Bryant v. N.C. Dep't of Health & Hum. Servs.

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF NORTH CAROLINA

No. COA25-377

Filed 18 February 2026

North Carolina Industrial Commission, I.C. No. TA-28836

CAMILLE BRYANT, Administrator of the Estate of James R. Baggott, Plaintiff,

v.

NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES,

Defendant.

Appeal by plaintiff from order entered 18 November 2024 by the Full

Commission of the North Carolina Industrial Commission. Heard in the Court of

Appeals 19 November 2025.

Ferikes Bleynat & Cannon, PLLC, by Edward L. Bleynat, Jr., for plaintiff-

appellant.

Attorney General Jeff Jackson, by Deputy Solicitor General James W. Doggett

and Solicitor General Fellow Katharine Devan Daly, for defendant-appellee.

North Carolina Sheriffs’ Association, by Executive Vice President and General

Counsel Edmond W. Caldwell, Jr., Associate General Counsel Jesse M.

Gutstein, and Fred P. Baggett, for the North Carolina Sheriffs’ Association,

amicus curiae.

FLOOD, Judge.

Plaintiff Camille Bryant, as Administrator of the Estate of James R. Baggott,

appeals from the North Carolina Industrial Commission’s (the “Full Commission”)

order dismissing Plaintiff’s wrongful death claim made under the Tort Claims Act.

On appeal, Plaintiff argues the Full Commission erred, first, by finding her claim was

barred by sovereign immunity, and second, by failing to award summary judgment

BRYANT V. N.C. DEP’T OF HEALTH & HUM. SERVS.

Opinion of the Court

in Plaintiff’s favor. After careful review, we conclude the Full Commission properly

granted summary judgment for Defendant North Carolina Department of Health and

Human Services (“NCDHHS”) with respect to Plaintiff’s claim under the Tort Claims

Act, where Plaintiff’s claim was barred by sovereign immunity. We, therefore, affirm

the Full Commission’s order.

I. Factual and Procedural Background

On 1 September 2020, Plaintiff filed an affidavit of claim under the Tort Claims

Act against NCDHHS, Macon County Sheriff’s Office (“MCSD”), and Macon County

Sheriff’s Office Deputy Cody Mitchell (“Deputy Mitchell”) in the North Carolina

Industrial Commission, seeking damages for the wrongful death of her husband,

James R. Baggott, as a result of an automobile accident that occurred on 12 February

2019. In her affidavit, Plaintiff described the 12 February 2019 accident in detail:

[Mr.] Baggott . . . was under the care, custody[,] and control

of the State of North Carolina and NCDHHS by and

through an involuntary commitment proceeding and order

issued by the Magistrate, Macon County, North Carolina

in February 2019. . . . On 12 February 2019, Mr. Baggott

was discharged from the behavioral treatment facility

located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and was being

transported back to Macon County in a van operated by

Deputy . . . Mitchell. While traveling down US Hwy 64 in

Macon County, Deputy Mitchell drove the transport van,

then having inadequate treaded tires, at an excessive

speed at or over 80 m.p.h. during inclement weather and

lost control of the vehicle while entering a curve with an

upslope. As a result, . . . Deputy Mitchell lost control of the

van, hydroplaned off of the roadway, and flipped the van

multiple times. Mr. Baggott, who was locked in the rear of

the van, was violently tossed about the rear of the van

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striking his head and body upon the metal interior and was

severely injured. Mr. Baggott was transported from the

scene to Mission Hospital in Ashville [sic] but died from his

injuries.

Plaintiff alleged that “[t]he negligent conduct in failing to ensure the transportation

van was adequately equipped with sufficiently treaded tries and the negligent

conduct of the transportation agent, Deputy Mitchell, acting on behalf of the State

and NCDHHS, proximately caused the wrongful death of Mr. Baggott.”

