Struzynski v. Borden Chemical Division, Borden, Inc.

567 N.E.2d 279, 57 Ohio App. 3d 118
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedJanuary 5, 1989
Docket3946
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 567 N.E.2d 279 (Struzynski v. Borden Chemical Division, Borden, Inc.) 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
Struzynski v. Borden Chemical Division, Borden, Inc., 567 N.E.2d 279, 57 Ohio App. 3d 118 (Ohio Ct. App. 1989).

Opinion

Per Curiam.

In January 1978, Moffatt Enterprises, appellant, entered into a distributor agreement with Borden Chemical Division of Borden, Inc., appellee. Pursuant to the agreement, appellant received a product from appellee called Insulspray, a type of thermal insulating material, and then distributed the product to independent contractors for installation. Under the agreement, inter alia, appellant agreed to indemnify appellee as to any “* * * claims, damages, losses and expenses, including attorneys’ fees, including but not limited to claims made by customers of distributor and customers of distributor’s contractors, resulting from the handling, storage, transporting, mixing, sale, application or use of the product.”

One of the contractors selected by appellant was Cross Thermal Acoustics. Cross Thermal Acoustics installed Insulspray in the home of Ben and Helen Struzynski in East Orwell, Ohio.

On August 11, 1982, the Struzyn-skis filed a complaint against appellee, appellant and Cross Thermal Acoustics alleging personal injury and property damage resulting from exposure to *119 formaldehyde contained in the In-sulspray. Appellee filed a third-party complaint against appellant seeking indemnification from appellant under the distributor agreement for any “judgment” that might be rendered in favor of the Struzynskis against it. Ap-pellee attached a copy of the Struzyn-skis’ complaint and a distributor agreement executed by the parties dated January 18, 1978 to its third-party complaint. Appellant filed an answer to the third-party complaint generally denying the complaint’s averments and setting forth six other defenses.

On December 18, 1985, the Struzynskis reached a settlement agreement with appellee Borden and Cross Thermal. Under the terms of the agreement, the Struzynskis were to receive $10,000 from appellee Borden and $5,000 from Cross Thermal. The settlement agreement relieved ap-pellee Borden, Cross Thermal, and Moffatt of any further liability to the Struzynskis. The only claim left pending was appellee Borden’s claim against appellant as the third-party defendant.

On September 25, 1986, appellee filed a motion for summary judgment in its third-party complaint. It attached a memorandum in support of its motion and an affidavit of Attorney Michael W. Davis to the effect that Eugene U. Moffatt, President of Mof-fatt Enterprises, had signed the distributor agreement between the parties. Davis further stated in his affidavit that a copy of the distributor agreement was attached to his affidavit, but nothing was attached to Davis’s affidavit. In his affidavit, Davis also stated that appellant had never identified any policy of general comprehensive liability insurance which it had purchased pursuant to the distributor agreement to protect appellee from any liability as to customer claims involving Insulspray.

On October 21, 1986, appellant filed a brief in opposition to appellee’s motion for summary judgment. On the same date, appellant filed a motion for summary judgment. A brief was filed in support of the motion. An affidavit of Eugene U. Moffatt was attached to the motion. On December 1, 1986, ap-pellee filed a memorandum in opposition to appellant’s motion for summary judgment and attached four exhibits. On April 28, 1987, appellant filed a supplemental brief in support of its motion for summary judgment and attached a second affidavit of Eugene U. Moffatt. On May 19, 1987, the court granted appellee’s motion to strike the affidavit of Eugene U. Moffatt, which was filed on April 28, 1987.

On May 19, 1987, the trial court granted appellee’s motion for summary judgment as to liability only and denied appellant’s motion for summary judgment as to liability only. The court, on August 12, 1987, entered a judgment for appellee in the amount of $36,787, an amount which the parties stipulated as reflecting the amount of appellee’s settlement plus the reasonable value of appellee’s attorney fees and expenses in connection with defending the original litigation.

Appellant has appealed the judgment of the trial court and has filed the following two assignments of error:

“ 1. The trial court erred in granting summary judgment on count four of Borden’s third-party complaint regarding the alleged failure of Moffatt Enterprises, Inc., to obtain general comprehensive liability insurance as provided in paragraph 9 of the 1978 Distributor Agreement.
“2. The trial court erred in granting summary judgment on count three of Borden’s third-party complaint since the indemnity provision in paragraph 9 of the 1978 Distributor Agreement is void and unforceable [sic] as a matter of law.”

*120 We consider appellant’s two assignments of error as arguments in support of what, in reality, is its sole assignment of error, to wit: The trial court erred in granting appellee’s motion for summary judgment.

The revised assignment of error is well-taken.

Appellant first argues several issues in which, in essence, it claims that the enforceability of the indemnity clause involved here has been determined by prior litigation in the United States District Court, Western District of Pennsylvania.

First, it argues that the effect of their particular litigation was a bar to these proceedings under the doctrine of res judicata and/or collateral estop-pel. Under Ohio law, these items are considered affirmative defenses and are governed by Ohio Civ. R. 8(C), which provides in pertinent part:

“In pleading to a preceding pleading, a party shall set forth affirmatively * * * estoppel * * * [and] res judicata * *

A review of the record here demonstrates that appellant’s pleading contain no assertion of these affirmative defenses. As such, they are deemed to be waived. Cobb v. Aytch (E.D. Pa. 1979), 472 F. Supp. 908.

Secondly, the record here does not contain a properly certified conclu-sionary entry from the litigation in the district federal court. Specifically, the record here contains a copy of a judgment entry signed by the judge. However, there is no evidence of a time stamp or anything on the document to the effect that it has been filed with the clerk for journalization or that it has in any way been certified. Under Ohio Civ. R. 58, “a judgment is effective only when filed with the clerk for jour-nalization.” Cale Products, Inc. v. Orrville Bronze & Alum. Co. (1982), 8 Ohio App. 3d 375, 8 OBR 489, 457 N.E. 2d 854. The Federal Rules of Civil Procedure contain a similar provision.

“* * * Rule 58 provides that when the court directs that a party recover only money or costs the Clerk shall enter judgment forthwith, upon receipt by him of the direction, and also provides that notation of the judgment in the civil docket, provided by Rule 79(a), constitutes the entry of the judgment.” Ram v. Paramount Film Distributing Corp. (C.A.4, 1960), 278 F. 2d 191, 193.

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567 N.E.2d 279, 57 Ohio App. 3d 118, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/struzynski-v-borden-chemical-division-borden-inc-ohioctapp-1989.