for bodily injury and property damage” resulting from the
negligent operation of a motor vehicle. It does not state or suggest that
governmental agencies are liable for any damages once a plaintiff makes a
threshold showing of bodily injury or property damage.
Moreover, the Legislature knows how to create a statutory threshold when
it wishes to do so. For example, Michigan’s no-fault act provides: “A person
remains subject to tort liability for noneconomic loss caused by his or her
ownership, maintenance, or use of a motor vehicle only if the injured person has
suffered death, serious impairment of a body function, or permanent serious
disfigurement.” MCL 500.3135(1). The no-fault act thus retains “tort liability for
noneconomic loss” if one of the required categories of damage is established. By
contrast, the motor-vehicle exception contains no such language. It merely
11
Justice Kelly asserts that our application of the statutory text will lead to
absurd results, but we respectfully disagree, particularly in light of the independent
nature of a loss-of-consortium claim. We simply are not convinced that the
Legislature’s decision to waive immunity only for bodily-injury and property-
damage claims, but not for independent loss-of-consortium claims, is absurd.
9
provides that governmental agencies “shall be liable for bodily injury and property
damage” and says nothing to suggest that a separate cause of action, such as one
for loss of consortium, may be asserted once a threshold of “bodily injury” has
been met.
The Kik I panel’s reliance on Endykiewicz v State Hwy Comm, 414 Mich
377; 324 NW2d 755 (1982), was misplaced. In Endykiewicz, this Court found the
language of the highway exception, MCL 691.1402(1), to be ambiguous and thus
read it broadly to permit recovery for loss of companionship and society in a
wrongful-death action. The Endykiewicz Court stated that the highway exception
is “an expansive provision defining the liability of a governmental agency.” Id. at
389 (emphasis added).
We reject the analysis in Endykiewicz because the statutory language at
issue here is not ambiguous. As we have explained, the statutory text permits
recovery of damages only for bodily injury and property damage, and loss of
consortium does not fall within either of those categories.
For these reasons, we hold that a loss of consortium is not a “bodily injury”
for which the motor-vehicle exception waives immunity. Because no statutory
exception applies, the governmental agencies in these cases are entitled to
governmental immunity on the plaintiffs’ loss-of-consortium claims.12
12
Justice Weaver concludes that the motor-vehicle exception to
governmental immunity, MCL 691.1405, “does not expressly abrogate the right to
claim damages for loss of consortium under Michigan’s common law . . . .” Post
(continued…)
10
B. THE WRONGFUL-DEATH ACT DOES NOT EXPAND
THE WAIVER OF IMMUNITY
The wrongful-death act does not waive a governmental agency’s immunity
beyond the limits set forth in the underlying statutory exception. The three-judge
panel in Kik I ruled that even if the motor-vehicle exception does not waive
immunity, the wrongful-death act nonetheless allows a claim for loss of
consortium. This conclusion contravenes both the language of the wrongful-death
act and this Court’s caselaw.
At the applicable time, MCL 600.2922(1) provided:
Whenever the death of a person or injuries resulting in death
shall be caused by wrongful act, neglect, or fault of another, and the
act, neglect, or fault is such as would, if death had not ensued, have
entitled the party injured to maintain an action and recover
damages, the person who or the corporation that would have been
liable, if death had not ensued, shall be liable to an action for
damages, notwithstanding the death of the person injured, and
although the death was caused under circumstances that constitute a
felony. [Emphasis added.]
Another provision of the wrongful-death act stated:
(…continued)
at 4. However, she disregards MCL 691.1407(1), which states: “Except as
otherwise provided in this act, a governmental agency is immune from tort
liability if the governmental agency is engaged in the exercise or discharge of a
governmental function.” Because governmental agencies are immune from tort
liability unless one of the statutory exceptions applies, and because the motor-
vehicle exception applies only to liability for “bodily injury and property damage,”
governmental agencies are not liable for loss of consortium. Justice Weaver’s
dissent entirely misapprehends the nature of the burden on a party seeking to avoid
governmental immunity.
11
In every action under this section, the court or jury may
award damages as the court or jury shall consider fair and equitable,
under all the circumstances including reasonable medical, hospital,
funeral, and burial expenses for which the estate is liable; reasonable
compensation for the pain and suffering, while conscious, undergone
by the deceased person during the period intervening between the
time of the injury and death; and damages for the loss of financial
support and the loss of the society and companionship of the
deceased. [MCL 600.2922(6) (emphasis added).]