In response to Plaintiff’s affidavit, on 30 October 2020, MCSD moved to dismiss

for lack of jurisdiction and for failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted,

arguing that MCSD “is not a State department, institution, or agency as required by

the Tort Claims Act.” Deputy Commissioner David Mark Hullender granted MCSD’s

motion and dismissed Plaintiff’s claims against MCSD and Deputy Mitchell with

prejudice. Deputy Commissioner Hullender later amended this order to clarify that

nothing in the order prevents “Plaintiff from pursuing any claims against the

dismissed parties in a proper jurisdiction under North Carolina law.”1

NCDHHS also moved to dismiss Plaintiff’s claim; however, the motion was

denied. NCDHHS appealed to the Full Commission, which determined the

allegations in Plaintiff’s affidavit regarding an agency relationship between

1 Plaintiff did not appeal Deputy Commissioner Hullender’s order dismissing MCSD and

Deputy Mitchell as parties to the action to the Full Commission. Rather, the Record on appeal indicates

Plaintiff filed a Complaint in Macon County Superior Court against the County of Macon; MCSD; John

B. Holbrooks, in his capacity as Macon County Sheriff; Deputy Mitchell, individually and in his

capacity as Macon County Deputy Sheriff; and Western Surety Company, as Surety.

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NCDHHS and Deputy Mitchell were sufficient for Plaintiff’s claim to proceed to

discovery and thus affirmed the deputy commissioner’s order.

After discovery, NCDHHS moved for summary judgment, arguing “the

[S]tate’s sovereign immunity remains intact against [Plaintiff’s] claim[]” as “no agent

of [NCDHHS] was involved in [Mr.] Baggott’s transportation home on” 12 February

2019, and Plaintiff cannot show that NCDHHS owed Mr. Baggott a duty as a matter

of law. On 18 March 2024, Deputy Commissioner Hullender entered an order

granting NCDHHS’s motion for summary judgment for two reasons: first, “the State’s

sovereign immunity is not waived by the Tort Claims Act in this claim, because the

county official[s] were not agents of NCDHHS[,]” and second, NCDHHS “owed

[P]laintiff no duty as a matter of law[.]” Deputy Commissioner Hullender

subsequently dismissed Plaintiff’s claim. Plaintiff appealed this order to the Full

Commission.

Following a hearing, the Full Commission entered an order granting

NCDHHS’s motion for summary judgment, dismissing Plaintiff’s claim with

prejudice, and taxing costs to Plaintiff. In granting NCDHHS’s motion for summary

judgment, the Full Commission found and concluded that, “[i]n the light most

favorable to Plaintiff, as the non-moving party,” NCDHHS showed there was no

genuine issue of material fact. In determining Plaintiff failed to produce evidence that

can establish a prima facie case of a negligence claim under the Tort Claims Act, the

Full Commission found the following:

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[NCDHHS] has shown that Plaintiff failed to identify an

agent or employee of [] NCDHHS whose alleged negligent

conduct would subject [] NCDHHS to liability under the

Tort Claims Act. Moreover, [] NCDHHS has shown that the

only named negligent actors, Deputy Mitchell and MCSD,

were not agents or employees of [] NCDHHS on 12

February 2019. Moreover, assuming arguendo that

Plaintiff had properly named an agent or employee of []

NCDHHS as a negligent actor, Plaintiff has also failed to

identify any duty owed by [] NCDHHS to Mr. Baggot[t]

during his transportation on 12 February 2019 or how any

such duty was breached by an employee or agent of []

NCDHHS.

Plaintiff timely filed her notice of appeal to this Court.

II. Jurisdiction

This Court has jurisdiction to hear an appeal from any final order of the Full

Commission pursuant to N.C.G.S. §§ 7A-29 and 143-293 (2023).

III. Standard of Review

“Our standard of review of an appeal from summary judgment is de novo; such

judgment is appropriate only when the record shows that ‘there is no genuine issue

as to any material fact and that any party is entitled to a judgment as a matter of

law.’” In re Will of Jones, 362 N.C. 569, 573 (2008) (quoting Forbis v. Neal, 361 N.C.

519, 524 (2007)).

IV. Analysis

On appeal, Plaintiff argues that sovereign immunity does not apply in this

case, and the Full Commission erred by granting NCDHHS’s motion for summary

judgment and dismissing her claim based on this defense. Specifically, Plaintiff

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claims NCDHHS waived its sovereign immunity and is vicariously liable as principal

for Deputy Mitchell’s negligent acts under the Tort Claims Act because he was acting

as an agent of NCDHHS at the time of the fatal accident. To support her claim,

Plaintiff advances two theories of agency: (A) under the Mental Health,

Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Abuse Act of 1985 (the “Mental Health

Act”), NCDHHS has “far reaching control” over the local officials who act as agents

to “implement the statutory and regulatory regime[;]” and (B) NCDHHS had a

nondelegable duty to transport involuntarily committed individuals.

