Bitner v. Cal. Dept. of Corrections and Rehabilitation CA4/2 (2023) · DecisionDepot
Bitner v. Cal. Dept. of Corrections and Rehabilitation CA4/2
California Court of Appeal Jan 5, 2023 No. E078038Unpublished
Filed 1/5/23 Bitner v. Cal. Dept. of Corrections and Rehabilitation CA4/2
NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN OFFICIAL REPORTS California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for publication or ordered published, except as specified by rule 8.1115(b). This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.
IN THE COURT OF APPEAL OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA
FOURTH APPELLATE DISTRICT
DIVISION TWO
JENNIFER BITNER et al.,
Plaintiffs and Appellants, E078038
v. (Super.Ct.No. CIVDS1605437)
CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF OPINION CORRECTIONS AND REHABILITATION,
Defendant and Respondent.
APPEAL from the Superior Court of San Bernardino County. David Cohn, Judge.
Affirmed.
Ackermann & Tilajef, Craig J. Ackermann, Avi Kreitenberg; Verum Law Group,
Sam Kim and Yoonis Han for Plaintiffs and Appellants.
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Rob Bonta, Attorney General, Chris A. Knudsen, Assistant Attorney General,
Kenneth C. Jones, Kevin K. Hosn and Anthony William Gomez, Deputy Attorneys
General, for Defendant and Respondent.
I. INTRODUCTION
Plaintiffs and appellants Jennifer Bitner and Evelina Herrera were employed as
licensed vocational nurses by defendant and respondent California Department of
Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR). They filed a class action suit against CDCR
or things to be affected by its provisions, there is an implied exclusion of others . . [, and]
the court is without power to supply an omission.” ’ ”].) Section 844.6 contains an
enumerated list of claims that are exempt from its otherwise broad grant of immunity and
claims brought under FEHA are not included in that list. (§ 844.6, subd. (a).) Thus, we
can reasonably infer that the Legislature did not intend claims brought pursuant to FEHA
to be exempt from section 844.6’s grant of immunity.
For the foregoing reasons, we find no ambiguity in section 844.6. The statute
provides public entities with absolute immunity from liability for injuries proximately
caused by prisoners with the exception of specific, enumerated exceptions. The fact that
FEHA establishes a direct liability neither conflicts with nor creates any ambiguity with
respect to the matters exempt from section 844.6’s purview.
2. Plaintiffs’ Arguments Are Unpersuasive
On appeal, plaintiffs argue that FEHA should be considered an exemption to the
immunity granted in section 844.6 because (1) competing cannons of statutory
construction suggest FEHA should take precedence over section 844.6; (2) FEHA creates
a “direct” duty and thus must be interpreted to take precedence over section 844.6;
(3) section 815.6 imposes direct liability for the breach of a statutorily mandated duty,
overriding the immunity provided in section 844.6; and (4) public policy considerations
support the finding of an exception to section 844.6 in the contest of FEHA claims. We
find each of these contentions unpersuasive.
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a. Competing cannons of statutory construction do not suggest FEHA
claims are exempt from section 844.6
Plaintiffs argue that FEHA should take precedence over section 844.6 because it is
the more specific statute and the more recently enacted statute. Even assuming that
resorting to cannons of statutory construction is necessary to ascertain the meaning of
section 844.6,2 these specific cannons do not support the finding of an exception to
section 844.6’s immunity provisions.
It is true that as a general rule of statutory interpretation, “ ‘in the event of
statutory conflict, a specific provision will control over a general provision.’ ”
(Arterberry v. County of San Diego (2010) 182 Cal.App.4th 1528, 1536.) However,
“ ‘ “ ‘[t]he referent of “general” and “specific” is subject matter.’ ” ’ ” (Ibid.) As
relevant here, FEHA is an extensive statutory scheme intended to implement the broad
public policy of protecting against discrimination in the employment context. (§ 12920;
City of Moorpark v. Superior Court (1998) 18 Cal.4th 1143, 1156-1157.) In contrast,
section 844.6 is a statute that addresses only injuries caused by or to prisoners. (§ 844.6.)
In our view, the subject matter of FEHA is far broader and more generally applicable
2 Initially, we emphasize that “cannons of statutory construction are merely tools to ascertain[n] probable legislative intent; they are not the formula that always determines it.” (Moore v. Superior Court (2020) 58 Cal.App.5th 561, 580.) Thus, “[w]here the language of a statute is unambiguous, the plain meaning controls, and we have no occasion to resort to principles of statutory construction or extrinsic sources.” (People v. Eckard (2011) 195 Cal.App.4th 1241, 1246; Hale v. S. Cal. IPA Medical Group (2001) 86 Cal.App.4th 919, 924.) As we have already explained, the plain language of section 844.6 does not include an exemption for FEHA claims, and FEHA itself does not create ambiguity on this issue.
