Craig v. Schell

1999 MT 40, 975 P.2d 820, 293 Mont. 323, 56 State Rptr. 167, 1999 Mont. LEXIS 42
CourtMontana Supreme Court
DecidedMarch 11, 1999
Docket97-101
StatusPublished
Cited by30 cases

This text of 1999 MT 40 (Craig v. Schell) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Montana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Craig v. Schell, 1999 MT 40, 975 P.2d 820, 293 Mont. 323, 56 State Rptr. 167, 1999 Mont. LEXIS 42 (Mo. 1999).

Opinions

JUSTICE REGNIER

delivered the opinion of the Court.

¶1 F.F. Schell, Personal Representative of the Estate of Charles Moseman, appeals from the order of the Tenth Judicial District Court, Fergus County, which granted in part Glenna Craig’s motion for a new trial. Craig cross-appeals from the District Court’s order which denied in part her motion for a new trial and its prior order which denied her motion for partial summary judgment on the issue of liability. We affirm in part and reverse in part.

¶2 Craig raises the following issues on cross-appeal:

¶3 1. Did the District Court err when it denied Craig’s motion for partial summary judgment on the issue of liability?

¶4 2. Did the District Court abuse its discretion when it denied Craig’s motion for a new trial based on jury misconduct?

¶5 Schell raises the following issue on direct appeal:

¶6 3. Did the District Court abuse its discretion when it granted Craig’s motion for a new trial on the basis of defense counsel’s comments in closing argument?

[325]*325BACKGROUND

¶7 This case arose from a vehicle accident which occurred at approximately 6 p.m. on November 26, 1993, on Highway 236 between the towns of Hilger and Winifred, Montana. Craig was proceeding in the northbound lane and the Mosemans were in the southbound lane. As the Craig and Moseman vehicles approached each other, a deer appeared on the road between the vehicles. Moseman’s vehicle swerved to the far right side of the road toward the barrow pit, then veered abruptly to the left. The vehicle went into a broadside skid or “yaw” and Moseman lost control of his vehicle. At some point during these events, the left front portion of Moseman’s vehicle hit the deer. The Moseman vehicle continued in its yaw across the centerline of the highway into Craig’s lane of travel and collided with her vehicle. Moseman and his wife died as a result of the accident and Craig was injured.

¶8 Craig filed a complaint against Schell, in his capacity as personal representative of Moseman’s estate, alleging that Moseman had been negligent in the operation of his vehicle, his negligence caused the accident, and she suffered injuries as a result. Craig subsequently moved for partial summary judgment on the issue of liability and asserted that all drivers have a statutory duty to stay on the right half of a roadway when driving. She farther maintained that the undisputed facts of the case were that Moseman swerved into her lane of travel and thereby breached his statutory duty and caused the collision. The District Court denied Craig’s motion and the action proceeded to a jury trial. The jury returned a verdict in favor of Schell and found that Moseman had not been negligent in the operation of his vehicle.

¶9 Craig timely moved for a new trial pursuant to Rule 59, M.R.Civ.R, and § 25-11-102, MCA, on three bases: jury misconduct, improper closing argument by Schell’s counsel, and insufficient evidence to support the verdict. The District Court granted Craig’s motion for a new trial on the basis of improper comments of Schell’s counsel in closing argument and denied it on the remaining bases. Craig also filed a Rule 50, M.R.Civ.R, motion for judgment as a matter of law on the issue of Moseman’s liability, which the court denied. Schell appeals from the District Court’s order which granted a new trial, and Craig cross-appeals from the orders which denied a new trial on the basis of jury misconduct and denied her motion for partial summary judgment on the issue of liability.

[326]*326ISSUE 1

¶ 10 Did the District Court err when it denied Craig’s motion for partial summary judgment on the issue of liability?

¶ 11 We review a district court’s decision to grant or deny a summary judgment motion using the same Rule 56, M.R.Civ.P., criteria as the district court. See S.M. v. R.B. (1993), 261 Mont. 522, 526, 862 P.2d 1166, 1168. Summary judgment is appropriate when there are no genuine issues of material fact and the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. See Rule 56(c), M.R. Civ. P.; Dillard v. Doe (1992), 251 Mont. 379, 382, 824 P.2d 1016, 1018. If the moving party meets the initial burden of establishing the absence of genuine issues of material fact and entitlement to judgment as a matter of law, the party opposing the motion must come forward with evidence that demonstrates that a genuine issue of material fact exists which precludes summary judgment. See Dillard, 251 Mont. at 382, 824 P.2d at 1018.

¶12 Negligence actions usually involve questions of fact regarding breach of duty and causation; as a result, they are not ordinarily susceptible to summary judgment and are usually better resolved at trial. See S.M., 261 Mont. at 526, 862 P.2d at 1168) Dillard, 251 Mont. at 382, 824 P.2d at 1018. A question of fact in a negligence case may be determined as a matter of law only where reasonable minds could reach but one conclusion as to whether a duty was breached or whether a breach of a duty caused an accident. See Dillard, 251 Mont. at 382, 824 P.2d at 1019.

¶ 13 Craig moved for summary judgment on the issue of liability and contended that no issues of material fact existed regarding how the accident occurred or whether Moseman breached his statutory duty to drive on the right side of the road. The District Court denied the motion, and concluded that there were genuine issues of material fact as to whether Moseman acted as a reasonable and prudent driver under the circumstances at the time of the accident and, as a result, that the issue of whether Moseman was negligent was a question for the jury. Craig asserts that the District Court erred.

¶ 14 Craig first argues that the evidence she provided in support of her motion establishes that the presence of Moseman’s vehicle in her lane of travel, in violation of § 61-8-321, MCA, resulted from his voluntary act of over-correcting his vehicle when it went off the side of the road, which caused the vehicle to skid to the left. She contends [327]*327that because Moseman’s act of over-correcting was voluntary, his violation of § 61-8-321, MCA, was negligence as a matter of law.

¶15 Subject to exceptions not at issue here, a driver has a duty to drive on the right half of a roadway. See § 61-8-321, MCA. It is undisputed in this case that Moseman violated § 61-8-321, MCA, when his vehicle skidded over the centerline of the highway and collided with Craig’s vehicle.

¶16 The concept of negligence per se and its applicability in this state has had a somewhat confusing history. The theory behind the rule is that as between two drivers — one who has been free from fault and violated no law, and one who has violated a law upon which the other depended — fault should, as a matter of public policy, be attributed to that person who violated the law. It is a useful concept. Insurance adjusters understand it and rely on it when resolving claims. As a result, litigation is avoided in most instances and injured parties receive prompt payment of their medical expenses and property damages. As with any rule of law, however, it has not developed without an exception. A brief review of how this Court has recently treated the concept is helpful.

¶17 In 1971, this Court adopted the involuntary action rule, an exception to negligence per se, in Duchesneau v. Silver Bow County

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Bluebook (online)
1999 MT 40, 975 P.2d 820, 293 Mont. 323, 56 State Rptr. 167, 1999 Mont. LEXIS 42, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/craig-v-schell-mont-1999.