A. The Mental Health Act

Plaintiff first contends NCDHHS waived its sovereign immunity and is

vicariously liable for Deputy Mitchell’s negligence under the Tort Claims Act because

“[c]ounties and law enforcement officers act” as agents of NCDHHS “when

transporting involuntarily committed individuals for services under” the Mental

Health Act. We disagree.

The Tort Claims Act vests jurisdiction in the Industrial Commission to hear

and decide “tort claims against the State Board of Education, the Board of

Transportation, and all other departments, institutions and agencies of the State.”

N.C.G.S. § 143-291 (2023). “In a Tort Claims Act case, the [Industrial] Commission’s

duty in addressing a summary judgment motion is limited to determining the

existence of genuine issues of material fact and stops short of resolving such issues

without an evidentiary hearing.” Norman v. N.C. Dep’t of Transp., 161 N.C. App. 211,

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216 (2003). “Although issues of negligence are generally not appropriately decided by

way of summary judgment, if there are no genuine issues of material fact, and an

essential element of a negligence claim cannot be established, summary judgment is

proper.” Norris v. Zambito, 135 N.C. App. 288, 293 (1999). Summary judgment is also

proper where the movant shows “the opposing party . . . cannot surmount an

affirmative defense which would bar the claim.” Smith v. Phillips, 117 N.C. App. 378,

381 (1994).

In its motion for summary judgment, NCDHHS asserted the doctrine of

sovereign immunity as a bar to Plaintiff’s claim. Generally, “[u]nder the doctrine of

sovereign immunity, the State is immune from suit absent waiver of immunity.”

Meyer v. Walls, 347 N.C. 97, 104 (1997). “[B]y enacting the State Tort Claims Act,

[however,] the State ‘partially waived its sovereign immunity by consenting to direct

suits brought as a result of negligent acts committed by its employees in the course

of their employment.’” Cedarbrook Residential Ctr., Inc. v. N.C. Dep’t of Health &

Hum. Servs., 383 N.C. 31, 45 (2022) (quoting Teachy v. Coble Dairies, Inc., 306 N.C.

324, 329 (1982)). In the same vein, the State partially waived its sovereign immunity

from suits brought against it for the negligent acts committed by the State’s agents

acting within the scope of their agency:

The Industrial Commission shall determine whether or not

each individual claim arose as a result of the negligence of

any officer, employee, involuntary servant or agent of the

State while acting within the scope of his office,

employment, service, agency or authority, under

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circumstances where the State of North Carolina, if a

private person, would be liable to the claimant in

accordance with the laws of North Carolina.

N.C.G.S. § 143-291 (emphasis added). As such, to determine whether NCDHHS

waived its sovereign immunity pursuant to the Tort Claims Act, we must first

determine whether Deputy Mitchell was acting as an agent of the State and within

the scope of his agency at the time of the fatal accident. See id. “[S]ince the Tort

Claims Act is in derogation of sovereign immunity it must be strictly construed and

the terms must be strictly adhered to.” Etheridge v. Graham, 14 N.C. App. 551, 553–

54 (1972); Guthrie v. N.C. State Ports Auth., 307 N.C. 522, 537–38 (1983) (“Waiver of

sovereign immunity may not be lightly inferred and State statutes waiving this

immunity, being in derogation of the sovereign right to immunity, must be strictly

construed.”).

We begin our analysis noting that “[t]he legislature has not defined the term

‘agent’ in the Tort Claims Act.” Medley v. N.C. Dep’t of Correction, 330 N.C. 837, 840

(1992). Acknowledging this, Plaintiff asserts that counties act as agents of NCDHHS

assisting in the administration of a statewide program like the Mental Health Act.

