Alabama § 36-1-12 - Sovereign Immunity.

§ 36-1-12. Sovereign Immunity.

(a) For the purposes of this section, “education employee” means a certified or noncertified employee of the State Board of Education or any local board of education and an employee of the Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind, the Alabama School of Fine Arts, the Department of Youth Services, or the Alabama School of Mathematics and Science.

(b) An officer, employee, or agent of the state, including, but not limited to, an education employee, acting in his or her official capacity is immune from civil liability in any suit pursuant to Article I, Section 14, of the Constitution of Alabama of 2022.

(c) An officer, employee, or agent of the state, including, but not limited to, an education employee, is immune from civil liability in his or her personal capacity when the conduct made the basis of the claim is based upon the agent’s doing any of the following:

(1) Formulating plans, policies, or designs.

(2) Exercising his or her judgment in the administration of a department or agency of government, including, but not limited to, examples such as:

a. Making administrative adjudications.

b. Allocating resources.

c. Negotiating contracts.

d. Hiring, firing, transferring, assigning, or supervising personnel.

(3) Discharging duties imposed on a department or agency by statute, rule, or regulation, insofar as the statute, rule, or regulation prescribes the manner for performing the duties and the state agent performs the duties in that manner.

(4) Exercising judgment in the enforcement of the criminal laws of the state, including, but not limited to, law enforcement officers’ arresting or attempting to arrest persons.

(5) Exercising judgment in the discharge of duties imposed by statute, rule, or regulation in releasing prisoners, counseling or releasing persons of unsound mind, or educating students.

(d) Notwithstanding subsection (c), an education employee, officer, employee, or agent of the state is not immune from civil liability in his or her personal capacity if:

(1) The Constitution or laws of the United States, or the Constitution of this state, or laws, rules, or regulations of this state enacted or promulgated for the purpose of regulating the activities of a governmental agency require otherwise; or

(2) The education employee, officer, employee, or agent acts willfully, maliciously, fraudulently, in bad faith, beyond his or her authority, or under a mistaken interpretation of the law.

(e) This section shall not be construed to eliminate, alter, or otherwise modify any other immunity regarding officers, employees, or agents of the state established under the Constitution and laws of this state.