The Kik I panel reasoned that even if the motor-vehicle exception does not
waive immunity, the wrongful-death act expressly authorizes damages for loss of
society and companionship. But that analysis fails to give effect to language in
MCL 600.2922(1) making liability contingent on whether the party injured would
have been entitled to maintain an action and recover damages if death had not
ensued.
In Kik, the motor-vehicle exception would not have entitled plaintiffs to
maintain an action and recover damages for loss of consortium if Sharon’s death
had not ensued. As discussed, the motor-vehicle exception does not waive
immunity for loss of consortium because “bodily injury” does not encompass such
claims. Thus, because plaintiffs would not have been entitled to pursue a loss-of-
consortium claim if Sharon’s death had not ensued, MCL 600.2922(1) does not
authorize such a claim in this wrongful-death action.
Our textual analysis is supported by caselaw stating that the wrongful-death
act is essentially a “filter” through which the underlying claim may proceed. In
Hardy v Maxheimer, 429 Mich 422, 439; 416 NW2d 299 (1987), this Court noted
that the survival act, MCL 600.2921, provides: “All actions and claims survive
12
death. Actions on claims for injuries which result in death shall not be prosecuted
after the death of the injured person except pursuant to” the wrongful-death act.
The Hardy Court explained:
We, therefore, believe that since 1846 the law in Michigan
has evolved to the point where it may now be held that the right to
recovery for wrongful death “survives by law.” Consequently, a
wrongful death action will no longer be regarded as one created at
the time of death, but as one that “survives by law.” We believe this
interpretation fosters the legislative purpose behind both our [MCL
600.5852] saving provision and the current wrongful death act, MCL
600.2922[.] [Id. at 440 (emphasis added).]
Because an underlying claim “survives by law” and must be prosecuted
under the wrongful-death act, this Court has held that any statutory or common-
law limitations on the underlying claim apply to a wrongful-death action. In
Jenkins v Patel, 471 Mich 158; 684 NW2d 346 (2004), we held that the medical-
malpractice cap on noneconomic damages applies in a wrongful-death action
when the underlying claim is for medical malpractice. This Court explained:
Clearly, the wrongful death act is not the only act that is
pertinent in a wrongful death action. “The mere fact that our
legislative scheme requires that suits for tortious conduct resulting in
death be filtered through the so-called ‘death act’, [MCL 600.2922],
does not change the character of such actions except to expand the
elements of damage available.” Hawkins [v Regional Med
Laboratories, PC, 415 Mich 420, 436; 329 NW2d 729 (1982).] That
is, a wrongful death action grounded in medical malpractice is a
medical malpractice action in which the plaintiff is allowed to
collect damages related to the death of the decedent. [Id. at 165-
166.]
13
Although MCL 600.2922(6) sets forth the damages available in wrongful-
death actions, we rejected the plaintiff’s argument in Jenkins that the medical-
malpractice noneconomic-damages cap does not apply to a wrongful-death action:
Plaintiff argues that [MCL 600.2922(6)] governs damages in
wrongful death claims, in such a manner that other provisions are
rendered inapplicable. However, this Court has held that other
statutory and common-law limitations on the amount of damages
apply to wrongful death actions. For instance, comparative
negligence principles and the collateral source setoff rule, MCL
600.6303(1), apply to wrongful death actions. Solomon v Shuell,
435 Mich 104; 457 NW2d 669 (1990); Rogers v Detroit, 457 Mich
125; 579 NW2d 840 (1998), overruled on other grounds by
Robinson v Detroit, 462 Mich 439; 613 NW2d 307 (2000). [Id. at
171.]
Indeed, this Court has long held that a statutory or common-law limitation
on the underlying claim applies to a wrongful-death action. In Maiuri v Sinacola
Constr Co, 382 Mich 391; 170 NW2d 27 (1969), the plaintiffs’ son was killed in
the course of his employment. The plaintiffs filed a wrongful-death action against
the employer. Quoting the language of MCL 600.2922(1), this Court explained:
“As a condition to a successful action under the wrongful death act, it must be
shown that the decedent, if death had not ensued, could have maintained an action
and recovered damages for his injuries.” Id. at 395. This Court concluded:
Since the cause of action of a proper plaintiff under the
wrongful death act is a derivative one in that the personal
representative of the deceased stands in his shoes and is required to
show that the deceased could have maintained the action if death had
not ensued, and since, in this case, the decedent would have been
barred from an action for injuries resulting in death because of the
exclusive remedy provisions of the workmen’s compensation act, the
trial court did not err in granting an accelerated judgment for the
defendant. [Id. at 396.]