To support her proposition, Plaintiff relies on Stephenson v. Bartlett, 355 N.C. 354

(2002), where our Supreme Court stated that “[c]ounties serve as the State’s agents

in administering statewide programs, while also functioning as local governments

that devise rules and provide essential services to their citizens.” Id. at 365. In

Stephenson, which is a redistricting case, our Supreme Court generally discussed the

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counties’ historical role in legislative redistricting and their importance as “political

subdivisions of the State of North Carolina.” Id. at 364. When reviewing the

legislature’s control over counties, the Stephenson Court noted how counties “are

creatures of the General Assembly and serve as agents and instrumentalities of State

government[,]” that play a vital role in “carrying out the general policy of the [S]tate

in the administration of government.” Id. at 364, 366 (citations omitted). The

Stephenson Court, however, did not consider whether counties were considered

agents of the State, within the meaning of the Tort Claims Act, in their

administration of all statewide programs. Id. at 358.

Whether the State is liable for the negligent acts of a county with respect to

administration of statewide policies so “as to confer jurisdiction on the Industrial

Commission to hear and decide the merits of this claim pursuant to the provisions of

the Tort Claims Act[,]” Gammons v. N.C. Dep’t of Hum. Res., 344 N.C. 51, 54 (1996),

“depends upon application of the principles of agency and respondeat superior to the

facts in the case under consideration[,]” Vaughn v. N.C. Dep’t of Hum. Res., 296 N.C.

683, 692 (1979); see also Barney v. N.C. State Highway Comm’n, 282 N.C. 278, 284

(1972) (“Under the Tort Claims Act negligence, contributory negligence and

proximate cause, as well as the applicability of the doctrine of respondeat superior,

are to be determined under the same rules as those applicable to litigation between

private individuals.”). The general principles of agency and respondeat superior have

been summarized as follows:

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Whenever the principal retains the right to control and

direct the manner in which the details of the work are to

be executed by his agent, the doctrine of respondeat

superior operates to make the principal vicariously liable

for the tortious acts committed by the agent within the

scope of his employment. Conversely, a principal is not

vicariously liable for the tortious acts of an agent who is

not subject to the control and direction of the principal with

respect to the details of the work and is subordinate only

in [e]ffecting a result in accordance with the principal’s

wishes. In sum, a principal’s vicarious liability for the torts

of his agent depends on the degree of control retained by

the principal over the details of the work as it is being

performed. The controlling principle is that vicarious

liability arises from the right of supervision and control.

Vaughn, 296 N.C. at 686 (internal quotation marks and citations omitted).

Our Supreme Court has applied these general principles in Vaughn and in

Gammons to determine whether the State Department of Human Resources

(“DHR”)—the predecessor of NCDHHS—was vicariously liable as the principal for

the acts of a county department of social services (“DSS”) as an agent.

In Vaughn, the claimant filed a claim under the Tort Claims Act against DHR,

alleging that the Durham County Director of DSS and his staff had acted negligently

in their delivery of foster care services. 296 N.C. at 685. DHR moved to dismiss the

claim for want of jurisdiction, arguing the County Director was not a State employee.

Id. at 684. The Court analyzed the statutory scheme and the administrative

regulations for the delivery of foster care services, and concluded the following factors

indicated DHR exercised a substantial amount of control over the County Director:

(1) the Social Service Commission, which has the statutory authority to promulgate

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rules regarding placement of children in foster homes, enacted comprehensive

standards that the County Director was mandated to follow; (2) the Social Service

Commission’s “mandatory standards on foster care instruct[ed] the County Director

of Social Services on virtually all aspects of foster care”; (3) the State provided a

substantial amount of funding; (4) the County Director was required to submit semi-

annual reports to DHR; and, importantly, (5) the statutory language provided that

“the County Director of Social Services is ‘[t]o act as Agent of the Social Services

Commission in relation to Work required by the Social Services Commission in the

county.’” Id. at 687–90. After considering these factors, the Court concluded that, “in

defining the duties of the County Director of Social Services[,] the General Assembly

envisaged that he would be the agent responsible for executing whatever work was

required by the Social Services Commission in his county.” Id. at 690. As such, the

Court held,

[t]his statutory scheme gives the [DHR], through the Social

Services Commission, control over the delivery of foster

care services and designates the County Director as the

person responsible for carrying out the policies formulated

by the [DHR]. Thus, in practice, as well as in name, the role

of the County Director in the delivery of foster care services

is that of an agent. Like the agent, the County Director acts

on behalf of the [DHR] and is subject to its control with

respect to the actions he takes on its behalf.

