The Honorable Joseph Alfred Rathert Missouri Cases

Lonnie Decker filed a wrongful death petition against Sergeant Dirk Helms and Chief Joe Edwards, supervisors in the De Soto Police Department, alleging negligence in failing to adopt vehicular pursuit policies and train officers, which led to his daughter's death during a police pursuit. The circuit court denied their motions to dismiss based on official immunity and the public duty doctrine. The Missouri Supreme Court made its preliminary writ of prohibition permanent, holding that the supervisors' duties were discretionary, not ministerial, and therefore official immunity barred the claims against them.