When a person is injured on public property owned or controlled by a state, federal, or local government—or when a person or a person’s real or personal property is injured or damaged by a motor vehicle, piece of equipment, or other instrumentality—the question of whether the governmental entity that may be responsible for the alleged negligence can be sued and forced to pay any resulting court judgment for money damages.
An important legal issue to address in answering these questions is sovereign immunity. Sovereign immunity (also known as governmental immunity) in American law was derived from the British common law doctrine that the King could do no wrong—and thus could not be sued. Sovereign immunity varies from state to state, but typically applies to state governments as well as the federal government.
For example, sovereign immunity protects the state and its various provisions of state government—including agencies, boards, hospitals, and universities—from liability and from suit—unless the immunity has been waived. Similarly, sovereign immunity protects political subdivisions—including counties, cities, and school districts—from liability and from suit—unless the immunity has been waived.
Thus, sovereign immunity encompasses two principles: (1) immunity from suit and (2) immunity from liability. Immunity from suit bars a suit against the state or other governmental entity unless the legislature expressly gives consent. Immunity from liability protects the state or other governmental entity from judgments even if the legislature has expressly given consent to sue.
But federal and state governments (generally the U.S. Congress and state legislatures) have the ability to waive their sovereign immunity. Waivers of sovereign immunity are usually included in state and federal statutes and interpreted and applied by state and federal courts in court opinions.
A party may establish legislative consent by referencing a statute or a resolution granting express legislative permission. Legislative consent to sue the state or other governmental entity must be expressed in clear and unambiguous language.
Laws regarding sovereign immunity (and whether a person can sue and recover damages from a state, federal, or local government) vary significantly among states and in the federal system. These laws are usually located in the relevant state or federal statutes—and as applied by the courts in prior lawsuits and written by judges in prior court opinions known as case law.
In Texas, sovereign immunity is a legal doctrine that protects state and local government entities from being sued or from having to pay damages in lawsuits, unless this immunity has been explicitly waived by the legislature. The Texas Tort Claims Act is the primary statute that waives sovereign immunity in certain situations, allowing individuals to sue governmental entities for personal injuries or property damage caused by the negligence of government employees acting within the scope of their employment, or for premises defects on government-owned property. However, there are strict notice requirements, damage caps, and other limitations that apply to such claims. For example, the state's liability is capped at $250,000 per person and $500,000 per occurrence for bodily injury, and $100,000 per occurrence for property damage. It's important to note that even with the waivers provided by the Texas Tort Claims Act, there are still many instances where sovereign immunity remains intact, and government entities cannot be held liable. Additionally, the federal government has its own set of rules under the Federal Tort Claims Act, which similarly waives sovereign immunity in certain cases, allowing for lawsuits against federal agencies and employees under specific conditions.
