At that time, Plaintiff asserted a negligence claim against Defendant Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education ("Defendant" or "Board"). An agent may be solely liable to a third party for tortious conduct in certain circumstances.Call (704) 3702828 to receive a video or phone consultation with our lawyers to explore your legal options or fill out our contact form. In a tort suit, the principal can recover for any damages suffered because of the agent's wrongful or negligent act. A person is always liable for her own torts, so an agent who commits a tort is liable; if the tort was in the scope of employment the principal is liable too. The general rule is that a principal is liable for torts only if the servant committed them "in the scope of employment. A principal may not be held vicariously liable under the doctrine of respondeat superior based upon the acts of its agent in three instances. Understand how a principal can be directly liable to an injured plaintiff based on the principal's own actions and the actions of its agent. Tort Claims against State Departments and Agencies.