Board of Trustees of Indianapolis, Fire Department Pension Fund v. City of Indianapolis

498 N.E.2d 1002, 1986 Ind. App. LEXIS 3045
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedOctober 22, 1986
DocketNo. 1-1185 A 294
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 498 N.E.2d 1002 (Board of Trustees of Indianapolis, Fire Department Pension Fund v. City of Indianapolis) 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
Board of Trustees of Indianapolis, Fire Department Pension Fund v. City of Indianapolis, 498 N.E.2d 1002, 1986 Ind. App. LEXIS 3045 (Ind. Ct. App. 1986).

Opinion

ROBERTSON, Presiding Judge.

The plaintiff-appellant Board of Trustees of Indianapolis Fire Department Pension Fund (Trustees) are appealing from a trial court judgment favorable to the defendant-appellee City of Indianapolis (City).

The operative facts are that the trustees, over a long period of time, utilized the services of an attorney with whom they contracted. In July 1982, the City, through its legal division, attempted to terminate the contract between the Trustees and the attorney and substitute a lawyer from the City's legal division to render services to the Trustees. The Trustees commenced litigation with the trial court eventually concluding that the City was solely responsible for providing legal services to the Trustees.

The City raises an issue on cross-appeal. Because it raises a jurisdictional question, it shall be addressed first. The City argues that the Trustees failed to comply with the requirements of the tort claims act, IND.CODE 34-4-16.5-1 et seq. and this cause should be dismissed. The complaint filed by the Trustees seeks several forms of injunctive relief; costs and expenses; and, additional relief as may seem just and equitable. Because the tort claims act applies solely to a claim or suit in tort, .C. 34-4-16.5-1, we are of the opinion that it does not apply in the present case. There was no award of damages resulting from a tort, and we do not read the complaint as seeking that type of compensation. We find no error raised by this issue.

The key issue raised by the Trustees is stated as being:

Whether the trial court erred as a matter of law in finding and concluding that I.C. 36-1-8.5-2(b)(2) (Acts of 1982) gave the City, pursuant to Section 3-8(B) of the Code of Indianapolis and Marion County, and its Corporation Counsel the duty and the authority to furnish all legal services to the mayor, the city-county council, all departments and divisions of the City and all county officials and agencies, including [the Trustees] herein.

Chapters 3 and 38.5 of Article 1 of Title 86 relate to the consolidation of the City of Indianapolis and the County of Marion, the so-called Unigovy Act. 1.C. 86-1-8.5-2 reads, in part:

86-1-3.5-2 Consolidated city and county; transfer to legislative body
Sec. 2 (a) This section applies to each consolidated city and its county.
(b) Jurisdiction over the following local matters, which before the 1982 regular session of the general assembly have been subjects of statutory concern is transferred to the legislative body of the consolidated city and county;
3 * * # * #
(2) Certain powers, duties, functions, and obligations of department of metropolitan development (formerly governed by IC 18-4-8-1 through IC 18-4-8-7, IC 18-4-8-10(8), IC 18-4-8-12, IC 18-4-8-18, IC 18-4-8-14, and IC 19-8-28).

[1004]*1004The Code of Indianapolis and Marion County § 8-3(B) reads:

(B) Legal division.
(a) Corporation counsel. The administrator of the legal division shall be the corporation counsel who shall be appointed by and serve at the pleasure of the mayor as required by 1.0. 86-3-5-2(d). The corporation counsel shall be responsible to the mayor for the functions of the division.
(b) Duties and powers. It shall be the duty of the legal division to furnish all legal services to the mayor, the city-county council, all departments and divisions of the city and all county officials and agencies.

The legal division shall:

(1) Prepare ordinances for introduction before the city-county council and prepare legislative proposals to be introduced in the general assembly;
(2) Prepare leases, deeds, contracts and other legal papers;
(8) Institute legal action for the purpose of enforcing the ordinances of the consolidated city;
(4) Employ the services of outside legal counsel when in the best interests of the consolidated city with the approval of the mayor;
(5) Furnish legal advice and opinions when such legal advice or opinion is requested;
(6) Compromise litigation and effect settlement of impending litigation affecting the consolidated city with the approval of the mayor; "
(7) Enter an appearance as attorney for and represent and defend the consolidated city, the mayor, the members of the city-county council, all departments and divisions of the consolidated city, county agencies, all officers, agents and employees thereof in all causes of action wherein they are parties by reason of their official capacity and to conduct all appellate litigation arising therefrom.

It is the Trustees' position that .C. 86-8-7-22 (formerly I.C. 19-1-87-27), a 1987 statute which is a part of the chapter creating the Firefighters Pension Fund, specifically authorizes the Trustees to hire their own counsel. Special reliance is placed upon that portion of the statute which states:

The local board may, however, annually expend an amount from the 1987 fund -that it considers proper for the necessary expenses connected with the fund. Notwithstanding any other law, neither the fiscal body, the county board of tax adjustment, nor the state board of tax commissioners may reduce these expenditures.

Trustees continue their argument by stating that the provision for legal counsel in § 3-3(B) of the Code of Indianapolis and Marion County directly conflicts with the powers conferred on the local board (meaning the Trustees, see L.C. 86-8-7-8) under IC. 36-8-7-22. Consequently, say the Trustees, since the ordinance of City of Indianapolis cannot pre-empt state law, then § 3-8(B) is void to the extent that it regulates who may provide legal counsel to the Trustees. See 1.C. 86-1-8-8(7); Fletcher v. Town of Highland, (1984) Ind.App., 461 N.E.2d 147; Medias v. City of Indianapolis, (1939) 216 Ind. 155, 23 N.E.2d 590.

We find the Trustees' position unpersuasive for several reasons. First, the Trustees attempt to characterize the local board as a state agency by virtue of its relationship to the state Public Employees Retirement Fund (PERF) board, which administers the 1977 Firefighter's Pension Fund. See 1.C. 36-8-8-4, Under 1.C. 86-8-8-18, the local board determines preliminarily whether a member is disabled, and the PERF board reviews the local board's findings. Trustees conclude that the unit, here the City of Indianapolis, may not enact § 3-3(B) of the ordinance because a unit is prohibited from regulating a state agency. I.C. 86-1-8-8(7).

Trustees have not succeeded in persuading us that the local board is a state agency by virtue of its interrelationship with the PERF board alluded to above. Similarly unavailing is Trustees' proposition that the [1005]*1005local board is a political subdivision upon which a unit may not impose duties. IC. 86-1-3-8(8). Trustees present no basis for finding that the local board is either a municipal corporation 1 or a special taxing district 2, as political subdivision is defined. 1.0. 86-1-2-18.

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Bluebook (online)
498 N.E.2d 1002, 1986 Ind. App. LEXIS 3045, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/board-of-trustees-of-indianapolis-fire-department-pension-fund-v-city-of-indctapp-1986.