Ebenezer Society v. Dryvit Systems, Inc.

453 N.W.2d 545, 1990 Minn. App. LEXIS 315, 1990 WL 35790
CourtCourt of Appeals of Minnesota
DecidedApril 3, 1990
DocketCX-89-1992
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 453 N.W.2d 545 (Ebenezer Society v. Dryvit Systems, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Minnesota primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Ebenezer Society v. Dryvit Systems, Inc., 453 N.W.2d 545, 1990 Minn. App. LEXIS 315, 1990 WL 35790 (Mich. Ct. App. 1990).

Opinion

OPINION

FOLEY, Judge.

Appellants The Ebenezer Society and Ebenezer Park Apartments (Ebenezer) commenced an action against respondent Dryvit Systems, Inc., alleging Dryvit’s negligence had resulted in damage to Ebenezer’s property. Ebenezer and Dryvit entered into a purported Miller-Shugart agreement (Miller v. Shugart, 316 N.W.2d 729 (Minn.1982)), whereby Dryvit agreed to entry of a $1,000,000 judgment against it, and Ebenezer agreed that the judgment would be collected only from Dryvit’s insurers, not Dryvit.

Following entry of judgment, Ebenezer commenced garnishment actions against respondents Hartford Fire Insurance Company, Hartford Accident and Indemnity Company, Aetna Fire Underwriters Insurance Company, Aetna Insurance Company, Travelers Insurance Company, Continental Casualty Company, and TransAmerica Insurance Company (the insurers). Continental has since been dismissed as a party to this action. The insurers denied liability and Ebenezer served supplemental complaints against the insurers. Ebenezer’s subsequent motion for leave to file a supplemental complaint against the insurers was denied, and the insurers were discharged as garnishees. Ebenezer moved for reconsideration of the order denying leave to file the amended complaint and discharging the insurers. This motion was denied.

Ebenezer appeals the denial of the motion for leave to file a supplemental complaint and seeks review of the trial court’s order denying reconsideration. We affirm.

FACTS

The Ebenezer Society is a non-profit organization affiliated with the American Lutheran Church. Ebenezer Park Apartments is a non-profit charitable corporation created by the Society in 1977 to own and operate a subsidized housing project for the elderly and handicapped. Ebenezer obtained financing for construction of the Ebenezer Park Apartments in Minneapolis *547 in 1978. The building was completed in May 1980.'

The general contractor on the project was M.A. Mortenson Co. In connection with the project, Mortenson obtained a performance-payment bond in the amount of $3,200,000.

Dryvit furnished the external insulation and wall finish system. There have been problems with water leaking into the building since the building was first occupied in May 1980. One of the possible sources of the problem has been identified as the Dry-vit system. The insurers provided comprehensive general liability insurance to Dry-vit at various times.

Ebenezer sued Dryvit, among others, in 1986 for claims arising out of the leakage at the Ebenezer Park Apartments. For the next two and a half years, Dryvit's privately-retained counsel participated actively in the litigation with Ebenezer.

On September 8, 1988, Dryvit tendered the defense of the action to Hartford Fire, Hartford Accident and TransAmerica. On September 15, 1988, Dryvit tendered defense of the action to Aetna Fire, Aetna Insurance, Travelers and Continental. The letters tendering defense of the matter indicated that the matter was set for trial in six or seven weeks. The letters tendering the defense to the insurers also stated:

If your position is that there is no coverage or, no coverage for the majority of the damages being alleged in the lawsuit, then Dryvit will consider entering into a Miller-Shugart agreement with the plaintiffs in which Dryvit would admit liability in the amount of $500,000, but condition the admission on plaintiffs collecting the judgment from you, rather than Dryvit.

On October 10, 1988, Dryvit’s counsel notified Aetna that Dryvit would enter into a Miller-Shugart settlement the next morning. The decision to enter the agreement was based on a telephone conversation in which an Aetna representative indicated that if Aetna accepted a tender of defense from Dryvit, it would “definitely” be subject to a reservation of rights. The parties entered into a purported Miller-Shugart agreement, which was signed by the parties on October 25, 26, and 27, 1988. 1 Dryvit agreed to entry of a $1,000,000 judgment against it, with the proviso that Ebenezer would seek payment only from the insurers.

After judgment was entered pursuant to the Miller-Shugart agreement, Ebenezer served garnishment summonses on the insurers. The insurers responded, denying they had any obligation to Ebenezer. Ebe-nezer, without first obtaining leave of court to do so, served a supplemental garnishment summons and complaint on the insurers. Aetna and Travelers answered the supplemental complaint, alleging that Ebenezer had failed to comply with the terms of the garnishment statute, specifically Minn.Stat. §§ 571.50-.51 (1988). Hartford moved for discharge as a garnishee.

Ebenezer then moved for leave of court to file a supplemental garnishment summons and complaint. In an order filed October 4, 1989, Ebenezer’s motion was denied. The trial court concluded that Ebe-nezer failed to comply with the requirements of the garnishment statute by filing a supplemental complaint without leave of court. The trial court also determined that Ebenezer failed to establish probable cause to believe that the insurers were liable.

Ebenezer moved for reconsideration of the October 4 order. The trial court denied the motion for reconsideration in an order dated November 3, 1989.

This appeal was filed November 6, 1989. On November 8, 1989, Ebenezer filed a petition for discretionary review of the November 3 order denying Ebenezer’s motion to reconsider the earlier order. This court denied the petition for discretionary review and specified that, pursuant to Minn.R.Civ. App.P. 103.04, the panel hearing this appeal on the merits could, if it chose to do so, review the November 3 order.

*548 ISSUES

1. Should this court review the November 3 order denying reconsideration?

2. Did the trial court err in determining that Ebenezer failed to show probable cause that the insurers were liable?

ANALYSIS

1. An order denying a motion for leave to file a supplemental complaint in garnishment proceedings is appealable. See Johnson Motor Co. v. Cue, 352 N.W.2d 114, 116 (Minn.Ct.App.1984). The first order denying Ebenezer’s motion for leave to file a supplemental complaint was appeal-able. However, rather than then appeal to this court from that order, Ebenezer moved only for reconsideration. An order denying reconsideration is not appealable. See Minn.R.Civ.App.P. 103.03, Comment (1983) (only orders enumerated in Minn.R.Civ. App.P. 103.03 are appealable). Minn.R.Civ. App.P. 103.04 provides:

On appeal from or review of an order the appellate courts may review any order affecting the order from which the appeal is taken. * * * They may review any other matter as the interest of justice may require.

Thereafter, an appeal was taken from the original order of September 29, 1989 and filed October 4, 1989, denying leave to file a supplemental complaint.

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Bluebook (online)
453 N.W.2d 545, 1990 Minn. App. LEXIS 315, 1990 WL 35790, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ebenezer-society-v-dryvit-systems-inc-minnctapp-1990.