14
See also Mehegan v Boyne City, G & A R Co, 178 Mich 694; 141 NW 905 (1913)
(holding that the decedent’s execution of a release of liability barred his widow’s
recovery in a wrongful-death action).
The same reasoning applies in Kik. If Sharon had not died, the claims
available under the motor-vehicle exception would have been limited to those for
“bodily injury” and “property damage.” Because a loss of consortium is not a
“bodily injury,” no such claim could have been pursued had her death not ensued.
Thus, the limitation on damages in the motor-vehicle exception must apply in this
wrongful-death action.
In reaching a contrary conclusion, the Court of Appeals in Kik I relied on
Endykiewicz. But Endykiewicz reflects a repudiated understanding of the
wrongful-death act. The Endykiewicz Court stated that a wrongful-death action
“exists not as ‘a cause of action which survives’ the decedent, but as ‘a new action
* * * which can be brought, not for the benefit of the estate, but solely for the
benefit of the beneficiaries named in the statute.’” Id. at 387 (citations omitted).
In light of Hardy and Jenkins, however, it is now clear that the underlying claim
survives by law and that the limitations in the underlying cause of action apply to
the wrongful-death action. Because of this, we believe that Hardy silently
overruled the analysis of the wrongful-death act in Endykiewicz. For this reason,
15
we now explicitly hold that Endykiewicz is overruled to the extent that it is
inconsistent with our decision.13
Accordingly, we hold that the wrongful-death act does not expand the
waiver of immunity set forth in the motor-vehicle exception to include loss-of-
consortium claims.
C. MCL 691.1407(2)(c) DOES NOT SHIELD GOVERNMENTAL
EMPLOYEES FROM LOSS-OF-CONSORTIUM CLAIMS
Finally, we agree with the Kik I panel that governmental employees are not
immune from loss-of-consortium claims if the requirements of MCL
691.1407(2)(c) are met. Because he is a governmental employee, Sbraccia’s
liability is premised not on the motor-vehicle exception, but on MCL
691.1407(2)(c). That provision states that a governmental employee is immune
from tort liability if his “conduct does not amount to gross negligence that is the
proximate cause of the injury or damage.” Unlike the motor-vehicle exception for
governmental agencies, the gross-negligence exception for employees does not
limit the waiver of immunity to cases of bodily injury or property damage.
13
Our decision to overrule Endykiewicz is warranted under the doctrine of
stare decisis, as set forth in Robinson, supra at 463-464. Endykiewicz was
incorrectly decided because it erroneously treated a wrongful-death claim as a
“new” cause of action rather than a continuation of the decedent’s underlying
claim. Endykiewicz, supra at 387. Moreover, overruling Endykiewicz will not
lead to practical real-world dislocations. On the contrary, adhering to a decision
that contravenes well-settled principles of our jurisprudence would undermine the
interest in a stable and predictable body of law, as demonstrated by the Kik I
panel’s error in relying on Endykiewicz.
16
Defendants argue that an employee cannot be subject to liability if the
governmental agency itself is immune. But this argument has no basis in the text
of the GTLA. The Legislature has prescribed different standards for determining
whether immunity is afforded to governmental agencies and employees. It
therefore follows that the extent of their respective immunities may not always be
coextensive. As the Kik I panel explained:
The Legislature chose to use different standards to determine
the immunity of the governmental entities and the governmental
employee. Such a choice may have the effect in certain cases that
the employee may not be immune when the governmental employer
is immune. The Legislature could have avoided such a situation by
providing in MCL 691.1407(2) that an individual employee is
immune whenever the governmental entity is immune, but it did not.
Whether it makes sense to hold the individual employee liable in a
situation in which the governmental entity itself is immune is a
question to be addressed by the Legislature, not this Court. The
Legislature presumably had a reason to treat governmental
employees and governmental entities differently, and it would be
presumptuous of us to void that legislative determination. [Kik I,
supra at 697.
