Suit against school principal is dismissed
The parents of Stanley Burland, Jr., sued Stan's high school principal, arguing that his misconduct in the management of a disciplanry investigation caused Stan's suicide. A parent had presented the principal with text messages between several students suggesting that Stan was going to sell marijuana to two other boys. Stan was brought to the office, where he was searched and his parents were summoned. The Principal told him he would be suspended initially for ten days. His father drove him home, where he committed suicide later that afternoon.
The family argued that the Principal was not entitled to immunity protection because he mis-managed the investigation, exceeded his authority and bungled a ministerial task. The Court made a fairly thorough review of the tenets of governmental immunity for negligence and intentional act claims, and held that the family had failed to present evidence that would meet the various requirements to avoid immunity.