Groen v. Elkins

551 N.E.2d 876, 1990 Ind. App. LEXIS 310, 1990 WL 31872
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedMarch 21, 1990
Docket46A03-8907-CV-303
StatusPublished
Cited by24 cases

This text of 551 N.E.2d 876 (Groen v. Elkins) 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
Groen v. Elkins, 551 N.E.2d 876, 1990 Ind. App. LEXIS 310, 1990 WL 31872 (Ind. Ct. App. 1990).

Opinions

GARRARD, Presiding Judge.

Thomas J. Groen (Groen) appeals the trial court's grant of United Farm Bureau Insurance Co.'s (Farm Bureau) motion for summary judgment based on the grounds that the statute of limitations had run before Groen filed suit. We reverse and remand.

This is the second time that this case has been before us. See United Farm Bureau Ins. Co. v. Groen (1985), Ind.App., 486 N.E.2d 571. In our prior opinion we held that Farm Bureau, James A. Elkins' insurer, could be liable for the torts of Farm Bureau's attorney, Frank A. Pekofski. Farm Bureau had retained Pekofski to pursue its subrogation rights against Groen following a traffic accident between Groen and Elkins on October 19, 1978. Pekofski filed suit on behalf of Elkins (and Farm Bureau) on May 19, 1980 but was unable to effectuate service of process upon Groen via either certified mail to the post office box listed in the accident report or by a similar mailing through the Secretary of State's office. Nonetheless, Pekofski convinced the trial court that service via the Secretary of State was sufficient service upon persons who refuse certified mail. Alternatively Pekofski argued that Groen must have moved out of state 1 and service upon ex-residents could likewise be made upon their statutorily appointed agent, the Secretary of State. A default judgment was entered on March 80, 1981. Pekofski, on August 16, 1981, notified the BMV of [878]*878the judgment thereby seeking suspension of Groen's driver's license in Indiana or in any state where he might be found. Al most two years later, on August 2, 1983, the BMV suspended Groen's license without notice to him. On September 19, 1983 Groen was arrested 2 and on December 28, 1983 he filed suit for negligence and abuse of process against Elkins and Pekofski. (Groen amended his complaint on December 12, 1984 to name Farm Bureau as a party defendant.

ISSUES

Restated Groen's sole issue in this appeal concerns the propriety of the trial court's grant of summary judgment in Farm Bureau's favor based on the conclusion that the statute of limitations had expired. However, before we reach that issue we must first consider Farm Bureau's argument that Groen herein attempts to appeal from an interlocutory order that has not been properly certified for appeal.

DISCUSSION a

Farm Bureau argues that, because Groen has failed to comply with Rule 4(B)(6) of the Rules of Appellate Procedure relating to certification of issues for interlocutory appeals, we should dismiss Groen's appeal. Farm Bureau believes that the trial court's order did not resolve all issues as between all parties and, as such, was not an appealable order without certification. Farm Bureau's motion for summary judgment specifically requested that the trial court expressly direct, pursuant to Trial Rule 54(B), entry of final judgment upon its determination that there was no just reason for delay. Nonetheless, the trial court's summary judgment entry did not specify whether it was issuing a final order. Thus, Farm Bureau argues, because that order as issued does not resolve any issues between Groen and Farm Bureau's attorney, Pekofski, this is an impermissible appeal of an interlocutory order.

Assuming that the trial court's entry was not a final judgment, we are not prohibited from reviewing the issue decided by the trial court. Under Appellate Rule 4(E), we may "pass upon such adjudicated issues as are severable...." We will consider the merits of Groen's appeal.

Groen complains that the trial court erroneously entered summary judgment. His argument has three points. We reverse on the first and, accordingly, address it alone. That issue concerns the application of a discovery rule to the tort of abuse of process so as to date the accrual of that action at that time when the plaintiff actually knew of or reasonably should have discovered the injury to, or impingement of, a legally protected interest. We find that a discovery rule is applicable to Groen's action.

As we noted in Brown v. Robertson (1950), 120 Ind.App. 434, 437, 92 N.E.2d 856, 857, we "have seldom had occasion to consider actions for damages for the abuse of legal process."3 Prosser and Keeton state the actions simply:

The essential elements of abuse of process, as the tort has developed, have been stated to be: first, an ulterior purpose, and second, a wilful act in the use of the process not proper in the regular conduct of the proceeding.

Prosser and Keeton, The Law of Torts, 898 (5th ed. 1984). However, Prosser and Kee-ton cite our Brown decision in support of the caveat that "there is no liability where the defendant has done nothing more than [879]*879carry out the process to its authorized conclusion, even though with bad intentions." Id. at 898, n. 14. See also Brown, supra, 120 Ind.App. at 438, 92 N.E.2d at 858.

Consequently, the issues upon remand, in light of our resolution of the statute of limitations issue in Groen's favor as set forth below, will be whether Pekofski intentionally misused the judicial machinery either in taking the default judgment via the means of substituted service of process he employed or in seeking suspension of Groen's license based upon that subsequently invalidated default judgment. Of course, if Pekofski's acts were procedurally and substantively proper under the cireum-stances, his intent is simply irrelevant. The record now before us does not permit us to consider the propriety of Pekofski's legal maneuvers. j

We turn now to the heart of this appeal: whether the discovery rule ought to apply to an abuse of process claim. The trial court concluded that Groen's action accrued either on March 830, 1981 (the date the default judgment was entered) or on August 16, 1981 (the date notice of the judgment was sent to the BMV). Using either of these dates, the trial court reasoned that Groen's suit as filed against Farm Bureau in December of 1988 or 1984 4 would be time barred by the two year statute of limitations held applicable to abuse of process claims in Cassidy v. Cain (1969), 145 Ind.App. 581, 251 N.E.2d 852. See also IC 34-1-2-2(1). Furthermore, the trial court concluded that the discovery rule as discussed in Barnes v. A.H. Robins Co., Inc. (1984), Ind., 476 N.E.2d 84 and Burks v. Rushmore (1986), Ind.App., 499 N.E.2d 762, vacated (1986), Ind., 534 N.E.2d 1101, was inapplicable.5 We disagree.

The discovery rule was not in issue in Cassidy, so that court's conclusion, that ""the cause of action for abuse of process is complete as soon as the acts complained of are committed," does not foreclose consideration of this matter. See, Cassidy, supra, 145 Ind.App. at 590, 251 N.E.2d at 857. In Cassidy the plaintiff optometrist complained that competing optometrists improperly (and ultimately unsuccessfully) challenged his professional abilities before the Indiana State Board of Registration and Examination in Optometry. That challenge was filed with the Board in December 1960.

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Groen v. Elkins
551 N.E.2d 876 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1990)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
551 N.E.2d 876, 1990 Ind. App. LEXIS 310, 1990 WL 31872, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/groen-v-elkins-indctapp-1990.