In Ex parte Ernest Larry Donaldson, [Ms. 1100768, Sept. 16, 2011] __ So. 3d __ (Ala. 2011), the Alabama Supreme Court held that "because sheriffs are constitutional officers and because deputy sheriffs act on behalf of sheriffs as alter egos, a claim for monetary damages made against a deputy sheriff in his or her individual capacity is barred by the doctrine of state immunity whenever the acts that form the basis of the alleged liability were being performed within the line and scope of the deputy sheriff's employment." As a result, the Alabama Supreme Court held that a deputy sheriff was entitled to state immunity as to Plaintiff's claims against him, which arose from a vehicle collision between the deputy sheriff's vehicle and the plaintiff's vehicle.
