2023 Sovereign Immunity Update: A City Housing Authority Not Immune From Personal Injury Lawsuit

On June 27, 2023, the Georgia Court of Appeals ruled in Pass v. Athens Housing Authority that the Athens Housing Authority was not shielded from a personal injury lawsuit by sovereign immunity. The trial court incorrectly ruled that state sovereign immunity applied to the Athens Housing Authority and it dismissed a lawsuit filed against it by a victim that was shot on its premises.  The Court of Appeals reversed the trial court ruling and reinstated the victim’s claims. The point of this blog post is to point out to potential victims of personal injury or property damage resulting from the acts and or omissions of government entities that they are best served by attorneys that are familiar with the applicability of sovereign immunity law and the claims that are subject to sovereign immunity protections. In this case, the victim had attorneys that vigorously protected his rights and he prevailed in the Court of Appeals.  Please contact Rumsey & Ramsey, a Dunwoody, Georgia law firm, at (770) 394-9400 to discuss your personal injury or property damage claim against a city or county with an attorney.