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than the subject matter addressed in section 844.6, making section 844.6 the more
specific of the two.
To the extent there is any doubt on this point, the California Supreme Court’s
decision in Caldwell v. Montoya (1995) 10 Cal.4th 972 (Caldwell) is dispositive. In
Caldwell, our Supreme Court considered and rejected the argument that FEHA claims
should be exempt from the statutory immunity set forth in section 820.2, which provides
public employees immunity for discretionary acts. (Caldwell, at p. 985.) In reaching this
conclusion, it reasoned that “the very purpose of the [Tort Claims Act] is to afford
categories of immunity where, but for its provisions, public agencies or employees would
otherwise be liable under general principles of law. [¶] . . . [¶] It follows that where the
immunity provided by [statute] would otherwise apply, that immunity cannot be
abrogated by a statute which simply imposes a general legal duty or liability on persons,
including public employees. . . . This further effect can only be achieved by a clear
indication of legislative intent that statutory immunity is withheld or withdrawn in the
particular case. [¶] FEHA does not meet this test. . . . FEHA contains no indicia of an
additional intent that individual public officials or employees may be sued despite a
specific statutory immunity that would otherwise apply in a particular case.” (Caldwell,
at pp. 985-986.)
Plaintiffs attempt to factually distinguish Caldwell by arguing that the case
addresses immunity of public employees under a different statute. However, a similar
argument was considered and rejected in Towery v. State of California (2017)
14 Cal.App.5th 226, 231-232 (Towery). As explained in Towery, “[s]ection 844.6
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provides an even stronger case than the immunity provision at issue in Caldwell for the
conclusion that it prevails over any statute . . . that simply establishes a general legal duty
or liability. [Citation.] Unlike section 820.2, section 844.6 does not contain the general
statement that it applies ‘[e]xcept as otherwise provided by statute.’ [Citation.] Rather,
section 844.6 contains a more limited exception, stating that it applies ‘except as
provided in this section’ and in several other specific statutes. [Citation.] Thus, section
844.6 does not leave any ambiguity about its applicability to a claim against a public
entity under some other statute . . . that simply creates a general legal duty.” (Towery, at
p. 234.)
Under the reasoning of Caldwell and Towery, FEHA is a statutory scheme that
imposes a general legal duty, and section 844.6 is clearly the more specific statute when
compared with FEHA. As a result, the rule of statutory construction that a more specific
statute prevails over a more general one does not help plaintiffs. In our view, the rule
undermines, rather than supports, plaintiffs’ claim.
Given this conclusion, plaintiffs’ reliance on the fact that FEHA was more
recently enacted is also misplaced. Generally, “later enacted statutes prevail over earlier
enacted statutes . . . .” (Tan v. Appellate Division of Superior Court (2022)
76 Cal.App.5th 130, 143.) However, “the rule that specific provisions take precedence
over more general ones trumps the rule that later-enacted statutes have precedence.”
(State Dept. of Public Health v. Superior Court (2015) 60 Cal.4th 940, 960; see Lopez v.
Sony Electronics, Inc. (2018) 5 Cal.5th 627, 635.) Because section 844.6 is the more
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specific statute when compared with FEHA, the fact that FEHA was enacted more
recently than section 844.6 is not dispositive.
b. The fact that a statute provides “direct” liability for an injury does not
create an exemption to section 844.6
Plaintiffs also argue that FEHA should be interpreted to override the immunity
provided in section 844.6 because FEHA imposes a direct liability against public entities.
Again, we disagree.
Plaintiffs’ argument conflates the issue of duty and immunity, which are separate
and distinct legal concepts. As explained by our Supreme Court in Caldwell: “[W]e
have consistently regarded actionable duty and statutory immunity as separate issues,
holding that in general, an immunity provision need not even be considered until it is
determined that a cause of action would otherwise lie against the public employee or
entity. This analytical treatment arises from our recognition that ‘the question of
[actionable] “ ‘duty’ . . . is only a threshold issue, beyond which remain the immunity
barriers . . . .” ’ ” (Caldwell, supra, 10 Cal.4th at p. 985.) The Supreme Court observed
that, in the context of section 820.2, the statute “does not grant or withhold its protection
on the basis of whether the legal duty asserted in the lawsuit arose by common law or by
statute. Instead, the section erects a separate ‘barrier’ or ‘hurdle’ of immunity at a point
‘beyond’ the ‘threshold issue’ of legal duty.” (Caldwell, at p. 986.)
Thus, the fact that a defendant is afforded statutory immunity presumes that a legal
duty exists in the first instance, and the two concepts are not mutually exclusive. Like
section 820.2, section 844.6 does not grant or withhold its protection on the basis of
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whether the underlying legal duty of the public entity arises by common law or statute.
