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SUPREME COURT OF LOUISIANA
No. 96-C-0715 MARJORIE POWELL Versus REGIONAL TRANSIT AUTHORITY AND LOUISE SINGLETON ON WRIT OF CERTIORARI TO THE COURT OF APPEAL, FOURTH CIRCUIT, PARISH OF ORLEANS

LEMMON, Justice* This is an action to recover tort damages from the Regional Transit Authority (RTA), a political subdivision of the state, and Louise Singleton, the RTA employee who drove the transit bus that allegedly caused plaintiff's injuries. The matter proceeded to a bifurcated trial, with the judge deciding the liability of the governmental body and the jury deciding the liability of the individual employee. The jury returned a verdict finding no negligence on the employee's part, but the trial judge ruled that the RTA was vicariously liable for the employee's negligence expressly found by the judge. We granted certiorari to determine whether the bifurcated trial was appropriate when the lone tortfeasor was an employee of a governmental body that was not subject to a jury trial and the governmental body was vicariously liable for the fault of the employee.

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*Victory, J., not on panel. Rule IV, Part II,

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