The Kik I panel’s analysis of this issue is sound. Because MCL
691.1407(2)(c) does not limit its waiver of immunity to bodily injury and property
damage, we reject defendants’ argument on this issue.14
14
We do not address whether Sbraccia is entitled to summary disposition
on other grounds, e.g., that plaintiffs have failed to establish that Sbraccia acted
with gross negligence as defined in the applicable version of MCL 691.1407(2)(c)
or that his gross negligence was “the proximate cause” of the injuries or death
under the standard set forth in Robinson. Those issues are not before us.
17
IV. CONCLUSION
For these reasons, we hold that loss of consortium is not a bodily injury for
which governmental immunity is waived under the motor-vehicle exception.
Moreover, the wrongful-death act does not authorize a loss-of-consortium claim
when a plaintiff would not have been entitled to seek damages for that claim under
the motor-vehicle exception if a death had not ensued. Finally, MCL 691.1407(2)
does not shield governmental employees from liability for loss-of-consortium
damages.
Accordingly, we affirm the judgment of the Court of Appeals in Wesche,
affirm in part and reverse in part the judgment of the Court of Appeals in Kik, and
remand both cases to the trial courts for further proceedings not inconsistent with
this opinion.
Maura D. Corrigan
Clifford W. Taylor
Robert P. Young, Jr.
Stephen J. Markman
18
STATE OF MICHIGAN
SUPREME COURT
DANIEL JOHN WESCHE and BEVERLY
WESCHE,
Plaintiffs-Appellants,
v No. 129282
MECOSTA COUNTY ROAD
COMMISSION,
Defendant-Appellee.
REBECCA KIK and ROBERT KIK,
Individually and as Personal
Corepresentatives of the ESTATE of
SHARON ANN LEELANI KIK,
Plaintiffs-Appellees,
v No. 132849
JOHN-CHRISTOPHER SBRACCIA, KINROSS
CHARTER TOWNSHIP EMS, and KINROSS
CHARTER TOWNSHIP,
Defendants-Appellants.
WEAVER, J. (concurring in part and dissenting in part).
I concur only in the decision by the majority of four (Chief Justice Taylor
and Justices Corrigan, Young, and Markman) that, in a negligence action against a
governmental employee, the immunity available to governmental employees under
the motor-vehicle exception is not available to a governmental employee who was
grossly negligent and that a plaintiff can seek recovery for loss-of-consortium
damages.
I dissent from the majority of four’s decision that the motor-vehicle
exception to governmental immunity, MCL 691.1405, prohibits a claim for loss of
consortium against a governmental agency. Because the statute does not bar a
claim for loss of consortium as long as the plaintiff seeking damages for loss of
consortium can show that the injured party sustained some legally cognizable
harm or injury, I would hold that such damages may be awarded, and I dissent
from that part of the majority opinion that holds otherwise.
Because the right of a plaintiff who was not physically injured to recover
from a tortfeasor for loss of consortium as a result of injuries sustained by the
injured plaintiff is well established in Michigan’s common law, I dissent from the
majority of four’s decision that loss-of-consortium damages are not available in a
claim brought under the motor-vehicle exception to governmental immunity.
A claim for loss of consortium is a separate legal claim for damages
suffered not by the injured party, but by a spouse, parent, or child who claims
damages for the loss of the injured party’s society and companionship. It is a
derivative claim in that it does not arise at all unless the injured party has sustained
some legally cognizable harm or injury. The right of a person to recover from a
2
tortfeasor for loss of consortium as a result of injuries sustained by his or her
spouse is well established in Michigan’s common law.1
A statute that expressly extinguishes a right established at common law is a
proper exercise of legislative power; however, a statute in derogation of the
common law must be strictly construed.2 Importantly, such a statute will not be
extended by implication to abrogate an established rule of common law.3
The motor-vehicle exception to governmental immunity, MCL 691.1405,
provides:
Governmental agencies shall be liable for bodily injury and
property damage resulting from the negligent operation by any
officer, agent, or employee of the governmental agency, of a motor
vehicle of which the governmental agency is owner, as defined in
Act No. 300 of the Public Acts of 1949, as amended, being sections
257.1 to 257.923 of the Compiled Laws of 1948.
The statute does not define “bodily injury,” nor does it expressly state that a
plaintiff who was not physically injured may not recover derivative damages for
loss of consortium. The majority mistakenly alleges, ante at 11 n 12, my supposed
disregard of MCL 691.1407(1), which states: “Except as otherwise provided in
this act, a governmental agency is immune from tort liability if the governmental
1
Rusinek v Schultz, Snyder & Steele Lumber Co, 411 Mich 502, 504; 309
NW2d 163 (1981).
