Section 13A-11-91 Liability of Employers, Etc., for Damages Resulting from Presence of Firearms.
AI-assisted research summary: This section gives employers and certain property holders immunity from damages claims tied to an employee bringing a firearm onto the property, limits any duty to inspect or secure employee parking areas or verify firearms compliance, and sets a 42-day appeal window for immunity-based dismissal rulings.
(a) Except as provided in subsection (g) of Section 13A-11-90, an employer and the owner and/or lawful possessor of the property on which the employer is situated shall be absolutely immune from any claim, cause of action or lawsuit that may be brought by any person seeking any form of damages that are alleged to arise, directly or indirectly, as a result of any firearm brought onto the property of the employer, owner, or lawful possessor by an employee, including a firearm that is transported in an employee’s privately owned motor vehicle. (b) The presence of a firearm or ammunition on an employer’s property under the authority of Act 2013-283 does not, by itself, constitute the failure by the employer to provide a safe workplace. (c) For the purposes of Act 2013-283, a public or private employer, or the employer’s principal, officer, director, employee, or agent, does not have a duty: (1) To patrol, inspect, or secure: a. Any parking lot, parking garage, or other parking area the employer provides for employees; or b. Any privately owned motor vehicle located in a parking lot, parking garage, or other parking area the employer provides for employees; or (2) To investigate, confirm, or determine an employee’s compliance with laws related to the ownership or possession of a firearm or ammunition or the transportation and storage of a firearm or ammunition. (d) Nothing in this section shall be construed to provide immunity from liability to an employer, business entity, or property owner for his or her own affirmative wrongful acts that cause harm, damage, or injury to another. (e) The denial by a court of a Motion to Dismiss based on immunity grounds shall be appealable in the same manner as a final order to the appellate court which would otherwise have jurisdiction over the appeal from a final order of the action. Such appeal may only be filed within 42 days of the order denying the Motion to Dismiss. The filing of such appeal, the failure to file an appeal, or the affirmance of the denial of the Motion to Dismiss shall in no way affect the right of the defendant, after entry of judgment, to appeal the denial of immunity. During the pendency of such appeal, the action in the trial court shall be stayed in all respects. (f) Nothing in Act 2013-283 is intended to expand or limit the rights an employer or employee currently has under Chapter 5 of Title 25.