Beiermann v. Edwards

550 N.E.2d 587, 193 Ill. App. 3d 968, 140 Ill. Dec. 702, 1990 Ill. App. LEXIS 127
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedJanuary 30, 1990
Docket2-89-0284
StatusPublished
Cited by22 cases

This text of 550 N.E.2d 587 (Beiermann v. Edwards) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Court of Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Beiermann v. Edwards, 550 N.E.2d 587, 193 Ill. App. 3d 968, 140 Ill. Dec. 702, 1990 Ill. App. LEXIS 127 (Ill. Ct. App. 1990).

Opinion

PRESIDING JUSTICE UNVERZAGT

delivered the opinion of the court:

Plaintiff, William Beiermann, filed a complaint, seeking damages for personal injuries and lost wages sustained following an accident between defendant Walter Edwards and defendant Anjum Khan. Plaintiff’s employer, the State of Illinois (State), filed a complaint in intervention pursuant to section 5(b) of the Workers’ Compensation Act (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1987, ch. 48, par. 138.5(b)). Subsequently, Beiermann abandoned his personal injury action, allowing the State to substitute as plaintiff in intervention. One of the defendants, Khan, settled at trial. The jury rendered a verdict in favor of the remaining defendant, Walter Edwards, and the trial court entered judgment upon that verdict.

On appeal, the State argues that: (1) the trial court erred in refusing to bar the testimony of Debra Harrington, an occurrence witness, as a sanction for defense counsel’s misconduct; (2) the trial court erred in not excluding the testimony of Dr. Roger, Traycoff for defendant’s failure to disclose this witness as an expert pursuant to Supreme Court Rule 220(b)(1); (3) the trial court erred in requiring the State, as an intervener, to pursue, as its measure of damages, those damages which the original plaintiff, William Beiermann, would have been able to collect from defendant; and (4) the trial court erred in determining that there was sufficient evidence to submit to the jury Illinois Pattern Jury Instructions, Civil, No. 3.01 (2d ed. 1971) (hereinafter IPI Civil 2d No. 3.01), dealing with impeachment by prior inconsistent conduct.

On October 5, 1983, William Beiermann, an inspector for the Department of Agriculture, had just finished inspecting and calibrating the gas pumps at a Citgo gas station located on Route 20 in Roselle when the cars driven by the defendants collided at the entrance to the station. At the time of the collision Beiermann was standing inside the gas station completing paper work. Following the collision, defendant Edwards’ automobile struck the gas station building. According to Beiermann’s testimony at trial, he was leaning against the wall of the building when Edwards’ automobile struck it. Beiermann stated that he felt like he had been whacked in the back with a ball bat and that the impact knocked him face forward to the ground. Subsequently, he left the station building and began directing traffic away from the gas station. Beiermann did not complain to Debra Harrington, the station manager, or to the police or paramedics on the scene that he was hurt or injured.

Thereafter, Beiermann drove to his motel room in Joliet. It was Beiermann’s testimony that the pain in his back became intense when he arrived at the motel. When he could no longer bear the pain, he went to the motel desk, asked for the name of the nearest doctor, and then proceeded to the doctor’s office. According to Beiermann, the physician, Dr. Green, gave Beiermann some pain medication and recommended that Beiermann go to the hospital in Joliet. During Dr. Green’s testimony, the doctor denied telling Beiermann that he should go to the hospital and further testified that after examining Beiermann, he concluded that Beiermann could return to work the next day.

Beiermann stated that the following morning he was stiff and sore in the lower back when he awoke and that the pain was spreading. Beiermann testified that he decided to return home to Springfield so he could go to the local hospital. Before returning to Springfield, he drove back to the Citgo station in Roselle to verify addresses and phone numbers gathered the preceding day. While at the station, Beiermann told manager Debra Harrington that he had hurt his back.

Prior to trial, Debra Harrington was disclosed as an occurrence witness by Beiermann and by defendant Edwards. Edwards produced to Beiermann a statement Harrington had given to the police describing the accident. One week before trial counsel for defendant Edwards subpoenaed Harrington to appear for a discovery deposition. The date of the deposition, as set forth in the subpoena, was October 10, 1988. Defense counsel gave oral notice to counsel for the State that Harrington’s deposition was scheduled for October 11. On October 10, Harrington appeared at defense counsel’s Chicago office for her deposition.

