Artificial Ice & Cold Storage Co. v. Ryan

193 N.E. 710, 99 Ind. App. 606, 1935 Ind. App. LEXIS 104
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedJanuary 25, 1935
DocketNo. 14,757.
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 193 N.E. 710 (Artificial Ice & Cold Storage Co. v. Ryan) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Artificial Ice & Cold Storage Co. v. Ryan, 193 N.E. 710, 99 Ind. App. 606, 1935 Ind. App. LEXIS 104 (Ind. Ct. App. 1935).

Opinion

Bridwell, J.

Appellants brought this action against appellees, seeking to enjoin all appellees from taking any steps to enforce a judgment for $1,500 rendered by the superior court of Marion county in favor of one Charles A. Waltz, and against appellant, Artificial Ice & Cold Storage Company, to have said judgment satisfied of record and to recover of and from all of the appellees except Glen B. Ralston, clerk of the superior court of Marion county, in the sum of $500.

A second amended supplemental complaint was filed to which appellees demurred; the demurrer was sustained, to which ruling appellants excepted and declined to plead further. Judgment was entered in favor of appellees that appellants take nothing by their complaint, and that appellees recover their costs. This appeal was thereafter perfected, the error assigned being that “the court erred in sustaining the demurrer of .the *608 appellees to the second amended and supplemental complaint.”

The complaint alleged in substance that on October 17, 1921, the Artificial Ice & Cold Storage Company desired to have certain repairs made at its plant, and for the purpose of having such repairs made called Hugo Wuelfing, Jr., who was engaged in the contracting business in the city of Indianapolis; that said Wuelfing undertook to have the desired repairs made, and for that purpose sent Charles A. Waltz as the employee of said Wuelfing to make said repairs; that on October 17,1921, said Waltz undertook to make such repairs and was injured in an accident arising out of and in the course of his employment; that at the time of such accident, the Globe Indemnity Company, one of the defendants, had in force a policy of workmen’s compensation insurance covering the employees of said Wuelfing, under which policy said Waltz was entitled to compensation benefits; that the said Waltz, after receiving his injuries, made claim that said accident resulting in his injuries was caused by the negligence of the Artificial Ice & Cold Storage Company, that at the time of said accident the defendants, Jacob S. White and Burrell Wright, together with John McKay were engaged in the practice of law in the city of Indianapolis under the firm name of White, Wright & McKay, and one Paul Kirk was also engaged in the practice of law in said city, and associated with the three lawyers above mentioned; that said firm of White, Wright & McKay was at the time acting as attorneys for the Globe Indemnity Company; that after said accident said Globe Indemnity Company was liable to said Waltz for compensation on account of said accident in an amount of approximately $800 compensation, and $150 for medical expenses on accoünt of said accident, provided he, said Waltz, elected to take compensation; that under the compensation law *609 said Waltz was not entitled to collect compensation benefits from the Globe Indemnity Company or his employer, and also collect damages in a personal injury suit from the Artificial Ice & Cold Storage Company; that under the law, if said Waltz elected .to take compensation from the Globe Indemnity Company, he would have received compensation from that company, and said company, if it had been subrogated to any claim at all under the compensation law, against the Artificial Ice & Cold Storage Company, would have been subrogated only to a claim for the amount of compensation liability, and no one would have had any right to collect a judgment from the Artificial Ice & Cold Storage Company based on a claim founded on the common law measure of damages including lost time and pain and suffering of the injured; that Charles A. Waltz and the Globe Indemnity Company and its attorneys above named, entered into a conspiracy designed to give said Waltz a certain right to his compensation, and at the same time to prosecute his claim for personal injuries against the Artificial Ice & Cold Storage Company; “that the substance of said conspiracy was that the Globe Indemnity Company would secretly pay the amount of the compensation liability” to said Waltz and to his doctors and to his hospital, and that said Waltz would give back notes for the amount of the payments so received, payable to some representative of the Globe Indemnity Company, and that at the time it was well known that said Waltz was judgment proof, and it was well understood by the parties to said arrangement that said Waltz was not to pay back any of the money so advanced unless he could pay back such money out of a judgment to be recovered from the Artificial Ice & Cold Storage Company; that it was further agreed the attorneys above named should have an amount equal to one-third of the judgment, but that said fee was sub *610 ject to the limitation that the share óf Waltz should not be less than the compensation law would give; that the purpose of the arrangement was to give Charles A. Waltz a certainty of receiving full benefits that he would receive if he elected to take compensation, and at the same time preserve to him the right to speculate on recovering additional damages against the Artificial Ice & Cold Storage Company, and that a further purpose was to make it possible to prosecute the suit in the name of Charles A. Waltz without revealing any interest of the insurance carrier so that the sympathy of the jury would be with Charles A. Waltz; that the facts involved in said claim for damages were in dispute and the possibility of recovery very doubtful, and defendant had an eye witness who saw Waltz accidentally start the hoist machinery at a time when the hoist was blocked and so caused the accident; that, thereafter, in carrying out said conspiracy, said attorneys did file suit on behalf of said Charles A. Waltz on January 4, 1922; that the issues in said case were closed, and said cause came on for trial on or about March 9, 1923, such trial resulting in a judgment for $1,500 on June 27, 1923; that from said judgment the Artificial Ice & Cold Storage Company appealed to the Appellate Court of Indiana, and said judgment was affirmed, and thereafter said company petitioned a transfer of said cause to the Supreme Court of Indiana, and said petition to transfer was overruled on the 6th day of December, 1927; that said judgment now stands on the judgment docket of the superior court of Marion county as a valid judgment against the Artificial Ice & Cold Storage Company; that the Employers’ Liability Assurance Corporation, Ltd., is an insurance company authorized to do business in Indiana, and, among other types of insurance, writes various forms of liability insurance,-and during the month of October, *611 1921, had in force a policy of insurance known' 4.9 Manufacturers’ Public Liability Policy, insuring the Artificial Ice & Cold Storage Company against certain forms of-liability for personal injuries; that under the policy of insurance above described the Employers’ Liability Assurance Corporation, Ltd., is bound to pay said judgment on behalf of the Artificial Ice & Cold Storage Company if said judgment is valid, and that, therefore, these plaintiffs (appellants) are jointly interested in having said judgment declared void and satisfied of record, and each of the defendants has some interest in said judgment; that at the trial of said cause resulting in said judgment the said Charles A.

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Bluebook (online)
193 N.E. 710, 99 Ind. App. 606, 1935 Ind. App. LEXIS 104, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/artificial-ice-cold-storage-co-v-ryan-indctapp-1935.