GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONSv.DESHONDA HAGINS
CourtCourt of Appeals of Georgia
Docket No.A26A1095
DecidedSeptember 2, 2026
JudgesMcFadden, P. J., Watkins, and Padgett, JJ.
Tags
Government LiabilitySovereign ImmunityContractThird-Party BeneficiaryMotion to Dismiss
Case Summary
Aureon Grace, an Aramark employee, was killed by an inmate while working in a Georgia prison kitchen. Her mother, Deshonda Hagins, sued the Department of Corrections, alleging that the Department’s contract with Aramark made Grace an intended third-party beneficiary entitled to enforce workplace-safety obligations. The Court of Appeals agreed that the contract claim fell within Georgia’s waiver of sovereign immunity for written contracts, but held the complaint did not show that the contract intended to give Grace an enforceable benefit rather than an incidental one. It reversed the denial of the Department’s motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim.
Opinion
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