2
Id. at 507-508.
3
Id. at 508.
3
agency is engaged in the exercise or discharge of a governmental function.”
(Emphasis added.)
There is no such disregard. As indicated by the language emphasized in the
statute, it appears that it is in fact the majority that “misapprehends” the statute
because MCL 691.1405 is one of the exceptions to governmental immunity. MCL
691.1405 explicitly states that governmental agencies “shall be liable for bodily
injury and property damage arising from the negligent operation” of a
governmental vehicle. Thus, as long as the physically injured party can establish a
legally cognizable claim for bodily injury, a plaintiff is entitled to recovery for all
damages flowing from that injury, including damages for loss of consortium.
Evidently, the majority does not understand the actual and inseparable connection
between “bodily injury” and the damages that flow from that injury. The
governmental agency is liable for damages that flow from bodily injury, including
loss-of-consortium damages, which flow from bodily injury just as damages for
medical expenses and lost wages also flow from a bodily injury.
Because the statute does not expressly abrogate the right to claim damages
for loss of consortium under Michigan’s common law, the majority of four errs in
abolishing this right by implication. The majority of four does so by creatively
implying such a prohibition in its own definition of “bodily injury.” There is
nothing in the language of the statute justifying the majority of four’s creative
construction, and the majority’s decision to construe the language of the statute in
4
this manner is another example of the majority of four’s judicial activism by
unrestrained statutory interpretation.
Elizabeth A. Weaver
Michael F. Cavanagh
5
STATE OF MICHIGAN
SUPREME COURT
DANIEL JOHN WESCHE and BEVERLY
WESCHE,
Plaintiffs-Appellants,
v No. 129282
MECOSTA COUNTY ROAD
COMMISSION,
Defendant-Appellee.
REBECCA KIK and ROBERT KIK,
Individually and as Personal
Corepresentatives of the ESTATE of
SHARON ANN LEELANI KIK,
Plaintiffs-Appellees,
v No. 132849
JOHN-CHRISTOPHER SBRACCIA, KINROSS
CHARTER TOWNSHIP EMS, and KINROSS
CHARTER TOWNSHIP,
Defendants-Appellants.
KELLY, J. (concurring in part and dissenting in part).
These two cases require us to decide two issues. The first concerns the
spouse or parent of an individual who sustains bodily injury in a motor vehicle
collision. The issue is whether that person can recover damages from a
governmental agency for loss of consortium under the motor vehicle exception to
governmental immunity.1 The majority decides that a person cannot recover these
damages. I disagree. When a loss of consortium claim arises directly out of
bodily injury suffered in a collision, I would hold that such damages are
recoverable. Accordingly, I dissent from the part of the majority opinion that
holds to the contrary.
The other issue is whether a claim for loss of consortium can be asserted
against a governmental employee. The majority decides that the employee is
liable for such damages “if the plaintiff can satisfy all the requirements set forth in
the gross-negligence exception to the governmental immunity of employees.”2
Because I agree that governmental employees can be held liable for loss of
consortium, I concur in the result reached in that part of the majority opinion.
FACTS
WESCHE v MECOSTA COUNTY ROAD COMMISSION3
Plaintiff Daniel Wesche stopped his vehicle at a red light. He was then
struck from behind by a Gradall hydraulic excavator owned by defendant Mecosta
County Road Commission. As a result of the collision, he suffered injury to his
spine. Plaintiff Beverly Wesche, Daniel’s wife, was not present when the incident
occurred.
1
MCL 691.1405.
2
Ante at 2.
3
Wesche v Mecosta Co Rd Comm, 267 Mich App 274; 705 NW2d 136
(2005).
2
Plaintiffs brought suit against defendant, asserting numerous causes of
action. Among their claims was one brought by Beverly for loss of consortium.
Defendant moved for summary disposition on this claim. The trial court granted
the motion, concluding that the claim was barred by governmental immunity. In a
published opinion, the Court of Appeals affirmed the decision.
KIK v SBRACCIA4
A pregnant Rebecca Kik was being transported in an ambulance owned by
defendant Kinross Charter Township. Defendant John-Christopher Sbraccia, an
employee of defendant Kinross Charter Township Emergency Medical Services,
was driving the ambulance. He lost control of it and overturned in a ditch. As a
result of the crash, Rebecca sustained numerous injuries. She also went into
premature labor, causing her to deliver her daughter, Sharon Kik. Sharon died the
same day.
