Collum v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education

# Collum v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education ## What Happened A person filed a lawsuit against Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and law enforcement defendants, claiming they caused emotional distress through negligent supervision and failure to properly oversee their duties. ## What the Court Decided The court dismissed all claims against the law enforcement defendants and their insurance company. The judge ruled that the "public duty doctrine" prevented the case from moving forward. This doctrine limits when people can sue government agencies and their employees for negligence related to public safety duties. ## Why This Matters for Workers This ruling shows that government employees and agencies have broad legal protection when performing public safety functions. Workers injured by government negligence face higher barriers to recovery than those harmed by private employers. The public duty doctrine means you typically cannot sue a government employer simply for failing to supervise or protect you—you generally need to prove they had a specific duty to you personally, not just a general duty to the public. This makes it harder for government workers to pursue negligence claims compared to private sector employees.