Mein Ex Rel. Mein v. Cook

193 P.3d 790, 219 Ariz. 96, 530 Ariz. Adv. Rep. 10, 2008 WL 4093566, 2008 Ariz. App. LEXIS 66
CourtCourt of Appeals of Arizona
DecidedApril 24, 2008
Docket1 CA-CV 06-0801
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 193 P.3d 790 (Mein Ex Rel. Mein v. Cook) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Arizona primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Mein Ex Rel. Mein v. Cook, 193 P.3d 790, 219 Ariz. 96, 530 Ariz. Adv. Rep. 10, 2008 WL 4093566, 2008 Ariz. App. LEXIS 66 (Ark. Ct. App. 2008).

Opinion

OPINION

GEMMILL, Chief Judge.

¶ 1 This appeal arises from a drag racing accident that resulted in serious personal injuries to a passenger in one of the ears. At trial, the jury found one driver to be 70% at fault and the other to be 5% at fault. The fundamental question presented is whether the driver found to be 5% at fault may be jointly liable with the other driver for the plaintiffs’ injuries. In this published opinion, we review the trial court’s summary judgment ruling that the drivers were not jointly liable because they were not “acting in concert” within the meaning of Arizona Revised Statutes (“A.R.S.”) section 12-2506(D)(1) (2003). In a separate memorandum decision filed contemporaneously, we review the trial court’s denial of Plaintiffs’ motion to amend to assert vicarious liability under A.R.S. § 12-2506(D)(2). Because we agree with the trial court, we affirm the judgment.

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

¶ 2 Gregory Mein and Erin Mein (“Plaintiffs”) appeal the trial court’s entry of summary judgment in favor of Andrew Glasner and Lisa Glasner (“Defendants”) on the issue of joint liability. In reviewing a grant of summary judgment, we view the facts and reasonable inferences from the facts in a light most favorable to the party against whom judgment was entered. Maycock v. Asilomar Dev., Inc., 207 Ariz. 495, 496, ¶ 2, 88 P.3d 565, 566 (App.2004).

¶3 On the evening of October 16, 2003, Andrew Glasner, Byron Cook, and Gregory Mein attended a happy hour celebration held for one of their co-workers. After consuming several drinks, the three men went to another drinking establishment. The men continued their drinking until approximately 10:45 p.m., when Glasner invited the others back to his home. The men traveled towards Glasner’s home in two vehicles, one driven by Glasner and the other by Cook. Mein was seated in the backseat of Cook’s ear.

*98 ¶ 4 En route to Glasner’s home, the parties were heading west on Ray Road in Phoenix. They came to a stop at 48th Street. While stopped at the intersection, Glasner and Cook began revving their engines and bantering back and forth. As the traffic signal turned green, the men caused their cars to “peel out” and rapidly accelerate. They reached speeds in excess of 80 m.p.h. and were weaving in and out of traffic. As they passed through the intersection of 44th Street and Ray Road, Cook lost control of his vehicle and crashed, causing Mein severe injuries.

¶ 5 In May 2004, Plaintiffs filed their complaint alleging negligence on the part of Cook and Glasner, as well as joint liability on the basis of A.R.S. § 12-2506(D)(1). Plaintiffs eventually moved for summary judgment on the issue of whether Glasner and Cook “acted in concert” and were, therefore, jointly liable for the damages that Plaintiffs sustained as a result of the drag racing incident. Defendants Glasner filed a cross-motion for partial summary judgment arguing that, as a matter of law, they were not jointly liable for the damages caused by Cook. 1

¶ 6 In January 2006, the trial court decided that there was no evidence from which reasonable jurors could conclude that Defendants committed an intentional tort, a necessary prerequisite under the “acting in concert” exception to A.R.S. § 12-2506. As a result, the court denied Plaintiffs’ motion and granted Defendants’ cross-motion on this issue.

¶ 7 The case proceeded to trial in July 2006 on the remaining issues. After eight days of trial, the jury returned a verdict in favor of Plaintiffs in the total sum of $3,500,000. The jury apportioned the fault as follows: Cook 70%, Glasner 5%, and Mein 25%. Judgment was entered in favor of Plaintiffs against Defendants Glasner for a total of $175,000 plus costs.

¶ 8 We have jurisdiction to consider Plaintiffs’ appeal pursuant to A.R.S. § 12-2101(B) (2003).

ANALYSIS

¶ 9 We review a summary judgment de novo to determine whether a genuine issue of material fact exists and whether the trial court correctly applied the law. PNL Asset Mgmt. Co. v. Brendgen & Taylor P’ship, 193 Ariz. 126, 129, ¶ 10, 970 P.2d 958, 961 (App. 1998). The material facts in this case are undisputed. What remains to be determined is whether the facts permit the imposition of joint liability under A.R.S. § 12-2506(D)(1) or vicarious liability under § 12-2506(D)(2).

¶ 10 Plaintiffs argue that the drag racing incident constitutes an intentional tort and Defendants Cook and Glasner were “acting in concert” within the meaning of A.R.S. § 12-2506(D)(1), thereby imposing joint liability on Glasner for Cook’s percentage of the judgment. Plaintiffs also argue that because the drag racing constituted the torts of aiding and abetting, civil conspiracy, and joint venture, the trial court should have allowed Plaintiffs to amend their complaint to allege that Cook was acting as the agent of Glasner and that Glasner is vicariously liable under § 12-2506(D)(2) for the damages caused by Cook. Defendants argue that there is no evidence to support the finding of an intentional tort for the purposes of “acting in concert” under § 12-2506(D)(1) and further that the jury’s verdict on the issue of punitive damages precludes a determination that the drag racing incident constituted an intentional tort. Defendants also argue that the trial court properly denied Plaintiffs’ motion to amend their complaint to seek vicarious liability under A.R.S. § 12-2506(D)(2) and that the facts do not establish an agency relationship within the meaning of § 12-2506(D)(2).

“Acting in Concert” Within the Meaning of A.R.S. § 12-2506(D)(1)

¶ 11 In order for multiple defendants to be jointly liable under A.R.S. § 12-2506(D)(1), they must have been “acting in concert” when the tort was committed:

D. The liability of each defendant is several only and is not joint, except that a *99 party is responsible for the fault of another person, or for payment of the proportionate share of another person, if any of the following applies:
1.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Shooter v. State
Court of Appeals of Arizona, 2023
Boruch v. State ex rel. Halikowski
399 P.3d 686 (Court of Appeals of Arizona, 2017)
Lewis v. Dirt Sports LLC
259 F. Supp. 3d 1039 (D. Arizona, 2017)
BMO Harris Bank N.A. v. Wildwood Creek Ranch, LLC
317 P.3d 641 (Court of Appeals of Arizona, 2014)
Stout v. Taylor
311 P.3d 1088 (Court of Appeals of Arizona, 2013)
Rudinsky v. Harris
290 P.3d 1218 (Court of Appeals of Arizona, 2012)
Carnes v. Phoenix Newspapers, Inc.
251 P.3d 411 (Court of Appeals of Arizona, 2011)
Chappell v. Wenholz
247 P.3d 192 (Court of Appeals of Arizona, 2011)
Diaz v. PHOENIX LUBRICATION SERVICE, INC.
230 P.3d 718 (Court of Appeals of Arizona, 2010)
Penn-America Insurance v. Sanchez
202 P.3d 472 (Court of Appeals of Arizona, 2009)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
193 P.3d 790, 219 Ariz. 96, 530 Ariz. Adv. Rep. 10, 2008 WL 4093566, 2008 Ariz. App. LEXIS 66, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mein-ex-rel-mein-v-cook-arizctapp-2008.