Ex Parte Kennedy

Matthew Kennedy, Charles Ward, and Marty Griffin, law-enforcement officers, petition this Court for a writ of mandamus directing the Escambia Circuit Court to enter a summary judgment in their favor on a wrongful-death claim pursued by Burl Thompson, as the executor of the estate of Joseph James "Pete" Thompson ("Pete Thompson"), based on their assertion of the defenses of State-agent and statutory immunity. For the reasons discussed herein, we grant the petition and issue the writ.

I. Factual and Procedural Background

On the afternoon of September 30, 2002, 83-year-old Pete Thompson, who…