Trapp v. Allstate Prop. & Cas. Ins. Co.

255 So. 3d 639
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedSeptember 19, 2018
Docket18-544
StatusPublished

This text of 255 So. 3d 639 (Trapp v. Allstate Prop. & Cas. Ins. Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Trapp v. Allstate Prop. & Cas. Ins. Co., 255 So. 3d 639 (La. Ct. App. 2018).

Opinion

CONERY, Judge.

The Defendants-Relators, Allstate Property and Casualty Insurance Company and John R. Martin seek supervisory writs from the judgment of the Fourteenth Judicial District Court, Parish of Calcasieu, the Honorable G. Michael Canaday presiding, which granted the Plaintiffs-Respondents' motion for summary judgment on the issue of liability. The trial court entered a ruling finding that the defendant, Mr. Martin, was 100% at fault in causing the accident at issue.

We initially denied the writ, incorrectly believing that the Defendants-Relators had an adequate remedy on appeal. However, we granted rehearing based on our determination that the partial summary judgment on liability did not constitute an appealable judgment because it was not certified as a final judgment by the trial court pursuant to La.Code Civ.P. art. 1915 (B).1 The June 21, 2018 judgment before us does not contain the required certification by the trial court as a final judgment. Therefore, we will address the merits of the writ.

STATEMENT OF THE CASE

On March 13, 2017, an automobile accident occurred between the plaintiff, Mr. Trapp, who was driving a 1997 Chevrolet pickup truck, and the defendant Mr. Martin, who was operating a 2014 Ford F150. Mr. Martin was driving northbound on La. Hwy. 384, and Mr. Trapp was entering the highway from the parking lot of the Valero fuel station situated on the east side of the highway. The accident occurred when Mr. Trapp failed to yield and executed a right turn on to La. Hwy. 384. The two vehicles collided some 122 feet north of the Valero station's driveway.

*641At the time of the collision, Mr. Martin claimed his truck was accelerating out of his control. The crash data recording device showed that five seconds prior to impact his vehicle had accelerated from eighty-six to ninety-six miles per hour. Mr. Martin claimed that he attempted to take the vehicle out of gear and turn off the ignition but was unsuccessful. Both drivers were ticketed, Mr. Trapp for failure to yield and Mr. Martin for careless operation.

STANDARD OF REVIEW

A summary judgment is reviewed on appeal de novo . This court is required to use the "same criteria that govern the trial court's determination of whether summary judgment is appropriate; i.e. whether there is any genuine issue of material fact, and whether the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law." Dunn v. City of Kenner , 15-1175, p.10 (La. 1/27/16), 187 So.3d 404, 412.

In the recent supreme court case of Maggio v. Parker , 17-1112, p.4 (La. 6/27/18), 250 So.3d 874, 878, the court reiterated the role of the trial court in determining a summary judgment and stated:

In ruling on a motion for summary judgment, the judge's role is not to evaluate the weight of the evidence or to determine the truth of the matter, but instead to determine whether there is a genuine issue of triable fact. All doubts should be resolved in the non-moving party's favor. Hines v. Garrett , 04-806, (La. 6/25/04), 876 So.2d 764, 765. A fact is material if it potentially ensures or precludes recovery, affects a litigant's ultimate success, or determines the outcome of the legal dispute. A genuine issue is one as to which reasonable persons could disagree; if reasonable persons could reach only one conclusion, there is no need for a trial on that issue and summary judgment is appropriate. Id. at 765-66.

DISCUSSION

Although Mr. Martin cites ten assignments of error in his brief, he urges that at the hearing on the motion for partial summary judgment on the issue of liability he was able to show two issues that provide the existence of genuine issues of material fact regarding comparative fault or third party fault that should have defeated the partial summary judgment.

We agree and find that the trial court erred in granting partial summary judgment on the issue of liability when there are clearly issues of material fact relative to comparative and third party fault as discussed below. Thus, this finding renders a discussion of the remaining assignments of error moot. See Leday v. Lie , 14-75 (La.App. 3 Cir. 10/1/14), 149 So.3d 1253, 1258.

MALFUNCTIONING OF THE FORD F150/THIRD PARTY FAULT

Mr. Martin consistently testified in both his statement after the accident and in his deposition that his truck malfunctioned when his accelerator went wide open and he had no control. Despite being seriously injured, he told the investigating State Trooper, Sal Messina, that his vehicle had malfunctioned. In attempting to miss Mr. Trapp's truck, he went into the ditch and suffered a broken sternum, thumb and finger bone.

Mr. Martin stated he attempted to take the truck out of gear and turn off the key to no avail. When questioned by Trooper Messina if he thought he pushed the accelerator instead of the brake, Mr. Martin told him it could have happened, but he remembered the gas petal was "stuck or something." Mr. Martin further stated he *642was told that the keys to his truck were on the floorboard of the vehicle.

No one in this case has questioned Mr. Martin's veracity, although the plaintiff-respondents have argued that due to his advanced age he is confused or senile. However, the deposition of Trooper Messina belies this assertion, as he testified that if Mr. Martin had been incoherent or mentally confused at the time of the accident, he would have included this fact in his report of the accident.

Although, plaintiff-respondents argue that co-defendant Allstate's expert "was unable to reproduce the cause of the malfunction," this does not negate the consistent testimony of Mr. Martin that his vehicle suffered a malfunction at the time of the accident. Contested issues of fact and credibility decisions can only be made at a trial on the merits. As we said in Bowdoin v. WHC Maint. Services, Inc. , 17-150, pp.4-5 (La.App. 3 Cir. 10/25/17), 230 So.3d 232, 236

When considering a motion for summary judgment, the court cannot "consider the merits, make credibility determinations, evaluate testimony[,] or weigh evidence." Prop. Ins. Ass'n of La. v. Theriot , 09-1152, p.3 (La. 3/16/10), 31 So.3d 1012, 1014 (quoting Suire v.

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255 So. 3d 639, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/trapp-v-allstate-prop-cas-ins-co-lactapp-2018.