Alabama Municipal Insurance Corporation v. Willie Allen

164 So. 3d 568
CourtSupreme Court of Alabama
DecidedSeptember 26, 2014
Docket1121006, 1121014, 1121038, and 1121039
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 164 So. 3d 568 (Alabama Municipal Insurance Corporation v. Willie Allen) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Alabama primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Alabama Municipal Insurance Corporation v. Willie Allen, 164 So. 3d 568 (Ala. 2014).

Opinions

PER CURIAM.

The issue in these four appeals is whether the $100,000 statutory cap of § 11-47-190, Ala.Code 1975, applies when a peace officer, acting outside his employment, is sued in the officer’s individual capacity.

Facts and Procedural History

On January 6, 2008, Amber Holmes and Willie Allen were injured in an automobile accident when the car they were in was struck by a police patrol car driven by Richard Alan Beard. At the time of the accident, Beard, who was employed by the City of Madison Police Department as a patrol officer, was on his way to work and was late for his shift. The City of Madison (“the City”) allows its police officers to drive their patrol cars to their homes, to work, and to gym facilities (the City pays officers for the time they spend exercising). Beard was traveling 103 miles per hour in a 45-mile-per-hour zone at the time of the accident. A drug test performed on Beard after the accident indicated the presence of marijuana in his system.

The City had an automobile-insurance policy with Alabama Municipal Insurance Corporation (“AMIC”). The patrol car assigned to Beard was included in the policy. The policy provides:

“1. Who is an Insured
“The following are ‘insureds’:
“a. You for any covered ‘auto’.
“b. Anyone else while using with your permission a covered ‘auto’ you own, hire or borrow....”

On October 28, 2008, Allen sued Beard individually, alleging negligence and wantonness. Allen sued State Farm Mutual Insurance Company (“State Farm”), seeking uninsured/underinsured-motorist benefits because the car driven by -Allen and owned by Holmes was insured by State [570]*570Farm. Alien also sued his car insurer, Government Employee Insurance Corporation, seeking uninsured/underinsured-motorist benefits. On November 30, 2009, Holmes sued Beard individually, alleging negligence and wantonness.1 Holmes also sued her insurer, State Farm, seeking uninsured/underinsured-motorist benefits.2

On December 30, 2009, State Farm filed a cross-claim against Beard and purported to file a cross-claim against the City seeking reimbursement and subrogation for medical benefits paid to Allen. On November 22, 2010, the City filed a motion to dismiss the cross-claim, asserting that it was not named in the complaint and that, therefore, no cross-claim could be filed against it. On January 14, 2011, the trial court granted the City’s motion to dismiss the cross-claim. On September 20, 2011, Beard filed a motion for a partial summary judgment on the issue of damages in both actions, arguing that the $100,000 damages cap of § 11-47-190, Ala.Code 1975, and § 11-93-2, Ala.Code 1975, read in conjunction with the indemnification provisions of § 11-47-24, Ala.Code 1975, applied because he was on duty when the accident occurred. On November 7, 2011, the trial court consolidated the actions for trial. The trial court denied Beard’s summary-judgment motion seeking to apply the damages cap. Beard filed a renewed motion for a partial summary judgment before trial, again arguing that the $100,000 damages cap applied in both Allen’s and Holmes’s actions against him. The trial court denied the renewed motion for a partial summary judgment.

Following ore tenus proceedings, the trial court, on September 25, 2012, entered a judgment in favor of Allen and against Beard in the amount of $700,000 and a separate judgment in favor of Holmes and against Beard in the amount of $1,100,000. In both orders, the trial court stated:

“Ala.Code 1975, Section 11-93-2, limits the recovery of damages against a governmental entity to $100,000.00 for bodily injury for one person in any single occurrence. However, under the language of the statute and the facts of this case, the limitation on recovery does not apply to this judgment against the individual defendant, Richard Alan Beard.”

On November 6, 2012, the City and AMIC filed a joint motion to intervene in the consolidated action. In their motion, the City and AMIC argued that both the City and AMIC were the real parties in interest relating to the collection of the judgment because Beard was employed by the City and, at the time of the accident, was driving a car issued to him by the City and insured by AMIC. AMIC admitted that Beard was an insured under its policy with the City. That same day, the City filed a motion to deposit $100,000 with the court to satisfy the judgment entered in favor of Allen and $100,000 to satisfy the judgment entered in favor of Holmes. Specifically, the City stated:

“The Final Judgment entered against Defendant Beard was based on his negligence while acting within the scope of his duties and operating a motor vehicle as a police officer for the City of Madison. Thus, pursuant to § 11-47-24, [Ala.Code 1975,] the City of Madison is required to indemnify Defendant Beard for the judgment entered against him based upon his negligence while operating a motor vehicle engaged in the [571]*571coarse of his employment. However, pursuant to § 11-47-190, [Ala.Code 1975,] when indemnifying an employee for a judgment entered against him pursuant to § 11-47-24, the City cannot be required to pay an amount in excess of $100,000 per injured person. See Ala.Code [1975,] § 11 — 47-190; Benson v. City of Birmingham, 659 So.2d 82 (Ala.1995). Therefore, the cap in § 11-47-190 applies, and the City of Madison can only be required to pay up to $ 100,000 of the final judgment entered against Defendant Beard.
“Furthermore, the cap on damages in § 11-47-190 applies to the judgment entered against Defendant Beard. As previously stated, § 11-47-190 provides, ‘no recovery may be had under any judgment or combination of judgments, whether direct or by way of indemnity under Section 11-47-24, or otherwise, arising out of a single occurrence against a municipality, and/or any officer or officers, or employee or employees, or agents thereof, in excess of a total of $100,000.’ Ala.Code [1975,] § 11-47-190. As the Alabama Supreme Court explained in Benson v. City of Birmingham, ‘[t]he need to preserve the public coffers does not disappear simply because the plaintiff has proceeded against a negligent employee of the municipality rather than, or in addition to, proceeding directly against the municipality.’ 659 So.2d at 86. The legislature affirmed this principle when, it passed § 11-47-190, capping damages against municipalities as well as the officers, employees, and agents of municipalities. See id. at 87. Defendant Beard was acting as a City of Madison police officer at the time of the incident made the basis of this cause of action. Therefore, the $100,000 cap contained in § 11-47-190 applies to the Final Judgment entered against Defendant Beard.
“On October 25, 2012 the City tendered the sum of $100,000.00 payable to Willie Allen to satisfy this judgment. Counsel for Allen rejected this payment and refused the tender. Attached hereto, labeled as Exhibit A hereof and made a part hereof by reference, is a copy of the hand-delivered letter with attached check.
“Therefore, the City of Madison wishes to deposit with this Court the sum of $100,000.00 in damages as full and final satisfaction of this judgment.

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Bluebook (online)
164 So. 3d 568, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/alabama-municipal-insurance-corporation-v-willie-allen-ala-2014.