Cite as 2013 Ark. 232
it abundantly clear that the Commission indeed waived sovereign immunity.
First and foremost, I must point out that the majority errantly reverses the circuit court's waiver ruling on an argument that was neither raised to, nor ruled on by, the circuit court. The majority holds that the Commission's answer to the second amended complaint superseded and replaced its prior two answers; however, a review of the record reveals that the argument was not raised by the Commission to the circuit court, nor was it ruled on by the circuit court. But even more perplexing is the fact that the majority bases its reversal on the Commission's answer to the second amended complaint, an answer that was filed after the hearing at which the circuit court orally denied the Commission's motion to dismiss, finding that the Commission had already waived sovereign immunity.[1] Such timing would likely explain the Commission's failure to raise the argument to the circuit court.
There is too the fact that our case law makes clear that the majority's reversal is in error. This court has held that sovereign immunity is jurisdictional immunity from suit. See Milberg, Weiss, Bershad, Hynes, & Lerach, LLP v. State, 342 Ark. 303, 28 S.W.3d 842 (2000). The defense arises from article 5, § 20, of the Arkansas Constitution, which provides that "[t]he State of Arkansas shall never be made a defendant in any of her courts." Id. at 320, 28 S.W.3d at 854 (quoting Ark. Const. art. 5, § 20). We have extended the doctrine of sovereign immunity to include state agencies. See Arkansas Dep't of Cmty. Corr. v. City of Pine Bluff, 2013 Ark. 36, ___
- ↑ As demonstrated by the record, the hearing at which the circuit court issued its ruling was held on May 15, 2012; the Commission did not file its answer to the second amended complaint until after that hearing, on May 29, 2012. I find it exceptionally generous of, and certainly bad precedent for, the majority to allow the Commission to meritoriously remedy its prior waiver by filing a new pleading after having the benefit of the circuit court's ruling.
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