Motorist Mutual Insurance v. Cook

285 N.E.2d 389, 31 Ohio App. 2d 1, 60 Ohio Op. 2d 25, 1971 Ohio App. LEXIS 439
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedAugust 23, 1971
Docket11602
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 285 N.E.2d 389 (Motorist Mutual Insurance v. Cook) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Motorist Mutual Insurance v. Cook, 285 N.E.2d 389, 31 Ohio App. 2d 1, 60 Ohio Op. 2d 25, 1971 Ohio App. LEXIS 439 (Ohio Ct. App. 1971).

Opinion

Hess, P. J.

This is an appeal from the Hamilton County Municipal Court.

The record discloses tual Insurance Company, filed its petition in subrogation *2 against Pinkie Mae Cook on September 10, 1969, in which it alleged that on February 14, 1968, Joseph Jacobs was walking north across Clark Street, Hamilton County, Ohio, in a crosswalk at the intersection of Clark and Linn Streets, and that before plaintiff’s insured reached the north side of Clark Street the defendant, Pinkie Mae Cook, who was driving a Chevrolet automobile in a southerly direction on Linn Street, negligently made a left-hand turn from Linn Street into Clark Street and struck the plaintiff’s insured with great force, throwing him several feet, and causing him injuries as follows: intra-stricular hemorrhage and cartilaginous injury to the left knee.

Plaintiff further alleged that it is an insurance company authorized to write policies of collision insurance in the state of Ohio and that it had in effect a policy of insurance with an “uninsured motorist” clause, whereby it agreed to compensate the aforementioned insured of plaintiff for a loss sustained as a result of personal injury due to a collision with an uninsured motorist.

The plaintiff further alleged that, as a direct and proximate result of the said negligence and collision, it paid to Joseph Jacobs $1,560.08, and.secured from him a trust agreement whereby it received an assignment to any and all rights of the said Joseph Jacobs to the extent of the .amount so paid.

After a default judgment in favor of the defendant had been set aside, the defendant, Cook, filed an answer alleging negligence on behalf of plaintiff’s insured and denied any negligence on her behalf.

On February 10, 1971, the case came on for a jury trial. The record discloses that just prior to the calling of a jury, defense counsel asked counsel for plaintiff to furnish bim with copies of all documents he intended to introduce in support of the petition filed by Motorist Mutual Insurance Company, generally hereinafter referred to as Insurance Company. Counsel for plaintiff presented a document entitled “Receipt and Release of Trust Agreement.” This document leads as follows:

“Received of the Motorist Mutual Insurance Company the sum of fifteen hundred sixty 08/100 ($1560.08) *3 dollars, being in full settlement of all claims and demands for loss and damage arising from an accident occurring near Cincinnati, Ohio on or about tbe 14th day of February, 3968, under a contract of. insurance designated as Protection Against Uninsured Motorist, Policy No. 1,751C108-05, issued by the said Company.
“In consideration of the payment of said sum, the undersigned hereby releases the Motorist Mutual Insurance Company from any and all further liability under said Protection Against Uninsured Motorist coverage arising out of the said accident. And, further in consideration of such payment;' the undersigned agrees to take, through any representative designated by the said Company, such action as may be necessary or appropriate to recover the damages suffered by the undersigned from any person or organization who may be legally liable therefor, and to hold any money recovered from such person or organization in trust for the benefit of the Motorist Mutual Insurance Company to be paid to the Company immediately upon recovery thereof; provided, however, that any sum recovered in excess of the amount paid to the undersigned under this agreement, shall be retained by the undersigned.
“The undersigned covenants that he/they have not released or discharged any claims or demands arising out of the' above accident and that he/they will assist and cooperate with thé representative designated by the Company to recover damages suffered by the undersigned. (Signed) Joseph G. Jacobs.”

When plaintiff’s counsel presented the “Receipt and Release of Trust Agreement,” herein referred to as Exhibit No. 1, to counsel for defendant he stated to the court that was all he needed to introduce to show the defendant owed Insurance Company. The defendant questioned this conclusion. Thereupon, counsel for plaintiff requested and was granted a conference in the judge’s chambers. After or during the conference the court advised counsel for' plaintiff that Exhibit No. 1 would not be permitted in evidence, “because it did not give Motorist Mutual any rights against the defendant. ”

*4 The bill of exceptions records the following.

“Plaintiff’s counsel presented an oral motion in the interest of justice to allow Joseph Jacobs to be substituted as party plaintiff and delete the Insurance Company. The court granted this motion and recorded the following entry:
“Upon oral motion made, by plaintiff, Joseph Jacobs is hereby substituted as a party plaintiff in the place of Insurance Company, and paragraphs two and three of the complaint are hereby deleted from the complaint. The within cause is hereby to be prosecuted from this point forward in the name of Joseph Jacobs as plaintiff solely. To all of which defendant excepts.”

This entry left the complaint or petition to read as follows :

“Comes now the plaintiff herein, and for its cause of action states that on the 14th day of February, 1968, at approximately 8:20 a. m. Joseph Jacobs was walking north across Clark Street, Hamilton County, Ohio, in a crosswalk, at the intersection of Clark and Linn, and that before plaintiff reached the north side of Clark Street, defendant, Pinkie Mae Cook, who was driving a 1965 Chevrolet automobile in a southerly direction on Linn Street, negligently made a left-hand turn from Linn Street into Clark Street and struck plaintiff with great force, throwing bim several feet, and causing him injuries as follows: intra-stricular hemorrhage and cartilaginous injury to the left knee. Wherefore, plaintiff, Joseph Jacobs, prays for judgment in the amount of $1,560.08, together with costs herein. ’ ’

The transcript discloses that an answer was filed by defendant to the petition of the Insurance Company filed on November 25, 1969. In its answer, defendant presented a general denial and an affirmative allegation alleging that any injuries sustained by plaintiff’s insured, Joseph Jacobs were directly and proximately caused by the negligence of the plaintiff’s insured. On December 13, 1969, plaintiff filed a reply to that answer of defendant in which it presented a general denial to the affirmative allegations contained in the defendant’s answer. The transcript fails to show an answer to the petition after the substitution of *5 Joseph Jacobs for the plaintiff, Insurance Company, and the deletions referred to had been made.

Finally, on February 10, 1971, counsel for defendant advised the court he “would voir dire the jury on the relationship, their relationship with the Insurance Company on related questions. ’ ’ Following another meeting in chambers with the court, counsel for defendant was instructed by the court that he was forbidden to question the jury concerning the Insurance Company, and counsel advised the court he would proffer his request in the record.

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Bluebook (online)
285 N.E.2d 389, 31 Ohio App. 2d 1, 60 Ohio Op. 2d 25, 1971 Ohio App. LEXIS 439, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/motorist-mutual-insurance-v-cook-ohioctapp-1971.