East Chicago Police Department v. Bynum

826 N.E.2d 22, 2005 Ind. App. LEXIS 647, 2005 WL 928406
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedApril 22, 2005
Docket45A03-0406-CV-272
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 826 N.E.2d 22 (East Chicago Police Department v. Bynum) 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
East Chicago Police Department v. Bynum, 826 N.E.2d 22, 2005 Ind. App. LEXIS 647, 2005 WL 928406 (Ind. Ct. App. 2005).

Opinion

OPINION

SHARPNACK, Judge.

East Chicago Police Department and East Chicago Police Officers Isaac Washington, William Pabey, Gabriel Fears, and Cliff Rhodes (collectively “East Chicago”) appeal the trial court’s denial of its: (1) motion for summary judgment; (2) motion for judgment on the evidence; and (3) motion to correct error. East Chicago raises one issue, which we expand and restate as:

I. Whether the trial court erred by denying East Chicago’s motion for summary judgment regarding the applicability of the law enforcement immunity provision of the Indiana Tort Claims Act (“ITCA”);
II. Whether the trial court erred by denying East Chicago’s motion for judgment on the evidence regarding the applicability of the law enforcement immunity provision of the ITCA; and
III. Whether the trial court abused its discretion by denying East Chicago’s motion to correct error regarding the applicability of the law *24 enforcement immunity provision of the ITCA. 1

We affirm.

The relevant facts follow. On June 23, 1996, at around 9:45 p.m., police officers from the East Chicago Police Department in four to six police cars were on “aggressive patrol” near the intersection of Columbus Drive and Ivy Street in East Chicago, Indiana. Aggressive patrol involves saturating a high crime area with police patrols and trying to find warrant subjects, gang activity, and drug activity. Officer Washington was patrolling in a marked police car with Officer Patrick Gransberry as a passenger. Officer Washington saw a car containing suspected gang members and a possible warrant violator driving westbound on Columbus Drive. Officer Washington, along with the other police vehicles on patrol, drove westbound on Columbus Drive and began following the suspected gang members’ car in an attempt to stop it. When the gang members’ car turned left onto Ivy Street, Officer Washington and the other police cars followed and turned left onto Ivy Street.

At that same time, Michelle Bynum was driving eastbound on Columbus Drive approaching the intersection of Ivy Street. Bynum’s sister, Carol Bryant, was driving in the vehicle directly behind Bynum. As Officer Washington and the other police cars turned left onto Ivy Street in front of Bynum, Bynum abruptly stopped her car, and she was struck from behind by Bryant’s car. There was conflicting evidence regarding whether Officer Washington and the other officers had activated their lights or sirens prior to the collision. As a result of the collision, Bynum sustained injuries, including post-traumatic hydrocephalus, 2 papilledema, 3 and visual loss in both eyes. 4

Bynum and her husband, Keith, (collectively “the Bynums”) filed a complaint, which they later amended, against Bryant and East Chicago and alleged that the police officers operated their vehicles in a negligent manner and that the police department was negligent in employing the officers. East Chicago filed a motion for summary judgment and argued that it was entitled to judgment as a matter of law because it was immune from suit under the ITCA. Specifically, East Chicago argued that it was entitled to governmental immunity under the law enforcement immunity provision of the ITCA because the police officers were engaged in the enforcement of law at the time of Bynum’s loss. In their response to East Chicago’s motion for summary judgment, the Bynums argued that: (1) the law enforcement immunity provision was not applicable because the officers violated their statutory duty under various motor vehicle safety statutes *25 to operate their vehicles with reasonable care; (2) the motor vehicle safety statutes were in conflict with the law enforcement immunity provision of the ITCA and there was a genuine issue of material fact as to whether the police officers violated their statutory duty; and (3) there was a genuine issue of material fact as to whether the officers activated .their lights and sirens during the chase of the gang members’ car.

The trial court denied East Chicago’s motion for summary judgment and issued an order, which provided:

1. The Court finds that there is a very substantial factual dispute in this cause which is whether the police officers involved activated either their lights or their sirens before conducting their high-speed chase.
2. This disputed factual issue is important in that it creates the issue s[sic] to whether the police officers were themselves in violation of statutory law which violation caused the accident herein involved.
3. The Court finds that Summary Judgment would not be appropriate in this cause.
4. The Motion for Partial Summary Judgment filed by [East Chicago] is therefore [sic] DENIED.

Appellant’s Appendix at 5-6.

A jury trial was held in February 2004. 5 East Chicago moved for judgment on the evidence and argued that it was entitled to governmental immunity under the ITCA because it was engaged in law enforcement at the time of the accident and argued that “it [was] irrelevant whether [the police officers] had their sirens on or their flashers on ... [t]he only question to decide is whether they were involved in the enforcement of law.” Transcript at 357. The trial court denied East Chicago’s motion for judgment on the evidence and stated:

The Court finds that, as a matter of law, that [East Chicago] is not entitled to immunity. The Court’s finding is based on the decision that the claim by [East Chicago] that they were in the process of enforcing the law does not bear forth in regards to the evidence so far submitted to the Court shows that during their actions [East Chicago] was, in fact, violating the law. That’s the basis of the Court’s decision; and, again, the motion is denied.

Id. at 358-359. As part of the final jury instructions, the trial court instructed the jury as to the existence of various motor vehicle safety statutes, including Ind.Code § 9-21-1-8, and instructed the jury that if they found “that any. party or nonparty violated any of these statutes on June 23, 1996, and the violation was without excuse or justification, such conduct would constitute fault to be assessed against the party or nonparty.” Id. at 436.

The jury returned a verdict for Bynum, found East Chicago to be ten percent at fault, and determined that Bynum’s damages totaled $1,500,000. Thereafter, the trial court entered judgment against East Chicago in the amount of $150,000. East Chicago then filed a motion to correct error and argued that the trial court erred by denying its motion for judgment on the evidence because it was immune from liability under the law enforcement immunity provision of the ITCA. The trial court held a hearing and denied East Chicago’s motion to correct error.

I.

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826 N.E.2d 22, 2005 Ind. App. LEXIS 647, 2005 WL 928406, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/east-chicago-police-department-v-bynum-indctapp-2005.