Lutz v. Erie Insurance Exchange

838 N.E.2d 1181, 2005 Ind. App. LEXIS 2331, 2005 WL 3410760
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedDecember 14, 2005
DocketNo. 49A02-0503-CV-180
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 838 N.E.2d 1181 (Lutz v. Erie Insurance Exchange) 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
Lutz v. Erie Insurance Exchange, 838 N.E.2d 1181, 2005 Ind. App. LEXIS 2331, 2005 WL 3410760 (Ind. Ct. App. 2005).

Opinion

OPINION

BAKER, Judge.

Appellant-defendant Carson Lutz appeals the trial court's denial of his motion for a directed verdict with respect to ap-pellee-plaintiff Erie Insurance Exchange's (Erie) subrogation action against him for property damage that resulted to one of its insured's vehicles following an automobile accident. Lutz further maintains that the trial court erred in denying his request that it take judicial notice of the color of the traffic signal at an intersection just before the accident occurred. Finding no reversible error in these cireumstances, we affirm the judgment of the trial court.

FACTS

On April 28, 2001, Kathryn McCormick was traveling eastbound in a funeral procession on Washington Street in Indianapolis. A uniformed police offieer-Corporal Christopher Morgan-was on his motorey-cle with its emergency lights activated directing traffic on Post Road as the funeral procession continued eastbound on Washington Street through that intersection. McCormick was driving with her headlights on and a flag had been placed on her vehicle that identified her as a part of the procession.

Lutz was traveling southbound on Post Road at the same time. McCormick stated that because of Corporal Morgan's location in the middle of the intersection and because she was farther back in the procession, she did not look northbound towards Post Road as she drove through the intersection. Also, Lutz did not see Corporal Morgan directing traffic prior to entering the intersection. Lutz ultimately collided with McCormick's vehicle. McCormick testified that she had no time to brake, and she did not hear any tires skidding before the impact.

At the time of the accident, McCormick was insured through Erie. As a result of the incident, Erie paid $5,533.42 to repair McCormick's vehicle pursuant to the insurance policy. In exchange for payment, McCormick assigned her rights of recovery against Lutz to Erie. Thus, on January 22, 2002, Erie filed a complaint against Lutz pursuant to its subrogation rights for Lutz's alleged negligence that caused the damage to McCormick's vehicle While Erie alleged that it was obligated to pay the damages to McCormick's vehicle under the policy, it did not attach a copy of that contract to the complaint.

Lutz counterclaimed, alleging that McCormick was negligent because she had entered the intersection against the red light and caused the collision. He further alleged that McCormick was negligent by failing to keep a proper lookout and in entering an intersection by disregarding an automatic signal. Hence, Lutz claimed that McCormick caused the accident. In her Answer, McCormick admitted to entering the intersection against the red light as part of the funeral procession as Officer Morgan had directed.

On February 15, 2002, Lutz filed a motion to dismiss the complaint because Erie had failed to attach a copy of the insurance contract to the complaint. Lutz contended that Erie was obligated to include the policy in accordance with Indiana Trial Rule 9.2 because its purported subrogation rights were based on the written insurance policy. While Erie responded that it was not required to provide the contract with [1184]*1184the complaint, and it never amended its complaint to include a copy of the contract, the trial court did not rule on Lutz's motion to dismiss. '

At a jury trial that commenced on February 8, 2005, Laura Stroke, a witness to the accident, testified that she was traveling southbound on Post Road approaching the intersection from the north. When Stroke reached Washington Street, she realized that a funeral procession was traveling through the intersection because there was a slow moving line of traffic with flags on the vehicles. She also observed the officer in the intersection directing traffic. Stroke then stopped her vehicle even though the light was green, and she testified that Lutz was in the vehicle behind her and tailgating her. At some point, Lutz veered around to the right and accelerated as he approached the intersection.

Lutz testified that he did not recall tailgating Stroke. He also maintained that his foot was not on the accelerator when he entered the intersection, but he was uncertain whether his foot made it to the brake pedal before the impact. There was also testimony that after Lutz passed Stroke, there were no vehicles obstructing his view of the intersection.

Officer Morgan testified that the light was green for McCormick when she entered the intersection. However, during the trial, McCormick testified that she did not recall the color of the light because she was focused on the vehicle in front of her that was also part of the funeral procession.

In the end, the jury found MeCormick 10% at fault, Lutz 80% at fault, and a nonparty 10 % at fault. A verdict in the amount of $3,626.74 was awarded in favor of Erie and against Lutz. Lutz now appeals.

DISCUSSION AND DECISION

I. Proof of Insurance Policy

Lutz first argues that the trial court erred in not entering a directed verdict in his favor. Specifically, Lutz maintains that he was entitled to a directed verdict because Erie "wholly failed to prove the existence of any insurance contract and that any contract of insurance was in force at the time of the accident." Appellant's Br. p. 1.

In resolving this issue, we first note the provisions of Indiana Trial Rule 9.2(A):

(A) When instrument or copy must be filed.
When any pleading allowed by these rules is founded on a written instrument, the original, or a copy thereof, must be included in or filed with the pleading. Such instrument, whether copied in the pleadings or not, shall be taken as part of the record.

Notwithstanding the requirements set forth above, we note that this case was founded on Lutz's negligence that resulted in property damage to McCormick's vehicle. Erie's action was not premised on the existence of an insurance contract. Rather, Erie's complaint was pled under the tort theory of negligence, the parties tried the case under that theory, and the jury was instructed under the theory of negli-genee. Moreover, Lutz was not a party to the contract between it and McCormick. As a result, Trial Rule 9.2(A) does not apply to the circumstances here, and it was not necessary for Erie to have introduced the insurance policy into evidence.

Even so-and contrary to Lutz's claim-ample evidence was presented at trial establishing the existence of a contract between Erie and McCormick. For instance, McCormick testified on direct examination that Erie paid for the necessary repairs to her vehicle. Appellee's App. p. [1185]*118541. McCormick recalled contracting with an insurance agent to purchase insurance through Erie, and her policy had been in foree on April 28, 2001. Id. at 58. MeCor-mick also testified that she understood that Erie was seeking compensation from Lutz for money that it had paid to repair her vehicle, and that she was transferring her rights of recovery against Lutz to Erie. Id. at 58-60.

Also, Phillip Williams-an Erie claims adjustor in Indianapolis-testified that he was the adjustor assigned to McCormick's claim. Id. at 47, 49. Williams identified an estimate from the Ray Skillman Ford automobile dealership (Ray Skillman) as a copy of the original estimate on MeCor-mick's vehicle for the repairs that were performed. Id. at 48, 79-86. Williams approved the repairs and authorized the payment from Erie to Ray Skillman to repair the vehicle.

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Related

Lutz v. Erie Insurance Exchange
848 N.E.2d 675 (Indiana Supreme Court, 2006)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
838 N.E.2d 1181, 2005 Ind. App. LEXIS 2331, 2005 WL 3410760, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lutz-v-erie-insurance-exchange-indctapp-2005.