Opinion ID: 2746083
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Active Fraudulent Concealment

Text: Active fraudulent concealment requires a showing that the defendant (1) had actual knowledge of the alleged wrongful act and (2) intentionally concealed it from the plaintiff (3) by making some statement or taking some action “calculated to prevent inquiry or to mislead,” id. at 522, (4) upon which the plaintiff reasonably relied. Doe v. United Methodist Church, 673 N.E.2d 2 Of course, unlike the common-law fraudulent concealment doctrine, Indiana’s Fraudulent Concealment Act provides the plaintiff has the full statutory period, not just “a reasonable amount of time” in which to file his complaint. Ind. Code § 34-23-1-1 (2012 & Supp. 2013). But as the Lyonses have made no argument regarding the Fraudulent Concealment Act, we limit our discussion here to the common-law doctrine. 8 839, 845 (Ind. Ct. App. 1996). The Lyonses presented evidence that: Hensley told them Megan was deprived of oxygen for “a very short period of time” when in fact it may have been as long as twenty minutes; school officials were aware there was a videotape record of the tragedy that would be destroyed if they took no action to preserve it; that videotape record was subsequently destroyed; and LaRue threatened to fire Swearingen if she discussed the incident with anyone outside the school. Based upon that record, a factfinder could reasonably find the defendants committed active fraudulent concealment. See Lyons, 990 N.E.2d at 489 (Robb, C.J., concurring in part, concurring in result, and dissenting in part) (concluding this issue was not yet ripe for summary judgment). Thus, the trial court erred by granting the defendants’ motion for summary judgment on this issue.