Id. The Court, however, limited its holding, stating that “[i]n every instance the

liability of the [DHR] depends upon application of the principles of agency and

respondeat superior to the facts in the case under consideration.” Id. at 692.

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Similarly, in Gammons, our Supreme Court held DHR could be vicariously

liable for the negligent acts of a county DSS with respect to the delivery of child

protective services. 344 N.C. at 56. In reaching its holding, the Court utilized the

same legal analysis as the Vaughn Court and determined the statutory scheme,

mandatory administrative regulations, and written comprehensive guidelines clearly

demonstrated that “the General Assembly envisaged that [the County Director of

Social Services] would be the agent responsible for executing whatever work was

required by the Social Services Commission in his county.” Id. at 62. The Court

concluded there was a sufficient agency relationship between DHR and the County

Director of Social Services and thus held DHR could be vicariously liable under the

Tort Claims Act for the County Director’s negligent actions regarding the delivery of

child protective services. Id. at 63.

Thus, as Vaughn and Gammons instruct, we must analyze “in detail the

statutory scheme and administrative regulations” and apply the general “principles

of agency and respondeat superior to the facts in th[is] case” to determine whether

the State, through NCDHHS, is liable for the negligent acts of MCSD and its deputies

with respect to the transportation of involuntarily committed respondents. See

Vaughn, 296 N.C. at 692; see also Gammons, 344 N.C. at 54. As such, we now turn to

“analyze[] in detail the statutory scheme and administrative regulations” for the

transportation of involuntarily committed respondents. See Gammons, 344 N.C. at

56.

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We begin with the statutory scheme of the Mental Health Act. The Mental

Health Act, as codified in Chapter 122C of the North Carolina General Statutes, was

established to “assist individuals with needs for mental health, developmental

disabilities, and substance abuse services in ways consistent with the dignity, rights,

and responsibilities of all North Carolina citizens.” N.C.G.S. § 122C-2 (2023). To

achieve the policy of the State, “State and local governments shall develop and

maintain a unified system of services centered in area authorities or county

programs” and “shall ensure that the following core services are available: (1)

[s]creening, assessment, and referral[;] (2) [e]mergency services[;] (3) [s]ervice

coordination[; and] (4) [c]onsultation, prevention, and education.” Id.

Under the Mental Health Act, the Secretary of NCDHHS is required to enforce

the rules promulgated by the Mental Health Commission. N.C.G.S. § 122C-111

(2023). The Mental Health Commission has the vested authority “to adopt, amend

and repeal rules to be followed in the conduct of State and local mental health,

developmental disabilities, substance abuse programs including education,

prevention, intervention, screening, assessment, referral, detoxification, treatment,

rehabilitation, continuing care, emergency services, case management, and other

related services.” N.C.G.S. § 143B-147 (2023). Further, N.C.G.S. § 143B-147

authorizes the Mental Health Commission

(1) [t]o adopt rules regarding the

a. Admission, including the designation of regions,

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treatment, and professional care of individuals

admitted to a facility operated under the authority

of [N.C.]G.S. [§] 122C-181(a), that is now or may be

established;

b. Operation of education, prevention, intervention,

treatment, rehabilitation and other related services

as provided by area mental health, developmental

disabilities, and substance abuse authorities, county

programs, and all providers of public services under

Part 4 of Article 4 of Chapter 122C of the General

Statutes;

c. Hearings and appeals of area mental health,

developmental disabilities, and substance abuse

authorities as provided for in Part 4 of Article 4 of

Chapter 122C of the General Statutes; and

....

f. Standards of public services for mental health,

developmental disabilities, and substance abuse

services.

....

(7) Except where rule making authority is assigned under

that Article to the Secretary of the Department of Health

and Human Services, to adopt rules to implement Article 3

of Chapter 122C of the General Statutes.

N.C.G.S. § 143B-147. The statute, however, is silent as to whether the Mental Health

Commission is authorized to adopt rules relating to the transportation of respondents

who have been involuntarily committed under the Mental Health Act.

This is likely because, under N.C.G.S. § 122C-251, the counties are given

authority to determine the details of transportation. Despite a few exceptions, the

counties are responsible for the transportation between counties of a respondent who

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has been involuntarily committed under the Act. See N.C.G.S § 122C-251(b) (2023).

