Alter and Associates, LLC v. Lantz

Opinion

PETERS, J.

In the absence of statutory authority to the contrary, the doctrine of sovereign immunity protects the state from civil liability for monetary damages unless a claimant has obtained permission to sue from the claims commissioner. In this case, a disappointed government contractor seeks to compel the state commissioner to perform contractual obligations arising out of a bid award that, according to the contractor, was wrongfully terminated. To sidestep the defense of sovereign immunity, the contractor’s remedial claims seek equitable rather than monetary relief. The trial…