Opinion ID: 2068239
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Scope of Requests for Admissions

Text: In reversing the judgment of the trial court, the Court of Appeals opined that T.R. 36 was not intended to include admissions posed in terms of ultimate legal conclusions rather than evidentiary matters and described Aetna's use of the requested admissions as procedural land mines ... offensive to the overriding purpose of the rules. 559 N.E.2d at 365. We disagree. By its express terms, the rule permits requests for admission addressed to any matters rather than any facts. It further prohibits objection based on the ground that the requested admission presents a genuine issue for trial. The corresponding Fed.R.Civ.P. 36, permits requests for admission of the truth of any matters within the scope of Rule 26(b) set forth in the request that relate to statements or opinions of fact or of the application of law to fact including the genuineness of any documents described in the request. In contrast, the counterpart language in the Indiana rule authorizes requests for admission for purposes of the pending action only, of the truth of any matters ... including the genuineness of any documents described in the request. Significantly, Indiana's T.R. 36 does not incorporate the phrase that relate to statements or opinions of fact or of the application of law to fact contained in the federal rule. This difference makes the Indiana rule more expansive than the federal rule and permits a request for admission regarding an opinion, a contention, or a legal conclusion, if the request is related to the facts of the case. Ind. Constr. Serv. Co. v. Amoco Oil Co. (1989), Ind. App., 533 N.E.2d 1300; 3 W. Harvey, Indiana Practice-Rules of Procedure Annotated § 36.1 (1988). Under our rules of procedure, the final determinative legal issues in a case are often not identified in its early stages. The initial complaint may consist of a short and plain statement of a proper claim, along with a demand for the relief sought, and claims may be asserted alternatively or hypothetically. Ind.Trial Rule 8(A), (E). In response, a defendant will answer the allegations of a complaint by general or specific denial of designated averments, or by stating a lack of knowledge or information sufficient to form a belief as to the truth thereof. T.R. 8(B). It is then expected that the parties will use interrogatories, depositions, requests for production, physical and mental examinations, requests for admission, and pre-trial procedure to develop, simplify, and otherwise formulate the issues for trial. Requests for admission perform a vital role in permitting the parties to identify those legal contentions and issues for which evidentiary proof will not be necessary. Properly used, requests for admissions simplify pre-trial investigation and discovery, facilitate elimination of unnecessary evidence at trial, and reduce the time and expense demands upon the parties, their counsel and the courts. To achieve these purposes, T.R. 36 requests are not limited to purely evidentiary matters, but may also seek admissions as to legal issues, contentions, and conclusions, if related to the facts of the case. In its appeal of the trial court's summary judgment, G.M. presents two arguments: a) abuse of trial court discretion in denying withdrawal of certain requested admissions; and b) presence of factual issues precluding summary judgment.