Which county is responsible for transportation between counties depends on the

reason the respondent is being transported: if the respondent is being transported

“for a first examination as described in [N.C.]G.S. [§] 122C-263(a) and [N.C.]G.S. [§]

122C-283(a) [or] for admission to a 24-hour facility[,]” the county where the

respondent is taken into custody shall provide transportation; if the respondent is

being transported because he requested a change of venue for the district court

hearing, the “county where the petition for involuntary commitment was initiated”

must provide transportation; but, importantly here, if the respondent is being

transported after discharge from a facility, “the county of residence of the respondent”

must provide transportation, or the “respondent being discharged from a facility may

use his own transportation at his own expense.” N.C.G.S. § 122C-251(b).

Generally, the cities and counties must “retain and be required to perform the

responsibilities set forth in this Article[;]” however, an exception to this general rule

is where the plan that was “developed, agreed upon, and adopted in compliance with”

N.C.G.S. § 122C-215(g) provides otherwise. N.C.G.S. § 122C-251(g)(4) (2023). Under

N.C.G.S. § 122C-215(g), “[t]he governing body of a city or county” is required to “adopt

a plan known as an ‘involuntary commitment transportation agreement’ or

‘transportation agreement’ for the custody and transportation of respondents in

involuntary commitment proceedings[.]” N.C.G.S. § 1222C-251(g). While “[l]aw

enforcement and other affected agencies” must “participate in developing the

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transportation agreement[,]” N.C.G.S. § 122C-251(g)(1), the governing body

maintains the discretionary authority to “designate law enforcement officers,

volunteers, or other public or private personnel who have agreed pursuant to

subsection (g) of [N.C.G.S. § 122C-251] to provide all or parts of the custody and

transportation required by involuntary commitment proceedings[,]” N.C.G.S. § 122C-

251(g)(2) (2023). Regardless of whom the county designates, the designated person or

agency must comply with Article 5 of the Mental Health Act, which provides:

Any person or agency designated or required to provide all

or parts of the custody and transportation required by

involuntary commitment proceedings shall follow the

procedures in this Article. References in this Article to a

law enforcement officer apply to any person or entity

designated to provide custody or transportation. The

transportation agreement may provide that private

personnel or agencies may contract for transportation

services to transport respondents under involuntary

commitment from one entity to another.

Id. In other words, the statute does not require a “law enforcement officer[,]” which

is defined as a “[s]heriff, deputy sheriff, police officer, State highway patrolman, or

an officer employed by a city or county under [N.C.]G.S. [§] 122C-302[,]” N.C.G.S. §

122C-3(19) (2023), to transport an involuntarily committed respondent who has been

discharged back to their county. Rather, the statute authorizes the local governing

body to designate a person or agency to transport involuntarily committed

respondents. But even if the governing body has designated a law enforcement officer

to transport “a respondent being discharged from a facility[,]” that respondent “may

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[nonetheless] use his own transportation at his own expense.” See N.C.G.S. § 122C-

251(b).

While the governing body may designate law enforcement officers to provide

transportation, such designated law enforcement officers are directed by statute, “[t]o

the extent feasible . . . dress in plain clothes and shall travel in unmarked vehicles[,]”

and “to the extent possible, shall advise respondents when taking them into custody

that they are not under arrest and have not committed a crime, but are being taken

into custody and transported to receive treatment and for their own safety and that

of others.” N.C.G.S. § 122C-251(c) (2023). Yet, the local governing body also has the

power to determine the type of vehicle in which to transport the respondent. See

N.C.G.S. § 122C-251(c) (“Transportation of a respondent may be (i) by city- or county-

owned vehicles, (ii) by private vehicle by contract with the city or county, or (iii) as

provided in an agreement developed and adopted under [N.C.G.S. § 122C-251(g)] and

[N.C.]G.S. [§] 122C-202.2.”). Lastly, the plain language places the responsibility of

the cost and expenses of custody and transportation of a respondent, not on

NCDHHS, but on the “the county of residence of the respondent.” See N.C.G.S. §

122C-251(h) (2023). If the State were to provide transportation as permitted under

N.C.G.S. § 122C-408(b) (providing special provisions for the Town of Butner), the

State is entitled “to recover the reasonable cost of transportation from the county of

residence of the respondent.” Id. (emphasis added).

