Minnich v. MED WASTE, INC.

We accepted the following question on certification from the United States District Court:

Does the Firefighter’s Rule bar an emergency professional, such as a firefighter, police officer, or public safety officer, who is injured as a result of performing his or her duties, from recovering tort-based damages from the party whose negligence caused the injury?

FACTS

The District Court made the following factual findings:

Jeffrey Minnich (“Plaintiff’) was employed by the Medical University of South Carolina (“MUSC”) as a public safety officer. While working in this capacity, Plaintiff assisted in…