Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-almd-2_05-cv-00494/USCOURTS-almd-2_05-cv-00494-15/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 350
Nature of Suit: Motor Vehicle Personal Injury
Cause of Action: 23:134 P.I.- Auto Negligence

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IN THE DISTRICT COURT OF THE UNITED STATES FOR THE

MIDDLE DISTRICT OF ALABAMA, NORTHERN DIVISION

HAZEL M. ROBY, )

as administratrix of )

the estate of Ronald )

Tyrone Roby, deceased, )

)

Plaintiff, )

)

v. ) CIVIL ACTION NO. 

) 2:05cv494-MHT

BENTON EXPRESS, INC., ) (WO)

)

Defendant. )

OPINION

This matter came before the court for hearing on May

18, 2006, for consideration and approval of the full and

final settlement of the claims of plaintiff Hazel M.

Roby, as administratrix of the estate of Ronald Tyrone

Roby. This court’s approval is necessary because the

decedent, Ronald Tyrone Roby, left surviving him minor

children, namely D.R., age 14, C.R., age seven, and K.R.,

age five, who will receive a portion of the settlement.

The interests of the minor children are represented by

guardian ad litem Sandra Lewis (for D.R.) and guardian ad

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litem A. Wesley Pitters (for C.R. and K.R.), both of whom

have been appointed by the court. Based on the pleadings

and the representations made in open court, the court

will approve the settlement. 

The background of this case may be summarized as

follows: On or about April 11, 2005, Ronald T. Roby was

killed in a motor vehicle accident in Montgomery,

Alabama, involving a Benton Express tractor-trailer

driven by Craig Stephens. As administratrix of the

estate of Ronald T. Roby, Hazel M. Roby filed the instant

lawsuit against defendant Benton Express, Inc. for

wrongful death, contending that Benton Express was

vicariously liable for the actions of its alleged

employee, Craig Stephens. The plaintiff later amended

her complaint to allege claims directly against Benton

Express, including that Benton Express was negligent in

failing to utilize a tracking system and to utilize

and/or enforce a communications policy. 

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The court has reviewed the pleadings in this case,

heard a detailed oral explanation of the positions of all

parties in open court, and is sufficiently familiar with

the background surrounding this action, including the

nature of the claims of liability and the various

defenses raised by the defendants. The court finds that

there are factual questions surrounding liability and the

appropriate amount of damages, so as to create

substantial issues as to whether the heirs are entitled

to recover for the death of Mr. Roby and, if so, in what

amount.

The court also has considered the impact of Mr.

Roby’s death on the minor children and the facts and

circumstances of the minor children’s current conditions.

At the hearing, Hazel Roby, the mother of D.R., testified

that D.R.’s settlement proceeds will not be used for

D.R.’s education, welfare, or health before she reaches

the age of majority; instead, Mrs. Roby intends to hold

the money in trust on her daughter’s behalf until she is

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older. Kimberly Lee, the mother of C.R. and K.R.,

testified that she would use the proceeds of the

settlement to support the education, welfare, and health

of her daughters until they reach the age of majority, at

which time the money would be theirs. She stated that

she had filed a petition to establish a conservatorship

on her daughters’ behalf in state probate court. The

mothers of the minor children and the court-appointed

guardians ad litem, Sandra Lewis and Wesley Pitters, all

stated that they believed the settlement was in the minor

children’s best interests. The parties also discussed

the various options for holding the proceeds of the minor

children on their behalf until they reach the age of

majority, which is 19 years old in Alabama, and the

relative merits of delaying the time at which the minor

children will have access to the principal of the

settlement proceeds beyond their nineteenth birthdays.

The court is satisfied, based on the representations

of counsel made at the hearing and the affidavit filed by

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D.R., that the terms and provisions of this settlement

are understood and agreed to by all parties. Based on

the record and testimony before this court, as set forth

in this order, the court finds that all the terms and

provisions of the proposed settlement are in the best

interests of the minor children, and are fair, just, and

reasonable under the circumstances involved in this case.

Therefore, the court will approve the proposed settlement

agreement.

An appropriate judgment will be entered. 

DONE, this the 19th day of May, 2006.

_____________________________ /s/ Myron H. Thompson

UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE 

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