Our review of the statutory scheme of the Mental Health Act indicates that,

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unlike Vaughn and Gammons, the county—not the Mental Health Commission, nor

NCDHHS—has the authority to control and direct the manner in which involuntarily

committed respondents are transported by designating any person or agency to

transport involuntarily committed individuals, adopting an ‘involuntary commitment

transportation agreement[,]” and funding of the transportation of involuntarily

committed individuals. As such, we are not convinced that the legislature bestowed

upon NCDHHS the level of control over “the manner in which the details of the work”

necessary to make it vicariously liable for the tortious acts committed by law

enforcement officers transporting involuntarily committed respondents. Cf. Vaughn,

296 N.C. at 686.

Next, we must analyze any enacted administrative guidelines for the

transportation of involuntarily committed respondents to determine whether

NCDHHS “retains a right of control over the manner in which [transportation of

involuntarily committed respondents] are provided by a local agency. See Gammons,

344 N.C. at 60. Plaintiff, however, does not point to—and our research does not

reveal—any regulations or manuals promulgated by NCDHHS that supplement the

statutes in this area.2 Rather, Plaintiff directs our attention to a document called

2 We note that the Mental Health Commission did adopt a rule stating that “[t]he governing

body responsible for each facility or service shall develop and implement written policies for . . .

transportation, including the accessibility of emergency information for a client[.]” 10A NCAC

27G.0201 (December 2025). This rule, however, was not in effect when the Full Commission entered

its order.

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BRYANT V. N.C. DEP’T OF HEALTH & HUM. SERVS.

Opinion of the Court

“Commitment Issues for Law Enforcement” prepared by the North Carolina

Department of Justice. But this document was “designed as a reference guide only[,]”

and, while it does state the applicable law, it also recommends “that agencies develop

a written departmental policy for how to handle the various issues that arise during

the course of involuntary commitment proceedings.” Interestingly, this reference

guide does provide some considerations that may explain why the legislature

recommends law enforcement officers wear plain clothes and drive unmarked

vehicles:

It is important to remember that individuals taken into

custody under the involuntary commitment statutes have

not committed a criminal offense. Law enforcement

officers, to the extent possible, shall advise respondents

when taking them into custody that they are not under

arrest, but are being transported to receive treatment and

for their own safety and for the safety of others. N.C.G.S.

§122C-251(c).

Because the involuntary commitment process can be

frightening and disorienting to the respondent, the law

enforcement officer should make every effort to assure the

respondent that he or she is there to help. The statute also

says that, to the extent feasible, the transporting officer

should be in plain clothes and travel in an unmarked

vehicle. In addition, if the transporting officer is not of the

same sex as the respondent, then an attendant of the same

sex should accompany the law enforcement officer during

transport. There is no requirement that this attendant be

a sworn law enforcement officer. It may be appropriate to

allow a member of the respondent’s family to accompany

the respondent during transport.

Nevertheless, the reference guide does not indicate that NCDHHS “retains the

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Opinion of the Court

right to control and direct the manner in which the details of the work are to be

executed” by the counties or law enforcement in the transportation of involuntarily

committed respondents. See Vaughn, 296 N.C. at 686. Therefore, we hold the MCSD

is not an agent for NCDHHS when transporting respondents who have been

involuntarily committed under the Mental Health Act; consequently, NCDHHS is not

vicariously liable for Deputy Mitchell’s negligence under the Tort Claims Act.

B. Nondelegable Duty

Plaintiff also argues that NCDHHS had a nondelegable duty to provide for Mr.

Baggott’s safe transportation.

Generally, an employer will not be held vicariously liable for the torts of an

independent contractor. Hendricks v. Leslie Fay, Inc., 273 N.C. 59, 62 (1968). “The

nondelegable duty theory[, however,] is an exception to the rule of nonliability by a

principal for the work of independent contractors.” Medley, 330 N.C. at 841.

“Imposition of this nondelegable duty of safety reflects ‘the policy judgment that

certain obligations are of such importance that employers should not be able to escape

liability merely by hiring others to perform them.’” Woodson v. Rowland, 329 N.C.

