Murdock v. Castigliola

CourtSuperior Court of Maine
DecidedApril 15, 2015
DocketCUMcv-13-534
StatusUnpublished

This text of Murdock v. Castigliola (Murdock v. Castigliola) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Superior Court of Maine primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Murdock v. Castigliola, (Me. Super. Ct. 2015).

Opinion

STATE OF MAINE SUPERIOR COURT CUMBERLAND, ss CIVIL ACTION Docket No.: CV-13-534 STATE OF~ Cumbeltand. •. ) ARTHUR MURDOCK, ) APR 16 2015 ) Plaintiff, ) RECEIVED ) ORDER GRANTING v. ) CERTIFICATION OF THE COURT'S ) ORDER DATED JANUARY 22,2015 ANGELO CASTIGLIOLA, III et al, ) AS A FINAL JUDGEMENT ) UNDER M.R. CIV.P.54 (B)(l) Defendants ) )

Plaintiff Arthur Murdock has moved for an order certifying the court's January 22, 2015

Order as a final judgment pursuant to Rule 54(b )(1) of the Maine Rules of Civil Procedure. For

the following reasons, the Court grants Murdock's motion.

This case stems from a motor vehicle collision in which Murdock's vehicle was struck by

a vehicle driven by defendant Angelo Castigliola. In its January 22 Order the court dismissed

Murdock's uninsured motorist claim against Murdock's employer, the Maine Department of

Public Safety, on the grounds that, as a matter of law, the State is exempt from the requirements

of Maine's uninsured motorist statute. The court also dismissed Murdock's claim against

defendant Martin Thorne in light of Murdock's testimony that he knew he could not and did not

rely on Thorne's signaling to assume that he had a safe passage across the next lane of traffic.

Under Rule 54(b )(1 ), the Court "may direct the entry of a final judgment as to one or

more but fewer than all of the claims or parties only upon an express determination that there is

no just reason for delay." In deciding whether to certify a partial judgment, the Court considers

several factors, including: (1) the relationship between the adjudicated and the unadjudicated claims; (2) the possibility that the need for review may be mooted by future developments; (3)

the likelihood that the appellate court will face the same issues more than once; (4) the extent to

which an immediate appeal might expedite or delay the trial court proceedings; (5) the nature of

the legal questions presented as clear or difficult; (6) the economic effect of the appeal and any

associated delay on all parties; (7) other factors such as solvency considerations and res judicata

or collateral estoppel effects. Marquis v Town of Kennebunk, 2011 ME 128 ~13, 36 A.3d 861.

Most of those factors support Rule 54 (b) certification in this case.

First, none of the rulings made by the court in its January 22 order will be mooted by

proceeding with the trial of the only remaining claims - Murdock's claims against Castigliola

and Patrons Oxford Insurance Co. 1 If an appeal from the dismissal of the claims against Thome

and the Department of Public Safety is taken now, the court sees no possibility that the same

issues would be presented to the Law Court a second time. The Law Court has not ruled on the

issue of whether and under what circumstances a driver who signals that another driver can make

a left turn can be found negligent if there is a subsequent collision with a third vehicle. 2

Allowing an appeal will delay adjudication of the claim against Castigliola but Murdock,

who is seeking to appeal, is willing to accept that delay. Counsel for Castigliola did not object to

Murdock's Rule 54(b) motion. In addition, if the claims against Castigliola proceeded to trial and

the Law Court subsequently reversed the dismissal of Murdock's claim against Thome, there

1 Counsel for Patrons Oxford has advised the court that Patrons Oxford is prepared to stipulate to be bound by the result against Castigliola. 2 The parties agree that a signaling driver owes a duty to yield the right of way. The issue is whether the signaling driver also owes a duty to assure that it is generally safe to proceed and that there is no danger from any other drivers. Although the court did not reach that issue, it would have to be resolved if the Law Court does not uphold this court's reasoning for dismissing the claim against Thome based on proximate cause. would be a distinct possibility that the same evidence would be offered at the trial against

Castigliola and the trial against Thorne.