Thus, the fact that FEHA creates a direct duty upon CDCR to take reasonable steps for
the protection of its employees has no bearing on whether section 844.6 erects a separate
barrier or hurdle of immunity after a legal duty of care has been established.
We also believe that plaintiffs’ argument is unpersuasive for an additional reason.
It is well established that courts “should avoid interpreting a statute in a manner which
would both frustrate its purpose and lead to absurd results.” (People v. Morales (2018)
25 Cal.App.5th 502, 509.) This includes interpreting a statute to include exceptions that
are “so broad that they would cease to function as exceptions, and would render
meaningless the Legislature’s statement that the [statute] will apply ‘unless’ certain
is not discussed under a separate heading in the opening brief.3 Instead, it was referenced
only briefly within the arguments pertaining to statutory construction. Further, these
references are only assertions unsupported by any developed argument or case citations
in support of the assertions.
More importantly, plaintiffs never raised or developed the issue in the trial court.
A “[p]laintiff forfeit[s] his contentions that . . . evidence raise[s] a triable issue by failing
to cite or argue that evidence with respect to [the] issue in the trial court.” (Avila v.
Continental Airlines, Inc. (2008) 165 Cal.App.4th 1237, 1252, fn. 7; Meridian Financial
Services, Inc. v. Phan (2021) 67 Cal.App.5th 657, 704 [appellant forfeited claim of error
in grant of summary judgment where claim “was not raised or factually developed in the
trial court”].) Here, plaintiffs’ memorandum of points and authorities in opposition to the
motion for summary judgment did not argue that CDCR failed to meet its burden to show
the application of section 844.6 as an affirmative defense, and it did not argue that the
evidence created a dispute of fact regarding whether their alleged injuries were
proximately caused by prisoners. Further, despite the fact that CDCR identified
proximate causation as a distinct issue in its separate statement, plaintiffs identified no
3 Plaintiffs addressed the issue in their reply brief only after CDCR responded to the assertions in the respondent’s brief. However, “[a]n appellant’s duty attaches at the outset. It would be unfair to permit an appellant to wait to argue his substantive points until after the respondent exhausts its only opportunity to address an issue on appeal. As a general rule, points not addressed until a reply brief will not be considered unless good reason is shown for failing to address them earlier.” (Benach v. County of Los Angeles (2007) 149 Cal.App.4th 836, 852, fn. 10.) Because plaintiffs seek to rely on these arguments as an independent ground for reversing summary judgment, it was improper for them to wait until the reply brief to fully develop their arguments.
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evidence to dispute any of these facts in their responsive separate statement, arguing
instead that the issue of whether their injuries were proximately caused by prisoners was
“not a material fact.” Having failed to raise or develop this issue in the trial court,
plaintiffs cannot raise the issue for the first time on appeal.
Thus, for two independent reasons, we conclude that plaintiffs have forfeited their
argument that the evidence on summary judgment was insufficient to show CDCR was
entitled to judgment in its favor on the affirmative defense of statutory immunity, and we
can affirm the judgment on this basis alone.
2. Even in the Absence of Forfeiture, Plaintiffs’ Contention Is Without Merit
Even in the absence of forfeiture, we would find no merit in plaintiffs’ argument
that the evidence was insufficient to warrant granting summary judgment. We review an
order granting summary judgment de novo. (Coral Construction, Inc. v. City and County
of San Francisco (2010) 50 Cal.4th 315, 336.) Additionally, “[i]n performing our
independent review, we apply the same three-step process as the trial court” by looking at
the pleadings to identify the elements of the causes of action; examining the moving
party’s evidence to determine if the moving party has made a prima facie showing that
justifies judgment in the moving party’s favor; and examining the opposing party’s
evidence to determine if the opposing party has met its corresponding burden to show a
triable issue of material fact.” (Ryan v. Real Estate of Pacific, Inc. (2019) 32 Cal.App.5th
637, 642.) Thus, we employ this same analytical framework to evaluate whether the trial
court properly granted summary judgment based upon the affirmative defense of
statutory immunity set forth in section 844.6.
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Here, CDCR’s answer alleged immunity under section 844.6 as an affirmative
defense, and CDCR specifically argued this as one ground for granting summary
judgment in its motion. Thus, the issue framed by the relevant pleading was whether the
undisputed facts were sufficient to show CDCR was entitled to immunity under section
844.6.
On its face, section 844.6 applies when two factual predicates are established:
(1) the defendant asserting the defense is a “public entity,” and (2) the plaintiff’s alleged
injury is “proximately caused by any prisoner.” (§ 844.6, subd.(a)(1).) With respect to
the first factual predicate, CDCR is unquestionably a public entity,4 and plaintiffs do not
seriously dispute this point on appeal. With respect to the second factual predicate,
CDCR’s separate statement set forth 11 facts showing that the acts of sexual harassment
of which plaintiffs complain were perpetrated by prison inmates. CDCR cited to the
allegations of plaintiffs’ complaint, plaintiffs’ declarations submitted in support of prior
motions, and plaintiffs’ deposition testimony as the evidentiary support for these facts.
