Torchik v. Boyce

{¶ 1} In this case, we are asked to determine whether the “fireman’s rule” should be extended to protect independent contractors from liability toward firefighters and police officers for injuries they sustain while in the scope of their employment.

I. Case Background

{¶ 2} Appellant, Ricky Torchik, had been a deputy sheriff for Ross County for over ten years on February 4, 2003. That afternoon while on road patrol, he was dispatched to investigate a sounding home burglar alarm at a residence he had been called to several times before. After finding the front door locked, he went to the back of…