Midway Ford Truck Center, Inc. v. Gilmore

415 N.E.2d 134, 1981 Ind. App. LEXIS 1210
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedJanuary 27, 1981
Docket1-1279A359
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 415 N.E.2d 134 (Midway Ford Truck Center, Inc. v. Gilmore) 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
Midway Ford Truck Center, Inc. v. Gilmore, 415 N.E.2d 134, 1981 Ind. App. LEXIS 1210 (Ind. Ct. App. 1981).

Opinions

RATLIFF, Judge.

STATEMENT OF THE CASE

Midway Ford Truck Center, Inc. (Midway) appeals from a jury verdict and judgment thereon awarding three hundred fifty thousand dollars ($350,000) to Gary M. Gilmore (Gilmore) for personal injuries suffered when the truck he was driving overturned and parts of his body were burned by hot asphalt which escaped from the tank on the back of the truck. We reverse.

FACTS

On October 11, 1974, Gilmore was an employee of Dale R. Horning Company, a roofing contractor, and was driving a truck containing a tank about 90% full of hot asphalt east on 1-74 in Hendricks County, near Pittsboro, Indiana. While Gilmore was being passed by an unidentified trac[136]*136tor-trailer unit, he lost control of his truck and it overturned. Hot asphalt at approximately 500 degrees Fahrenheit escaped from the tank, and between a pint and a quart of the asphalt entered the cab through a back window which broke when the truck turned over. Gilmore suffered second and third degree burns to approximately 49% of his body.

In 1973 the Horning Company had purchased the cab-over-chassis from Midway and the five ton asphalt tank from Midwest Roofing Equipment Company (MRECO); the latter company attached the tank to the rear of the truck. Gilmore, his wife, and daughter initially brought suit against MRECO, the unidentified tractor-trailer driver and his employer, the Ford Motor Company, and Midway for more than three million dollars. At the time of trial only Gilmore, his wife, and Midway remained as parties to this action. At a pretrial conference the court granted the Gilmores’ motion to dismiss the negligence and breach of warranty counts (counts I and II) of their complaint. Several days later the Gilmores and Midway filed their Stipulation of Dismissal with Prejudice. By Order dated July 16,1979, the trial court dismissed with prejudice counts I and II of the amended complaint. On July 18, 1979, the case which had been scheduled as a three week trial commenced. After the testimony of sixteen witnesses had been presented either in person or by deposition, Midway made a motion in limine to exclude evidence on whether or not the truck was overloaded at the time of the incident because such evidence was irrelevant to the theory of strict liability on which the Gilmores were proceeding. The court granted the motion.

After the testimony of two more witnesses had been entered, the Gilmores moved to dismiss the stipulation of dismissal with prejudice as to the issues of negligence and breach of warranty and also to amend their complaint to conform to the evidence. The court denied the former, but granted the latter. Later the court reconsidered and denied Midway’s motion in limine. At the close of the Gilmores’ evidence the court granted Midway’s motion for judgment on the evidence as to the issue of strict liability, but denied the motion upon the negligence and breach of warranty counts. After all the evidence had been presented the jury returned a verdict of $350,000 in favor of Gilmore against Midway, and the court entered judgment thereon. Gilmore’s wife received no award, but does not appeal.

ISSUES

Midway contends that the trial court erred (1) in granting Gilmore’s motion to amend his amended complaint to conform to the evidence, (2) in overruling Midway’s motion for judgment on the evidence at the close of all the evidence, and (3) in giving instructions numbered 10 and 10A.

DISCUSSION AND DECISION

Because of our decision in this case we need discuss only the first of Midway’s allegations of error. This question concerns whether or not an issue once stipulated to have been dismissed with prejudice may later be adjudicated upon the granting of a motion to amend to conform to the evidence. We hold that where the stipulation and order of dismissal with prejudice are not set aside pursuant to Ind. Rules of Procedure, Trial Rules 41(F) and 60(B), the granting of a motion to amend pursuant to Ind. Rules of Procedure, Trial Rule 15(B) reviving those issues already dismissed is error.