This was sufficient to meet CDCR’s initial burden on summary judgment. (Mayes v. La
Sierra University (2022) 73 Cal.App.5th 686, 696-697 [To meet its burden, a defendant
must “make a prima facie evidentiary showing,” and “the defendant meets its initial
“ ‘Public entity’ includes the state, the Regents of the University of California, 4 the Trustees of the California State University and the California State University, a county, city, district, public authority, public agency, and any other political subdivision or public corporation in the State” (§ 811.2), and CDCR is an agency of the state (see Lawson v. Superior Court (2010) 180 Cal.App.4th 1372, 1376 fn. 1 [“[T]he CDCR is an agency of the State . . . .”]; Wright v. State of California (2004) 122 Cal.App.4th 659, 672 [same]).
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burden if it presents sufficient evidence to support a judgment in its favor on the . . .
defense.”].)
In opposition, plaintiffs did not present any evidence to dispute the 11 facts set
forth in CDCR’s separate statement.5 Nor did plaintiffs’ argue in the trial court that
CDCR’s evidence was insufficient to show proximate causation or that any of the
exceptions set forth in section 844.6 applied to their claims. Accordingly, plaintiffs failed
to meet their corresponding burden to establish a triable issue of material fact on the
affirmative defense of statutory immunity pursuant to section 844.6.
Even now on appeal, plaintiffs do not direct us to any evidence in the record to
show a material factual dispute. Instead, plaintiffs argue that their injuries were not
proximately caused by prisoners because their injuries can be “ ‘proximately attributed
to’ ” CDCR’s alleged breach of duties imposed under FEHA. This argument misses the
point. A single injury can have more than one proximate cause. (Wright v. City of L.A.
(1990) 219 Cal.App.3d 318, 348 [“T]here may be more than one proximate cause of an
injury . . . .”]; Fein v. Permanente Medical Group (1985) 38 Cal.3d 137, 152 [multiple
negligent acts can be a proximate cause of a single injury].) The factual predicate to
establish section 844.6’s application is that the injury is proximately caused by a prisoner
5 Plaintiffs instead asserted that 10 of the 11 facts were immaterial to resolution of any issue on summary judgment. While they purported to dispute one of the facts, they cited to no evidence to show the existence of a dispute, instead citing only to the allegations of their first amended complaint. However, “the allegations in a complaint do not, at trial constitute evidence of the truth of the allegations . . . , and a party cannot rely on its own pleadings as evidence to support or oppose a summary judgment motion.” (Cassady v. Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP (2006) 145 Cal.App.4th 220, 241.)
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and the statute does not contain an exception based upon the existence of additional,
concurrent causes. (§ 844.6, subd. (a).) Thus, if a prisoner’s acts or omissions are one
proximate cause of the alleged injury, section 844.6 will immunize a public entity from
liability even if the public entity’s independent acts might also be a concurrent cause.
(See Savitt v. Jordan, supra, 142 Cal.App.3d at p. 822 [Section 844.6 provides immunity
from injuries caused by a prisoner even if the public entity was also grossly negligent in
causing the injury.].)
Thus, even if we accept as true that the evidence presented on summary judgment
suggests that CDCR’s breach of a statutory duty was a proximate cause of plaintiff’s
injuries, such a showing does not establish a material dispute of fact. Where the
undisputed material facts show that the alleged injury was proximately caused by a
prisoner, it is not enough for a plaintiff to simply present evidence that additional,
concurrent causes may also have contributed to the same injury. Such evidence does not,
in itself, create a material dispute of fact with respect to the application of section 844.6.
Because the record establishes that CDCR met its burden to show the application
of an affirmative defense and plaintiffs failed to meet their corresponding burden to show
a triable issue of material fact relevant to the application of that defense in opposition, the
trial court did not err in granting the motion for summary judgment.
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IV. DISPOSITION
The judgment is affirmed. Respondent to recover its costs on appeal.
NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN OFFICIAL REPORTS
FIELDS J.
We concur:
RAMIREZ P. J.
McKINSTER J.
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AI Brief
AI-generated · verify before citing
Holding. The court held that the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation is entitled to statutory immunity under Government Code section 844.6 for claims brought under the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) because FEHA does not fall within the statute's enumerated exceptions.
Issues
Whether Government Code section 844.6 provides public entities with immunity from claims brought under FEHA.
Whether the trial court erred in granting summary judgment based on statutory immunity where plaintiffs failed to dispute the proximate cause of their injuries in the trial court.
Disposition. Affirmed
Quotations verified verbatim against the opinion
“FEHA is not included in the list of exceptions set forth in section 844.6.”