At the hearing on the State’s motion for sanctions against defendant Edwards and his counsel for improper notice of Harrington’s deposition, counsel for the State related that on October 11 he received a telephone call from defense counsel’s secretary informing him that Harrington’s deposition had been canceled. The secretary stated that she did not know if the deposition would be rescheduled. Counsel for the State then telephoned Harrington to suggest that if she was going to talk to anyone, it would be fair to have all the parties present. Harrington informed counsel that she had already given her deposition on October 10 pursuant to a subpoena. Counsel for the State then prepared its motion for sanctions and had the motion delivered to the court and defense counsel.

At about 2:30 p.m. October 11, defense counsel phoned counsel for the State regarding some depositions to be taken later in the week. During the conversation, counsel for the State asked what happened with Harrington’s deposition. Defense counsel replied that he had decided not to take it.

Shortly thereafter, defense counsel called counsel for the State to explain the mix-up in the scheduling of Harrington’s deposition. It was defense counsel’s explanation that his secretary had made a clerical mistake and subpoenaed Harrington for October 10 instead of October 11. Defense counsel first learned of the mistake when he received a telephone call on October 10 from his firm’s Chicago office, indicating that Harrington was at that office for her deposition. According to counsel, he instructed his secretary to ask Harrington if she could return for her deposition the following date, October 11, but Harrington could not. Counsel then advised his secretary to try to contact counsel for the State while defense counsel proceeded to travel to the downtown office. When counsel arrived downtown, he learned that his secretary had been unable to reach counsel for the State due to the October 10 Columbus Day holiday.

Defense counsel explained to Harrington that he could not take her deposition since all the parties were not present. Counsel then asked if she would consent to giving him a “court-reported statement,” and Harrington agreed. Defense counsel stated that Harrington’s statement was substantially the same as the typewritten statement Harrington had given to the Roselle police shortly after the accident.

At the conclusion of the hearing on the motion for sanctions, the court determined that an “honest mistake” had been made and that no “evil motive” was intended by defense counsel’s actions. The court advised counsel that he should have sent Harrington home and then taken her statement at home if he wanted it. The court gave counsel for the State the option of barring defense counsel’s use of the statement if the State so desired. The State did not object to this sanction. Subsequently, the State called Harrington as its own witness.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Rotter v. Elk Grove Village
N.D. Illinois, 2018
Knight v. Chicago Tribune Co.
895 N.E.2d 1007 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 2008)
Knight v. Chicago Tribune Company
Appellate Court of Illinois, 2008
People v. Miller
842 N.E.2d 290 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 2005)
In re Estate of Andernovics
725 N.E.2d 382 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 2000)
Chidichimo v. Industrial Commission
662 N.E.2d 611 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1996)
Kessinger v. GREFCO, Inc.
652 N.E.2d 1203 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1995)
People v. C.R.H.
621 N.E.2d 258 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1993)
Hartnett v. Stack
607 N.E.2d 703 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1993)
Kniceley v. Migala
603 N.E.2d 843 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1992)
Totz v. Continental Du Page Acura
602 N.E.2d 1374 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1992)
Benison v. Silverman
599 N.E.2d 1101 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1992)
Wakeford v. Rodehouse Restaurants of Missouri, Inc.
584 N.E.2d 963 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1991)
Vallejo v. Mercado
580 N.E.2d 655 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1991)
Caballero v. Royston
579 N.E.2d 994 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1991)
Jensen Disposal Co. v. Town of Warren
578 N.E.2d 605 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1991)
Weisenburn v. Smith
573 N.E.2d 240 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1991)
Insurance Co. of North America v. Andrew
564 N.E.2d 939 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1990)
Cochran v. Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co., Inc.
561 N.E.2d 229 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1990)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
550 N.E.2d 587, 193 Ill. App. 3d 968, 140 Ill. Dec. 702, 1990 Ill. App. LEXIS 127, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/beiermann-v-edwards-illappct-1990.