Guy v. Housing Authority of the City of Augusta

Summary

The Court held that the lower courts used the wrong analytical framework to determine whether a city housing authority is protected by sovereign immunity. Immunity based on the authority’s relationship to a municipality must be analyzed under the common law as it existed in England on May 14, 1776, rather than under precedent addressing state departments and agencies. Because that analysis had not been performed and the briefing was inadequate, the Court vacated and remanded without deciding whether the authority is immune. No separate opinions were filed.