Practical considerations also strongly favor an appeal. Counsel has advised the Court that

the worker's compensation lien in this case is sufficiently large - compared to the limited

insurance coverage available on the claims against Castigliola and Patrons Oxford - that it would

not make economic sense to proceed on the claims against Castigliola and Patrons Oxford alone.

The dismissal of the claims against Thorne and the Department of Public Safety therefore should

be addressed by the Law Court before the parties proceed to trial to trial on the remaining claims.

The entry shall be:

The Court finds that there is no just reason for delay and directs that final judgment be entered on the January 22, 2015 order dismissing counts I and II ofthe complaint for the purpose of allowing immediate appeal.

The clerk is instructed to incorporate this order by reference.

Date: April /), 2015

Thomas D. Warren Justice, Superior Court vLcnn, v r vvun 1 ..:> Cumberland County 205 Newbury Street, Ground Floor Portland, ME 041 01

JAMES BOWIE ESQ THOMPSON & BOWIE { ou o \ S~ ~ r 't£_~ 0 ~ CL"'' T PO BOX 4630 PORTLAND ME _ "::'\ !Ct..-\("'"o'"'":: 0:><-~r-d . ~"'Su'c..~ce.. Co, 04112 4630

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CHRISTOPHER DINAN ESQ MONAGHAN LEAHY LLP Cou () se \ ~' ~'Ye r'ld G.f\ \- PO BOX 7046 PORTLAND ME 04112-7046 A\'"\~Q_\o Co-s~~~\: o '~

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PHILIP MANCINI ESQ DRUMMOND & DRUMMOND LLP Cov ~ se. ' ~ ~ \o.. :'""\ ,· ~ ONE MONUMENT WAY PORTLAND ME 04101 CLERK OF COURTS Cumberland County 205 Newbury Street, Ground Floor Portland, ME 041 01

THOMAS K""10HLTON AAG c ou-t'\S

CLERK OF COURTS Cumberland County 205 Newbury Street, Ground Floor Portland, ME04101

ELIZABETH GERMANI ESQ GERMANI MARTEMUCCI & HILL (C::lv"se\ ~f" ~r0(>A> 43 DEERING STREET ~~~~~ -rho~~~ PORTLAND ME 04101 ENTERED FEB 2 0 2015 ~-

STATE OF MAINE SUPERIOR COURT CUMBERLAND, ss CIVIL ACTION DOCKET NO. CV -13-534 11J\V- CM-f11- '0~-13-M715 ARTHUR MURDOCK,

Plaintiff

V. ORDER

STATE OF MAiNE ANGELO CASTIGLIOLA III, Ct~. st, eta«sOib et al fEB 13 20U5 Defendants rRECE~VfED Before the court is a motion for summary judgment filed by defendant Angelo

Castigliola. The court has previously ruled on motions for summary judgment filed by

defendants Martin Thorne and Maine Department of Public Safety in a January 22, 2015 order.

Summary Judgment

As noted in the January 22, 2015 order, summary judgment should be granted ifthere is

no genuine dispute as to any material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of

law. In considering a motion for summary judgment, the court is required to consider only the

portions of the record referred to and the material facts set forth in the parties' Rule 56(h)

statements. y., Johnson v. McNeil, 2002 ME 99 ~ 8, 800 A.2d 702. The facts must be

considered in the light most favorable to the non-moving party. Id. Thus, for purposes of

summary judgment, any factual disputes must be resolved against the movant. Nevertheless,

when the facts offered by a party in opposition to summary judgment would not, if offered at trial, be sufficient to withstand a motion for judgment as a matter of law, summary judgment

should be granted.

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Related

Johnson v. McNeil
2002 ME 99 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 2002)
Crowe v. Shaw
2000 ME 136 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 2000)
Rodrigue v. Rodrigue
1997 ME 99 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 1997)
Gilmer v. Ellington
70 Cal. Rptr. 3d 893 (California Court of Appeal, 2008)
Blaisdell v. Reid
352 A.2d 756 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 1976)
Marquis v. Town of Kennebunk
2011 ME 128 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 2011)
Williams v. O'Brien
669 A.2d 810 (Supreme Court of New Hampshire, 1995)

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Murdock v. Castigliola, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/murdock-v-castigliola-mesuperct-2015.