Milam v. Vorek (In Re Vorek)

95 B.R. 599, 1989 Bankr. LEXIS 903, 18 Bankr. Ct. Dec. (CRR) 1075, 1989 WL 4039
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, S.D. Indiana
DecidedJanuary 13, 1989
Docket71-RLM-13
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 95 B.R. 599 (Milam v. Vorek (In Re Vorek)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, S.D. Indiana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Milam v. Vorek (In Re Vorek), 95 B.R. 599, 1989 Bankr. LEXIS 903, 18 Bankr. Ct. Dec. (CRR) 1075, 1989 WL 4039 (Ind. 1989).

Opinion

FINDINGS OF FACT, CONCLUSIONS OF LAW AND ORDER

MICHAEL H. KEARNS, Bankruptcy Judge.

This adversary was filed on November 30, 1987, in which creditor/plaintiff seeks relief for an order declaring that a state court judgment obtained by the plaintiff against the defendant/debtor on November 6, 1987 in the sum of Four Hundred Seventy-five Thousand Dollars ($475,000.00) in the Vermillion Circuit Court, State of Indiana, pursuant to a jury verdict, be declared to be nondischargeable. Defendant/debtor filed his Answer thereto on December 23, 1987. A pre-trial conference was held on February 16, 1988. At pre-trial the parties jointly moved and were granted opportunity to file briefs in support of their respective legal positions and further to give oral arguments in support thereof.

Briefs were filed and oral arguments were given on May 31, 1988. Thereafter on July 13, 1988 creditor/plaintiff moved for leave to amend Complaint to which debtor/defendant objected and replied on July 28, 1988.

The Court on July 29,1988 granted plaintiffs Motion to Amend Complaint allowing the addition to the Complaint of an allegation of non-dischargeability under 11 U.S.C. A. § 523(a)(6). An Answer thereto was filed by defendant on August 9, 1988, and the issues were then joined.

On August 9, 1988, the Complaint for Nondischargeability was set for trial on September 9, 1988 at the Terre Haute Division.

At the trial before this Court, Gregory S. Carter appeared on behalf of creditor/plaintiff, and Jeff M. Thomas appeared on behalf of the debtor/defendant. The party litigants did not personally appear before the Court.

By agreements of the parties and pursuant to stipulation of counsel, formal presentation of evidence was waived and counsel submitted the matter to the Court for ruling as a matter of law. Counsel further agreed that the Court be furnished and consider the following in making its decision, to-wit:

1. A certified partial transcript of a jury trial in the Vermillion Circuit Court, County of Vermillion, State of Indiana; said trial designated as James Milam, plaintiff, v. Edward Vorek and City of Clinton, defendants, Cause Number 8509 CIV-0084. (The partial transcript was unnumbered, and this Court numbered the same from pages 1 to 186, inclusive).
2. Defendant’s Exhibits No. 2 through 9, the same being polaroid photographs of defendant’s truck (#2 and # 3), plaintiff’s wheelchair (# 4, 5, & 6), and the street intersection at which the act complained of occurred (#7, 8, and 9).
3. Deposition of defendant, Edward Vorek, taken on behalf of plaintiff on the 22nd day of January, 1987.
4. Deposition of John R. Mayer, M.D. taken on behalf of the defendant on August 31, 1987.
5. Plaintiff’s deposition, Exhibit # 1, the same being a letter under date of March 19, 1987 from John R. Mayer, M.D. to Gregory S. Carter, attorney.
6. Deposition of Alan Michael Sadove, M.D. taken on behalf of the plaintiff on September 14, 1987.

The Court has carefully considered the arguments of counsel and has read and examined their briefs and other legal mem-oranda; this Court has further perused the documentary evidence submitted and carefully and fully considered the same.

Having accomplished the foregoing, the Court does now make the following Findings of Fact, Conclusions of Law and Order. The Findings of Fact may be considered as Conclusions of law, and the Conclusions of Law may be construed as Findings of Fact, if necessary to the proper construction of the Order.

*601 FINDINGS OF FACT

1. On July 7, 1984, at approximately 7:00 p.m. E.S.T. the defendant was operating a motor vehicle, to-wit: a 1980 Ford Bronco four-wheel drive, V-8 engine, equipped with “big” tires for rough terrain driving, (p. 33, 1. 154, Vorek’s deposition). He was the lone occupant in the vehicle. At this time he approached the intersection of Main and Mulberry Streets in the City of Clinton, County of Vermillion, State of Indiana heading west. At this intersection the defendant’s truck in proceeding through the intersection struck the plaintiff.

2. The plaintiff, an adult male, was at this time a paraplegic, paralyzed from the waist down, as a result of a gun shot wound suffered in 1979 and was confined to a wheelchair. The plaintiff was proceeding through the same intersection described in rhetorical paragraph one (1),. and was knocked to the pavement in the crosswalk out of the wheelchair, which itself was overturned.

3. The defendant, a married adult male, completed a tenth (10th) grade education and is employed as a supply truck driver with an area coal company. He resides in Clinton, Indiana with his wife and her twenty (20) year old son. By his own admission, he has had one (1) arrest which he “thought” the charge was reckless driving in a (1) one car accident several years prior, (p. 11, 1. 41, Vorek’s deposition). He had, in addition to his employment served in the Auxiliary Clinton Police Department from 1977 and was its director for two and one-half (2V2) years until his resignation in 1982.

4. On the day of the act complained of, the defendant testified that he had dinner at approximately 11:30 a.m. or 12:00 noon during which time he consumed two (2) beers. Thereafter, at about 1:00 p.m., he went boating with a male friend and the latter’s two (2) young sons. He stated, and it was not disputed, that he consumed no other alcoholic beverages, that he took no drugs other than one (1) medication, that being tagamet, a prescription drug for a stomach or digestive disorder which he had taken for some length of time.

5. Defendant testified further that immediately before the occurrence, he had dropped his daughter-in-law and her friend off at the skating rink and was intending to return home. He testified that it was a clear evening, no precipitation, and as he approached the intersection of Mulberry and Main Streets, the light was red for his direction (west), and he came to a complete stop. He did state the traffic light hung in the center from wires and the sun was “just kind of deep down in my eyes, you know, right behind the stop light.” (p. 14-15, 1. 66, Vorek’s deposition). He further stated he was wearing sun glasses.

6. Defendant testified that he had his windows shut and the air conditioner on at the time of the occurrence.

7. The vehicle defendant was driving has heretofore been described, but as it was the subject of inquiry at trial and in deposition, it is found that the vehicle was not wider or, if any, only slightly, than a normal pickup truck, it had big tires, and the defendant sat about five (5) feet from ground level in said vehicle (p. 33, 1. 149, Vorek’s deposition).

8. When the traffic light had changed from red to green, the defendant removed his foot from the brake, and the truck “started easing forward” through the intersection. (p. 16 & 17, 1. 75, Vorek’s deposition).

9. Defendant further testified there was no vehicle behind him at such time.

10.

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Bluebook (online)
95 B.R. 599, 1989 Bankr. LEXIS 903, 18 Bankr. Ct. Dec. (CRR) 1075, 1989 WL 4039, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/milam-v-vorek-in-re-vorek-insb-1989.