Plaintiffs Rebecca and Robert Kik, who is Rebecca’s husband and Sharon’s
father, brought suit against the township, the emergency medical service, and
Sbraccia. Included among the causes of action were claims for loss of consortium.
One was filed on behalf of Robert seeking damages for the injuries suffered by his
wife. And one was filed on behalf of Robert and Rebecca, because of the death of
their daughter.
4
Kik v Sbraccia, 268 Mich App 690; 708 NW2d 766 (2005) (Kik I).
3
Defendants moved for summary disposition, claiming that governmental
immunity barred the loss of consortium claims. The trial court denied the motion.
The Court of Appeals reversed with respect to the denial of summary disposition
for the governmental agencies on Robert’s loss of consortium claim arising out of
the injuries suffered by his wife. The Court determined regarding this claim that it
was bound by its prior decision in Wesche and had to reverse the denial of
summary disposition to the governmental agencies.5 But the panel also concluded
that Wesche had been incorrectly decided and declared that it would have decided
the issue differently were it not for Wesche.6 The panel reasoned that Wesche had
confused the concepts of liability and damages.7 It concluded that the Wesche
panel had erred because, once a plaintiff has shown bodily injury, liability is
established and the plaintiff may recover whatever damages arise from the bodily
injury.8 And it would have found that loss of consortium is one such damage.9
After the Kik I panel determined that Wesche had been incorrectly decided,
a special panel of the Court of Appeals was convened. A majority of the special
5
Id. at 711-712.
6
Id. at 711.
7
Id. at 709.
8
Id. at 710.
9
Id.
4
panel concluded that Wesche had been incorrectly decided and overruled it.10 In
Kik II, the majority expressly adopted the Kik I panel’s reasoning as its own.11
ANALYSIS
After the special panel issued its decision in Kik II, we granted leave to
appeal in both Kik and Wesche and directed that the two cases be argued
together.12 Now, the Court decides that loss of consortium is unavailable to the
spouse or parent of an individual injured in a collision under the motor vehicle
exception to government immunity. The majority also decides that a
governmental employee whose gross negligence causes bodily injury is subject to
personal liability for loss of consortium. I agree with the second decision, but I
part company with the majority on the first.
The motor vehicle exception13 to governmental immunity provides:
“Governmental agencies shall be liable for bodily injury and property damage
resulting from the negligent operation by any officer, agent, or employee of the
governmental agency, of a motor vehicle of which the governmental agency is
owner . . . .”
10
Kik v Sbraccia, 272 Mich App 388, 391; 726 NW2d 450 (2006) (Kik II).
11
Id.12
Wesche v Mecosta Co Rd Comm, 478 Mich 860 (2007); Kik v Sbraccia,
478 Mich 861 (2007).
13
MCL 691.1405.
5
Contrary to the majority decision, this exception does not state that
plaintiffs can recover damages only for bodily injury or property damage.14
Instead, the exception provides that governmental agencies are “liable for bodily
injury and property damage.” Importantly, the statute speaks of liability, but it
says nothing about damages. In Kik I, the Court of Appeals correctly recognized
this point and aptly summarized its effect:
[The motor vehicle exception] concerns the issue of liability
and describes one of the conditions for which the government does
not enjoy immunity: when the negligent operation of a motor vehicle
owned by a governmental agency causes bodily injury or property
damage. The statute does not limit or otherwise establish the types of
damages that are recoverable from the government when liability is
established. For that matter, the statute does not address, in either
terms of inclusion or exclusion, who may recover damages arising
from such bodily injury. In other words, the appropriate reading of
MCL 691.1405 is that the government is not immune from suit when
the negligent operation of a government-owned motor vehicle results
in bodily injury. Once such liability is established, the statute is
silent regarding damages, meaning that the plaintiff may recover
whatever damages arise from the bodily injury.[15]
Accordingly, under a proper interpretation of the motor vehicle exception,
plaintiffs establish liability by showing that the negligent operation of a
government-owned motor vehicle resulted in bodily injury. But once that liability
has been established, plaintiffs can recover all damages that arise from the bodily
14
This Court reviews issues of statutory interpretation de novo. Brown v
Detroit Mayor, 478 Mich 589, 593; 734 NW2d 514 (2007).
