Opinion ID: 2410328
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: the preliminary insurance question

Text: The first issue is whether the trial court erred in refusing to allow plaintiffs' counsel to ask the preliminary insurance question. This Court has held that the constitutional right to a trial by jury includes the right to a fair and impartial jury. Moore v. Middlewest Freightways, 266 S.W.2d 578, 586 (Mo.1954). Parties have the right to know if any of the panel members or their families have a potential interest in the outcome of the lawsuit. Bunch v. Crader, 369 S.W.2d 768, 770 (Mo.App.1963). The rule is settled in this state that a plaintiff is entitled to qualify the jurors as to their relations, if any, with insurance companies interested in the result of the trial. Smith v. Star Cab Co., 323 Mo. 441, 19 S.W.2d 467, 469 (1929). The trial court has no discretion to deny a party the right to ask the preliminary insurance question if the proper foundation is laid. Pollock v. Searcy, 816 S.W.2d 276, 278 (Mo.App.1991); Carothers v. Montgomery Ward and Co., 745 S.W.2d 170, 172 (Mo.App. 1987); Swift v. Bagby, 559 S.W.2d 635, 637 (Mo.App.1977). A proper foundation requires that a party inquire as to the name of any interested insurance company on the record prior to voir dire. Yust v. Link, 569 S.W.2d 236, 239 (Mo.App.1978). This establishes good faith on the part of the attorney seeking to ask the insurance question. Contrary to the defendants' assertion, plaintiffs need not demonstrate that a panel member or the panel member's family has a potential interest in the insurance company in order to have a good faith basis for asking the preliminary insurance question. Smith v. Archbishop of St. Louis, 632 S.W.2d 516, 523 (Mo.App. 1982). Thus, plaintiffs' counsel laid the proper foundation when he requested prior to voir dire and on the record that he be permitted to ask the insurance question because of Medical Defense Associates' interest in the case. This established a good faith basis for asking the insurance question. Once the proper foundation has been laid, the plaintiff has the right to ask the preliminary insurance question. Aiken v. Clary, 396 S.W.2d 668, 677 (Mo.1965), does recognize the possibility that sufficient proof could be offered to satisfy the trial court that there [is] no possibility that a member of the panel or his family could be a stockholder, officer, director or agent of the insurance company, that questions relating thereto could serve no useful purpose and that such questions could not be asked in good faith. Id. But proof by affidavit, which deprives plaintiff of the opportunity for cross-examination, was held to be insufficient proof. Id. Similarly, defense counsel's oral representation in this case that no member of the panel had an interest in Medical Defense Associates was insufficient. Specifically, counsel asserted to the court prior to voir dire that (1) Medical Defense Associates is a company owned solely by physicians, and there were no physicians on the jury panel; and (2) it is located in Springfield and has only one employee in St. Louis, who was not on the panel. Not only was the source of proof inadequate to overcome the plaintiffs' right to ask the insurance question, but it also failed to adequately show that there was no possibility that any member of the panel or his family could have an interest in Medical Defense Associates. Id. The accepted procedure in Missouri for asking the preliminary insurance question includes 1) first getting the judge's approval of the proposed question out of the hearing of the jury panel, 2) asking only one insurance question, and 3) not asking it first or last in a series of questions so as to avoid unduly highlighting the question to the jury panel. Callahan v. Cardinal Glennon Hosp., 863 S.W.2d 852, 871 (Mo. banc 1993). The form of the question is at the trial court's discretion. However, it generally encompasses whether any members of the panel or their families work for or have a financial interest in the named insurance company. Plaintiff followed the accepted procedure in Missouri for asking the preliminary insurance question. He sought the judge's approval to ask the question before voir dire, he proposed to ask only one question, and he offered to avoid highlighting the issue to the jury panel. The second question that the plaintiff proposed to the court followed the format normally approved in Missouri: Do any of you or do any members of your family work for or have a financial interest in a company known as Medical Defense Associates? [1] We conclude, therefore, that the trial court erred in not allowing the plaintiffs to ask the preliminary insurance question to the jury. Allowing the defendants to ask the preliminary insurance question has been the accepted practice in Missouri for many years. The test of time has proven that, as a practical matter, this practice works well. The procedures for asking the preliminary insurance question are simple, straightforward, and easy to apply. Allowing one question preserves the balance of permitting the plaintiffs to know if any members of the jury panel have an interest in the insurance company while avoiding the prejudice of emphasizing the issue of insurance. A person encountering these rules and procedures for the first time may deem them to be so rigid and inflexible as to be arbitrary. But one of the primary reasons the rule works is that it is simple and totally predictable. The right of the plaintiff to ask the question in almost every case in which insurance is involved is generally not disputed. To the extent that there is any disagreement about the details of how the question is asked, that discussion takes place in chambers prior to voir dire. Thus, we are sticking with the old adage: If it ain't broke, don't fix it.