Wilson v. Molda

918 N.E.2d 1165, 396 Ill. App. 3d 100, 335 Ill. Dec. 352, 2009 Ill. App. LEXIS 1121
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedNovember 13, 2009
Docket1-09-0386
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 918 N.E.2d 1165 (Wilson v. Molda) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Court of Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Wilson v. Molda, 918 N.E.2d 1165, 396 Ill. App. 3d 100, 335 Ill. Dec. 352, 2009 Ill. App. LEXIS 1121 (Ill. Ct. App. 2009).

Opinion

JUSTICE ROBERT E. GORDON

delivered the opinion of the court:

The sole issue on this appeal is whether subsection (b) of section 2 — 616 of the Code of Civil Procedure applied to the facts of this case. 735 ILCS 5/2 — 616(b) (West 2006). Subsection (b) is a relation-back statute that permits the addition of certain claims, even after the statute of limitations has expired, if the claims relate back to a timely filed claim. 735 ILCS 5/2 — 616(b) (West 2006). If subsection (b) applied, then plaintiff Nola Wilson would have been able to pursue her suit against defendant Metrolift, Inc., for injuries that she sustained when a vehicle driven by defendant Michael E. Molda, a Metrolift employee, collided with her vehicle. Plaintiff sought to add defendant Metrolift to her suit after the two-year statute of limitations had expired. The trial court found that plaintiffs claim against defendant Metrolift was time-barred and granted defendant Metrolift’s motion to dismiss.

For the reasons stated below, we find that subsection (b) does not apply to the facts at bar and that plaintiffs cause of action against defendant Metrolift is therefore time-barred. Accordingly, we affirm.

BACKGROUND

Plaintiff Nola Wilson and defendant Michael E. Molda were the drivers of two vehicles that collided on August 17, 2005. On August 13, 2007, just a few days before the two-year statute of limitations was about to expire, plaintiff filed suit against defendant Molda for injuries sustained during the collision.

Months after the statute of limitations had expired, plaintiff learned that the defendant driver had been in the employ of defendant Metrolift, Inc. (Metrolift), when the accident occurred. On February 14, 2008, defendant Molda stated, in response to interrogatories by plaintiff, that he had been employed by defendant Metrolift at the time of the accident. The relevant interrogatories were Nos. 14 and 15, and they stated in full:

“14. Were you employed at the date of the occurrence? If so, state the name and address of your employer, and the date of employment and termination, if applicable. If your answer is in the affirmative, state the position, title and nature of your occupational responsibilities with respect to your employment.
ANSWER: YES. METROLIFT INC., [address and telephone number]. EMPLOYED 8/14/04 TO 8/6/07. OUTSIDE SALES REPRESENTATIVE/TERRITORY MANAGER. VISITATION OF CONSTRUCTION SITES AND OFFICES.
15. What was the purpose and/or use for which the vehicle was being operated at the time of the occurrence?
ANSWER: CALLING ON CUSTOMER OFFICES AND VISITING CONSTRUCTION SITES TO SEEK NEW BUSINESS FOR AERIAL LIFT EQUIPMENT RENTALS.”

In his interrogatory response, defendant Molda also stated that the vehicle was not owned by either Metrolift or himself, but by Margo T. Clemens, and that the vehicle “was sent to salvage” after the accident. In her appellate brief, plaintiff asserts that Clemens is Molda’s mother.

On March 10, 2008, plaintiff filed a motion for leave to amend her complaint, which was granted on March 21, 2008. Plaintiffs motion stated in relevant part:

“4. On information and belief, at the time of the occurrence Defendant MOLDA’s vehicle was covered by an umbrella commercial insurance policy through his employer Metrolift, Inc., as Defendant, MOLDA, was in the course of his employment as an outside sales representative/territory manager.
5. Plaintiff, WILSON, recently received Defendant MOLDA’s Answers to Interrogatories and first became aware and/or placed on notice by Defendant’s Answer to Interrogatories, specifically, Questions Number 14 and 15 [quoted above] in which he answered in the affirmative that he was specifically in the course of his employment at the time of the accident.”

On April 23, 2008, plaintiff filed an amended complaint that added Metrolift as a defendant, and added count II, which alleged that defendant Metrolift was liable for defendant Molda’s negligence under the theory of respondeat superior. On May 13, 2008, in his answer to plaintiffs amended complaint, defendant Molda denied any negligence, but “admit[ted] that on the date and approximate time stated [for the accident], defendant was acting within the course of his employment for Metrolift.”

On May 29, 2008, defendant Metrolift filed a motion to strike count II. This motion said nothing about the statute of limitations. It sought to strike count II only on the grounds that the allegations were not verified and that they made irrelevant claims about insurance coverage. 735 ILCS 5/2 — 605(a), 2 — 615(a) (West 2006). In the case at bar, the original complaint was verified, and the amended complaint was not. Section 2 — 605(a) requires that if any pleading is verified, “every subsequent pleading must also be verified, unless verification is excused by the court.” 735 ILCS 5/2 — 605(a) (West 2006).

A scheduling order dated June 13, 2008, referred to two motions by defendant Metrolift: (1) the motion, described above, to strike the paragraphs that were unverified and referred to insurance; and (2) a motion to dismiss pursuant to section 2 — 619 of the Code of Civil Procedure. 735 ILCS 5/2 — 619 (West 2006). The appellate record does not contain a section 2 — 619 dismissal motion filed prior to June 13. The first section 2 — 619 dismissal motion in the appellate record is dated July 18 and is described below.

On June 23, 2008, plaintiff moved to vacate the scheduling order, previously set by the trial court on June 13, in order to allow her time to take the depositions of both defendant Molda and a representative of defendant Metrolift. The trial court granted this motion on July 10, 2008.

On July 18, 2008, defendant Metrolift filed an “amended motion to dismiss” which asserted the statute of limitations as a bar. This amended motion sought dismissal pursuant to section 2 — 619(a)(5) of the Code of Civil Procedure, which permits dismissal if “the action was not commenced within the time limited by law.” 735 ILCS 5/2— 619(a)(5) (West 2006).

On December 3, 2008, after the relevant discovery was taken, plaintiff filed its memorandum of law in opposition to defendant’s amended motion. In its memorandum, plaintiff argued, first, that since defendants Metrolift and Molda were jointly and severally liable under the theory of respondeat superior, the timely filing against defendant Molda preserved plaintiff’s claim against defendant Metrolift. In other words, plaintiff argued that her timely filing against one defendant satisfied the statute of limitations with respect to the other defendant.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
918 N.E.2d 1165, 396 Ill. App. 3d 100, 335 Ill. Dec. 352, 2009 Ill. App. LEXIS 1121, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wilson-v-molda-illappct-2009.