Johnson v. Jackson

261 F. Supp. 3d 1206
CourtDistrict Court, M.D. Alabama
DecidedMay 22, 2017
DocketCivil Action No. 2:17cv4-WHA
StatusPublished

This text of 261 F. Supp. 3d 1206 (Johnson v. Jackson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, M.D. Alabama primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Johnson v. Jackson, 261 F. Supp. 3d 1206 (M.D. Ala. 2017).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

W. HAROLD ALBRITTON, SENIOR UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

I. INTRODUCTION

This case is before the court on a Motion for Summary Judgment (Doc. # 29), filed by the Plaintiffs and a Motion to Strike the Affidavit of Andrea Hatchcock filed by the Defendant (Doc. # 38).

This case was originally filed as an inter-pleader action. The insurance company, •National Union Fire Insurance Company of Pittsburgh, PA, paid insurance policy proceeds into court, and sought the court’s determination as to competing claims. The court discharged the insurance company and realigned the parties.

The re-aligned Plaintiffs have moved for summary judgment. The Defendant moves to strike one affidavit upon which the Motion for Summary Judgment is based.

For the reasons to be discussed, the Motion to Strike is due to be GRANTED in part and DENIED in part and the Motion for Summary Judgment is due to be GRANTED.

II. SUMMARY JUDGMENT STANDARD

Summary judgment is proper “if there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and ... the moving party is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law.” Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 322, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986).

The party asking for summary judgment “always bears the initial responsibility of informing the district court of the basis for its motion,” relying on submissions “which it believes demonstrate the absence of a genuine issue of material fact.” Id. at 323, 106 S.Ct. 2548. Once the moving party has met its burden, the nonmoving party must “go beyond the pleadings” and show that there is a genuine issue for trial. Id. at 324, 106 S.Ct. 2548.

Both the party “asserting that' a ’ fact cannot be,” and a party asserting that a fact is genuinely disputed, must support their assertions by “citing to particular parts of materials in the record,” or by “showing that the materials cited do not establish the absence or presence of a genuine dispute, or that an adverse party cannot produce admissible evidence to support the fact.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 56 (c)(1)(A),(B). Acceptable materials under [1208]*1208Rule 56(c)(1)(A) include “depositions, documents, electronically stored information, affidavits or declarations, stipulations (including those made for purposes of the motion only), admissions, interrogatory answers, or other materials.”

To avoid summary judgment, the non-moving party “must do more than show that there is some metaphysical doubt as to the material facts.” Matsushita Elec. Indus. Co. v. Zenith Radio Corp., 475 U.S. 574, 586, 106 S.Ct. 1348, 89 L.Ed.2d 538 (1986). On the other hand, the evidence of the nonmovant must be believed and all justifiable inferences must be drawn in its favor. See Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, 477 U.S. 242, 255, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986).

After the nonmoving party has responded to the motion for summary judgment, the court shall grant summary judgment if the movant shows that there is no genuine dispute as to any material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(a).

III. FACTS

The submissions of the parties establish the following facts, construed in a light most favorable to the non-movant:

Cynthia Johnson (“the Decedent”) was insured under National Union Fire Insurance Company of Pittsburgh, PA (“National Union”) Policy Number SRG-000914074-A (“the Policy”) issued by National Union to Phenix Transportation West, Inc. (“Phenix Transportation”).

In 2014, the Decedent was in a relationship with Defendant Earl Jackson (“Jackson”). Jackson worked for Phenix Transportation. During the course of their relationship, the Decedent traveled with Jackson while he drove for Phenix Transportation. Jackson took out the Rider Insurance Policy covering the Decedent while she was a passenger in Jackson’s vehicle, and paid the premiums on the Policy. No beneficiary form was completed. The Policy provided as follows: “Upon receipt of due written proof of death, payment for loss of life of an Insured will be made, in equal shares, to the survivors of the first surviving class of those that follow: the Insured’s (1) spouse; (2) children....” (Doc. #1-1 at P-10).

Plaintiffs Brittany Johnson, Jonathan Johnson, and Austin Johnson (“the John-sons”) are children of the Decedent. When the Decedent was killed in 2016 as a result of a motor vehicle accident in which she was a passenger in the vehicle being drive by Jackson, $200,000 became payable under the Policy. Robert Schwartz, the father of the Decedent, made a claim on behalf of the Johnsons. Jackson also made a claim on the Policy as the Decedent’s common law husband.

It is the status of Jackson as the Decedent’s common law husband which is at issue. Relevant to that status are the facts of Jackson’s previous relationship with Regina Lynn Whidby (“Whidby”). Jackson married Whidby in Autauga County, Alabama in 2008, before Jackson’s relationship with the Decedent. The Johnsons claim that there is no record of a divorce filed for Jackson and Whidby in Alabama, where they lived together during their marriage, or in Georgia, where Whidby lived once Whidby and Jackson no longer lived together.

The Johnsons have submitted evidence to support that no record of divorce has been located in Alabama or in two counties in Georgia.

[1209]*1209IV. DISCUSSION

The Johnsons have moved for summary judgment on the basis that Jackson cannot prove the first element a common law marriage to the Decedent. A finding of common law marriage requires a showing through clear and convincing evidence that the (1) the person had the capacity to marry, (2) a present, mutual agreement to permanently enter the marriage relationship to the exclusion of all other relationships, (3) public recognition of the relationship as a marriage and public assumption of marital duties and cohabitation. McMullins v. McMullins, 202 So.3d 332 (Ala. Civ. App. 2016). If Jackson was never legally divorced from Whidby, he could not have had a valid common law marriage to the Decedent, no matter the circumstances of their living together.

The Johnsons argue that Jackson was legally married to Regina Whidby (“Whid-by”) at the time of his relationship with the Decedent and, therefore, lacked the capacity to marry the Decedent. WTien their motion first was filed, the Plaintiffs presented evidence in the form of an affidavit from an investigator that there is no record of a divorce of Jackson and Whidby in Alabama (Doe. # 29-3 at p.2), and a Certificate of Failure to Find which states that no record of divorce was found to exist in Alabama. (Doc. # 29-2).

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Related

Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc.
477 U.S. 242 (Supreme Court, 1986)
Leonard v. Leonard
560 So. 2d 1080 (Court of Civil Appeals of Alabama, 1990)
McMullins v. McMullins
202 So. 3d 332 (Court of Civil Appeals of Alabama, 2016)

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Bluebook (online)
261 F. Supp. 3d 1206, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/johnson-v-jackson-almd-2017.