15
Kik I, 268 Mich App at 709-710.
6
injury. “Had the Legislature intended to prohibit the recovery of consequential or
incidental damages which arise directly from the infliction of injury to person or
property at the hands of the government, it would have affirmatively done so in
specific language . . . .”16
Loss of consortium damages derive from “some other legally cognizable
harm suffered by the individual whose consortium the plaintiff has lost as a result
of that harm.”17 Michigan law has long allowed recovery of these damages for
injuries to a spouse.18 And the wrongful death act allows parents to bring a claim
for loss of companionship based on the death of their child.19
In these cases, the “other legally cognizable harm” from which plaintiffs’
loss of consortium claims derive is the bodily injury suffered by the spouse or
child in the motor vehicle collision. In Wesche, plaintiff Beverly Wesche’s loss of
consortium claim arose from the injuries suffered by her husband in the motor
vehicle collision. In Kik, plaintiff Robert Kik’s loss of consortium claims are
based on the injuries to his wife and the death of his child, both of which were
16
Endykiewicz v State Hwy Comm, 414 Mich 377, 389; 324 NW2d 755
(1982). In Endykiewicz, a unanimous Court suggested that the exceptions to
governmental immunity should be construed expansively in order to accomplish
the legislative purpose of “provid[ing] an opportunity to obtain redress from the
responsible governmental agency for those injured as a result of the negligence of
the government . . . .” Id. at 388-389. This appears to me to be the appropriate
rule when interpreting an exception to governmental immunity.
17
31 Michigan Law & Practice (2d ed), Torts, § 72, p 179.
18
See Montgomery v Stephan, 359 Mich 33, 49; 101 NW2d 227 (1960).
19
MCL 600.2922(6).
7
caused by the motor vehicle collision. And plaintiff Rebecca Kik’s claim is based
on the death of her child. Accordingly, each plaintiff can recover loss of
consortium damages because the damages arose directly from the bodily injury
suffered in a motor vehicle collision.
The correctness of finding that the motor vehicle exception allows recovery
for loss of consortium is confirmed when one examines the motor vehicle
exception in light of the highway defects exception. In relevant part, the highway
defects exception provides:
A person who sustains bodily injury or damage to his or her
property by reason of failure of a governmental agency to keep a
highway under its jurisdiction in reasonable repair and in a condition
reasonably safe and fit for travel may recover the damages suffered
by him or her from the governmental agency.[20]
This exception expressly limits recovery to the “person who sustains bodily
injury or damage to his or her property.” The Legislature used express limiting
language in this exception, but did not use such language in the motor vehicle
exception. This is strong evidence that the Legislature did not intend to limit
recovery under the motor vehicle exception to the individual who actually suffered
bodily injury.21
20
MCL 691.1402(1).
21
It could be argued that the difference in the language used in the highway
defects exception and the motor vehicle exception can be explained by this fact:
The highway defects exception has been amended twice, whereas the motor
vehicle exception has never been amended. However, this fact does not explain
the difference in language, since each version of the highway defects exception
(continued…)
8
Furthermore, the majority’s interpretation of the exception will lead to
absurd results. The damages recoverable for loss of consortium, like those for
emotional distress and lost wages, can derive from the bodily injury suffered, as in
this case, in a motor vehicle collision. Did the Legislature intend to single out loss
of consortium damages, of all the damages recoverable for bodily injury from a
collision, as excluded from the remedy that the statute confers? Absent any reason
to believe that the Legislature intended such a result, this absurd interpretation
must be rejected.22
CONCLUSION
I believe that the majority errs by deciding that loss of consortium damages
cannot be recovered under the motor vehicle exception to governmental immunity.
The exception establishes only a threshold for liability and does not limit the type
of damages that may be recovered once liability is established. For that reason, I
would hold that loss of consortium damages can be recovered in these two cases.
Marilyn Kelly
Michael F. Cavanagh
(…continued)
has included language strictly limiting recovery to the person suffering bodily
injury.
22
See McAuley v Gen Motors Corp, 457 Mich 513, 518; 578 NW2d 282
(1998); see also Cameron v Auto Club Ins Ass’n, 476 Mich 55, 78-79; 718 NW2d
784 (2006) (Markman, J., concurring); id. at 103 n 12 (Cavanagh, J., dissenting);
id. at 104 n 1 (Weaver, J., dissenting); id. at 109-130 (Kelly, J., dissenting).
9