330, 352 (1991) (quoting C. Daye and M. Morris, North Carolina Law of Torts, § 23.31,

at 393 (1991)). “Where a principal has a nondelegable duty, one with whom the

principal contracts to perform that duty is as a matter of law an agent for purposes

of applying the doctrine of respondeat superior.” Medley, 330 N.C. at 845.

In Medley, our Supreme Court considered whether an inmate could sue the

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BRYANT V. N.C. DEP’T OF HEALTH & HUM. SERVS.

Opinion of the Court

State Department of Correction under the Tort Claims Act for an injury caused by

the medical negligence of a private physician who was acting as an independent

contractor for a State prison. Id. at 838. The Department of Correction moved to

dismiss the plaintiff’s claim, arguing that, at the time of the injury, the physician was

not acting as an employee or agent within the meaning of the Tort Claims Act. Id.

Our Supreme Court held that, regardless of whether the physician was an employee

or an independent contractor, the physician, as a matter of law, was acting as an

agent of the State because he was performing the State’s nondelegable duty of

providing adequate medical care to inmates. Id. at 839.

Here, however, the nondelegable duty theory is not appliable for three reasons.

First, N.C.G.S. § 122C-251 places the duty of transportation of an involuntarily

committed respondent on the county—or, in some instances, the city—but not the

State. See N.C.G.S. § 122C-251(b) (“Transportation between counties under the

involuntary commitment proceedings of this Article for discharge of a respondent

from a 24-hour facility shall be provided by the county of residence of the respondent.”

(emphasis added)); see also Silver v. Halifax Cnty. Bd. of Comm’rs, 371 N.C. 855, 863

(2018) (“As used in statutes, the word ‘shall’ is generally imperative or mandatory.”

(citation omitted)).

Second, the plain language of N.C.G.S. § 122C-251 also indicates that the duty

to transport involuntarily committed individuals is a delegable duty. Specifically,

under subsection (g), counties are permitted to create a transportation agreement

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Opinion of the Court

that allows “private personnel or agencies [to] contract for transportation services to

transport respondents under involuntary commitment from one entity to another.”

N.C.G.S. § 122C-251(g)(2). Further, the county must “retain and be required to

perform the responsibilities set forth in this Article, except as set forth in a plan

developed, agreed upon, and adopted in compliance with this subsection.” N.C.G.S. §

122C-251(g)(4) (emphasis added).

Third, even if the State had a duty to provide transportation for involuntarily

committed respondents, here, there is only evidence of Macon County contracting

with Western Carolina Public Safety, LLC d/b/a/ Sheriffs Transport Service for the

provision of non-emergency transportation. In other words, there is no evidence that

the State specifically delegated this assumed duty to MCSD. Cf. Medley, 330 N.C. at

845 (“Where a principal has a nondelegable duty, one with whom the principal

contracts to perform that duty is as a matter of law an agent for purposes of applying

the doctrine of respondeat superior.” (emphasis added)). As such, Plaintiff has failed

to show NCDHHS had a nondelegable duty to transport Mr. Baggott.

In sum, Plaintiff has not shown that Deputy Mitchell was acting as an agent

for NCDHHS at the time of the fatal accident. Plaintiff’s claim under the Tort Claims

Act is therefore barred by the doctrine of sovereign immunity. See Meyer, 347 N.C. at

104. As such, the Full Commission did not err by granting Defendant’s motion for

summary judgment and dismissing Plaintiff’s claim based on the defense of sovereign

immunity. See Smith, 117 N.C. App. at 381.

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BRYANT V. N.C. DEP’T OF HEALTH & HUM. SERVS.

Opinion of the Court

Having concluded the Full Commission did not err in granting Defendant’s

motion for summary judgment, we need not address Plaintiff’s second argument that

the Full Commission erred by failing to award summary judgment in Plaintiff’s favor.

Since Plaintiff’s claim is barred by the doctrine of sovereign immunity, the Full

Commission properly granted Defendant’s motion for summary judgment and

dismissed Plaintiff’s claim. See id.

V. Conclusion

Upon careful review, we conclude the Full Commission properly granted

summary judgment for NCDHHS with respect to Plaintiff’s claim under the Tort

Claims Act, where Plaintiff’s claim was barred by sovereign immunity. Therefore, the

Full Commission’s order granting summary judgment for NCDHHS is affirmed.

AFFRIMED.

Judges ZACHARY and STADING concur.

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