It is generally recognized that a dismissal with prejudice is a dismissal on the merits. McCubbens v. O’Banion, (1977) Ind.App., 361 N.E.2d 191; D.A.C. Uranium Co. v. Benton, (D.C.Col.1956) 149 F.Supp. 667. As such it is conclusive of the rights of the parties and res judicata as to the questions which might have been litigated. 50 C.J.S. Judgments § 633 (1947). However, Ind.. Rules of Procedure, Trial Rule 41, unlike the Federal Rule upon which it was patterned, contains section (F) which provides that “[a] dismissal with prejudice may be set aside by the court for the grounds and in accordance with the provisions of Rule 60(B).” Moreover, this court has held [137]*137that a dismissal with prejudice by order of the trial court may be set aside only in accordance with the provisions of TR. 60(B). Hooker v. Terre Haute Gas Corp., (1974) 162 Ind.App. 43, 317 N.E.2d 878; Gemmer v. Diehl, (1980) Ind.App., 411 N.E.2d 1248 (trans. pending). It is also settled that TR. 60(B) applies to orders, as well as judgments. Crown Aluminum Industries v. Wabash Co., (1977) Ind.App., 369 N.E.2d 945.1

In the instant case the trial court expressly denied Gilmore’s motion to dismiss the stipulation and order of dismissal. Nevertheless, the court expressly granted Gilmore’s motion to amend his amended complaint to conform to the evidence pursuant to TR. 15(B) which in effect reinstated the issues of negligence and breach of warranty, the same counts which had been dismissed with prejudice in the pretrial stipulation and order.

We note with approval that Indiana courts have liberally applies TR. 15(B) to permit amendment of pleadings at any point in the proceedings where the parties have consented, as attested by the evidence admitted without objection, to a trial upon issues not raised by the pleadings. See, Ayr-Way Stores, Inc. v. Chitwood, (1973) 261 Ind. 86, 300 N.E.2d 335. Trial Rule 15(B)2 specifically limits its own applicability, however, to “issues not raised by the pleadings.... ” In this case the negligence and breach of warranty issues had been raised by the pleadings and disposed of with prejudice by agreement of all the parties and even the court. The record does not reflect that Midway consented to the trial of the issues it correctly assumed to have been dismissed. To the contrary, the record is replete with Midway’s objections to the admission of evidence relating to issues other than strict liability. When it became clear that Gilmore’s counsel would persist in presenting evidence on theories not in issue, Midway made, and the trial court granted, a motion in limine with regard to evidence of breach of warranty and contributory negligence. The record is equally replete with evidence that Gilmore’s counsel mistakenly assumed all three issues to be synonymous.

This court has held that it is possible to amend one’s pleadings pursuant to TR. 15(B) by implication

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

Related

John A. Hutchinson v. The City of Madison
987 N.E.2d 539 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 2013)
MBNA America Bank, N.A. v. Kay
888 N.E.2d 288 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 2008)
Woodward v. Heritage Const. Co., Inc.
887 N.E.2d 994 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 2008)
Bailey v. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co.
881 N.E.2d 996 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 2008)
E & S MEMS, L.L.C. v. Eagen
795 N.E.2d 508 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 2003)
Huntley v. City of Gary
550 N.E.2d 790 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1990)
Chemco Transport, Inc. v. Conn
506 N.E.2d 1111 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1987)
Bell v. Commonwealth Land Title Ins. Co., Inc.
494 N.E.2d 997 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1986)
Thiele v. Faygo Beverage, Inc.
489 N.E.2d 562 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1986)
Lakeshore Bank & Trust Co. v. United Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Co.
474 N.E.2d 1024 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1985)
Wood v. Zeigler Building Materials, Inc.
436 N.E.2d 1168 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1982)
Marriage of Svetich v. Svetich
425 N.E.2d 191 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1981)
Midway Ford Truck Center, Inc. v. Gilmore
415 N.E.2d 134 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1981)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
415 N.E.2d 134, 1981 Ind. App. LEXIS 1210, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/midway-ford-truck-center-inc-v-gilmore-indctapp-1981.