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Sarah C. Morton et al.v.Eagle Ranch Foundation, Inc., et al.

CourtCourt of Appeals of Georgia
Docket No.A26A1345
DecidedOctober 28, 2026
JudgesTHIRD DIVISION DILLARD, P. J., GOBEIL and PIPKIN, JJ.
Tags
CivilTort LawCivil ProcedureNegligenceSummary JudgmentRemand
Case Summary

The Mortons sued Eagle Ranch after another staff family’s nine-year-old child sexually assaulted their five-year-old son on the residential program’s campus. The trial court granted the program summary judgment and limited discovery into earlier incidents and the other child’s mental-health evaluation. The Court of Appeals held that factual disputes required trial on most negligence claims and the related requests for punitive damages and attorney fees, but left dismissal of the contract and negligence-per-se claims in place. It also reopened discovery concerning prior peer-on-peer abuse and directed the trial court to review the evaluation privately before deciding whether a mental-health privilege protected it. The court did not find the Ranch liable; it decided which claims and evidence could proceed. The ruling addresses both foreseeability and the limits of sensitive-record discovery.

Opinion

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The Far Side comic: I told you guys to slow down and take it easy or something like this would happen.