Case Title: State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co. v. Dann

Citation: 

Docket Number: 538, 2000

State: delaware

Court: Delaware Supreme Court

Date: 2001-03-26T00:00:00Z

Document:
IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE
STATE FARM MUTUAL
AUTOMOBILE INSURANCE
COMPANY, as subrogee of Vicki K.
Sheraton,
Plaintiff Below-
Appellant,
v.
HEATHER L. DANN,
Defendant Below-
Appellee.
§
§
§  No. 538, 2000
§
§
§
§  Certification of Questions of  
§  Law from the Superior Court
§  of the State of Delaware,
§  in and for New Castle County
§  C.A. No. 00A-09-004
§
§
§
Submitted: January 3, 2001
  Decided:   March 26, 2001
Before VEASEY, Chief Justice, WALSH, HOLLAND, BERGER and STEELE,
Justices, constituting the Court en Banc.
Upon Certification from Superior Court.  REFUSED. 
Louis J. Rizzo, Jr., Esquire, of Reger & Rizzo, Wilmington, Delaware,
Attorney for Appellee.
Thomas P. Leff, Esquire, of Casarino, Christman & Shalk, Wilmington,
Delaware, Attorney for Appellant.
Per Curiam:
This case raises the question of the tension between possible judicial economy
and the orderly processes of trial and appellate courts.  The Supreme Court sits as
an appellate court to review final judgments of trial courts.  There are mechanisms
for this Court to hear and determine questions certified to us by Delaware trial courts
where those courts have not made a determination in the first instance.  But these
situations should be rare.
Supreme Court Rule 41(b) provides, in part, that certification will be accepted
by this Court only if there are “important and urgent reasons for an immediate
determination by this Court of the questions certified.”
The Superior Court of the State of Delaware certified two questions of law to
this Court in accordance with the Delaware Constitution, article IV, § 11(9), and
Supreme Court Rule 41.  By order dated November 14, 2000, the following
questions have been certified:
(1)
May an insurer that has paid benefits to an insured, under
21 Del. C. § 2118(a), recover directly from an individual tortfeasor in
subrogation, pursuant to 21 Del. C. § 2118(g)?
(2)
May an out-of-state insurance carrier be subject to the
jurisdiction of the courts of the State of Delaware for purposes of
subrogation pursuant to 21 Del. C. § 2118(g) when the out-of-state
carrier’s insured commits a tort within the State?
The Supreme Court has deferred action on this certification pending an
expected certification of a similar question from the United States District Court for
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the District of Delaware.  Waters and State Farm v. United States of America, Del.
Supr., No. 69, 2001.  That certification has now been submitted by the District
Court and has been accepted by this Court as a matter of comity.  This Court's
answer to the question certified by the District Court may resolve, at least in part,
one of the questions certified by the Superior Court in the instant case. 
It is preferable as a matter of the orderly administration of justice for the trial
courts of this State to decide in the first instance all questions of law, including new
and challenging legal questions, so that this Court will have the benefit of the
reasoning and analysis of the trial court.  There may be compelling instances where
there are important and urgent reasons requiring an exception to this principle when
exigencies of time or a strong showing of judicial economy so dictate.  In such
instances this Court may exercise its discretion to accept a certified question from
a Delaware trial court.  This, however, is not one of those rare cases.
The Court has considered the questions certified and the particular
circumstances of this case.  We have determined that important and urgent reasons
do not exist to justify deviating from the ordinary appellate process available to the
parties in this case.  It is preferable in this case for this Court to have the benefit of
the reasoning and analysis of the trial court before we are called upon to decide  the
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issues presented.  Consequently, acceptance of the certification of the questions of
law is not appropriate in this case pursuant to Supreme Court Rule 41.
We,  therefore,  decline  to  accept  the  certified questions.  Accordingly, the
questions of law certified by the Superior Court of the State of Delaware are hereby
REFUSED.