Dubose v. Lowe

189 N.E.2d 923, 91 Ohio Law. Abs. 463, 23 Ohio Op. 2d 373, 1963 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 261
CourtCincinnati Municipal Court
DecidedApril 24, 1963
DocketNo. 806301
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 189 N.E.2d 923 (Dubose v. Lowe) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Cincinnati Municipal Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Dubose v. Lowe, 189 N.E.2d 923, 91 Ohio Law. Abs. 463, 23 Ohio Op. 2d 373, 1963 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 261 (Ohio Super. Ct. 1963).

Opinion

Bettman, J.

This matter is before the Court on Motions for Summary Judgment pursuant to Section 2311.041, Revised Code, filed by plaintiffs and defendant, together with their stipulation of facts.

The facts of the case may be summarized as follows ¡

Plaintiff Dubose’s automobile was damaged in a collision with an automobile driven by defendant on May 6, 1961. The said automobile was mortgaged to General Motors Acceptance Corporation, and was covered by a $100 deductible collision insurance .policy issued by Motors Insurance Corporation. On May 26, 1961, said automobile was lawfully repossessed by GMAC under the terms of its mortgage. On June 16, 1961, Motors Insurance Corporation paid GMAC $227.50 (the value [465]*465of the vehicle at the time of the collision, less the $100 deductible and less $82.50 salvage value).

On July 5, 1961, the following letter was received by one of the attorneys acting on defendant’s behalf:

“Your insured: Richard Lowe

“Our insured: Charles Dubose and GMAC

“Dear Mr. Pries:

“We have now completed our claim settlement on a total loss basis. The value of the car was $410.00 and the salvage was sold for $82.50, making the net loss $327.50. As we discussed during our conversation of May 22, 1961, this car was repossessed by GMAC and they suffered the deductible loss of $100.00. Our loss was $227.50.

“I will appreciate you letting me know the status of the injury claim so that we can diary our file accordingly.

Very truly yours,

/s/ Nancy Davis

Nancy L. Davis

Claim Department

Motors Insurance Corporation”

On October 30, 1961, in consideration of the payment of $700 Dubose executed a full release of defendant. The petition prays judgment on behalf of Motors- Insurance Corporation in the sum of $227.50.

Defendant contends that as a matter of law plaintiff insurance company is not subrogated to any rights of its co-plaintiff Dubose and, secondly, that even if it be subrogated, Dubose’s release is a complete defense against his subrogee.

Defendant bases his contention that plaintiff Insurance Company is not subrogated to any rights Dubose may have against defendant on the fact that the only written assignment is one by GMAC to Motors Insurance. Without reviewing all the clauses in the insurance policy and in the chattel mortgage, which are part of the stipulations of fact, suffice it to say that a consideration of them makes clear that Motors Insurance had not only the right but the legal duty to pay GMAC and on payment is, to the extent of the payment, subrogated pro tanto to any action which Dubose may have against Lowe for negligently causing the loss.

The more interesting question is whether Dubose’s com[466]*466píete release of Lowe is a bar to action by Ms subrogee, Motors Insurance. Tbe problem of tbe effect on a subrogated insurer óf a release given a tort feasor by its insured and the analogous problem of tbe effect of a judgment in litigation between tbe insured and tbe tort feasor, have plagued Obio Courts for some time.

Tbe broad principle bas often been stated that tbe entire injury suffered by an individual as tbe result of a tortious act gives rise to a single cause of action and a subrogated insurer who bas paid part of tbe insured’s damages becomes tbe joint owner of an indivisible chose in action. Holibaugh v. Cox, 167 Ohio St., 340, 148 N. E. (2d), 677 (1958). Tbe Supreme Court’s temporary departure from this rule in Vasu v. Kohlers, Inc., 145 Ohio St., 321, 61 N. E. (2d), 707 (1945), to permit a separation of personal injuries from property damage was reversed in Rush v. Maple Heights, 167 Ohio St., 221, 147 N. E. (2d), 599 (1958). Generally, therefore, a release by an insured or tbe conclusion of litigation between an insured and tbe wrongdoer would be thought to terminate all rights of an insurer against tbe wrongdoer.

Such was tbe reasoning of tbe 8th District Court of Appeals in Allstate Insurance Co. v. Dye, 113 Ohio App., 90, 170 N. E. (2d), 862 (1960). In that case plaintiff insurance company had paid its insured, defendant Dye, some $866, bis property damage less tbe $50 deductible. Dye subsequently settled bis claim against tbe tort feasor and on payment of $3,000 gave a complete release. Tbe Court gave judgment for plaintiff, saying:

“No legal basis can be found, however, to support tbe right of a subrogee to maintain an action against a tort-feasor where the subrogor, after assigning a part of bis claim to tbe subrogee, settles bis claim against tbe tort-feasor, which settlement is •evidenced by a full release without reservation or notice of tbe 'subrogee’s interest in an indivisible cause of action.”

Tbe Supreme Court of Obio bas, however, clearly ruled that e.ven though Ohio bas adopted tbe single cause of action theory —that there is but one cause of action against a wrongdoer for injuries caused one person by a tort, an exception will be made for a subrogated insurer. In Syllabus 2 of Hoosier Casualty [467]*467Co. v. Davis, 172 Ohio St., 5, 173 N. E. (2d), 349 (1961), 13 Western Reserve L. R., 442, tbe Court held:

“Where by virtue of a prior contract of indemnity and subrogation, an insurer pays its insured for property damage sustained and becomes thereby subrogated to the rights of its insured to the amount of such payment, such insurer may prosecute a separate action against the party causing such injury to the extent of the amount paid under such contract.”

Even before the Supreme Court so ruled, the 6th District Court of Appeals had made the same exception in American Insurance Co. v. Ellsworth Freight Lines, Inc., 113 Ohio App., 426, 178 N. E. (2d), 819 (1960). Judge Fess, speaking for the Court, reviewed the decisions in Ohio and other states and justified the exception on the logic that since an insured could proceed against a tort feasor after recovering part of his damage from his insurer, conversely the insurer should not be estopped from prosecuting its part of the cause of action by reason of the fact that the insured had already recovered from the tort feasor for his personal injuries.

Despite the augustness of the authority, this Court finds the rule as stated unnecessarily broad. It cannot be reconciled with the historic and logical basis for the single cause of action rule. That rule was founded on the sound conclusion that a tort feasor should not be harassed with a multiplicity of suits. Literally read, the Supreme Court’s language, above quoted, could mean that if the injured party had several insurance companies each insuring him against some risk to his person or property, the tort feasor could be subjected to separate suits by the injured party and by each of the subrogated insurance companies. In an era when most people carry several types of insurance coverage this will result in the same issues being litigated several times — very possibly with inconsistent results'.

The more compelling logic is that set forth in Judge Taft’s concurring opinion in the Hoosier Casualty case. The issue should be determined on the basis of knowledge.

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Bluebook (online)
189 N.E.2d 923, 91 Ohio Law. Abs. 463, 23 Ohio Op. 2d 373, 1963 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 261, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/dubose-v-lowe-ohmunictcincinn-1963.