Opinion ID: 1105996
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: IN VIEW OF THIS COURT'S OPINIONS IN ACCU-FAB & CONSTRUCTION, INC. v. LADNER, 778 So.2d 766 (Miss.2001) AND MACK TRUCKS, INC. v. TACKETT, 841 So.2d 1107 (Miss.), IS IT ERROR TO PROVIDE FOR THE JURY, ON THE FORM OF THE VERDICT, TO APPORTION OR ALLOCATE FAULT WITH RESPECT TO AN IMMUNE EMPLOYER?

Text: ¶ 7. As Ware concedes in his Reply Brief, the answer to this question was definitively answered in the negative by this Court's decision in Mack Trucks, Inc. v. Tackett, 841 So.2d 1107 (Miss.2003) ( Mack Trucks II ). In Mack Trucks II, we held: [t]o the extent that Accu-Fab [1] may be construed as stating that immune parties may not be assessed fault (as opposed to liability) under § 85-5-7, therefore, that opinion is overruled. 841 So.2d at 1115 (¶ 28). The Legislature addressed this issue by a 2002 amendment to Miss.Code Ann. § 85-5-7 which states in its entirety: Except as provided in subsection (6) of this section, in any action involving joint tort-feasors, the trier of fact shall determine the percentage of fault for each joint tort-feasor, including named parties and absent tort-feasors, without regard to whether the joint tort-feasor is immune from damages. For noneconomic damages, a defendant's liability shall be several only. For economic damages, for any defendant whose fault is determined to be less than thirty percent (30%), liability shall be several only and for any defendant whose fault is determined to be thirty percent (30%) or more, liability shall be joint and several only to the extent necessary for the person suffering injury, death or loss to recover fifty percent (50%) of his recoverable damages. Fault allocated under this subsection to an immune tort-feasor or a tort-feasor whose liability is limited by law shall not be reallocated to any other tort-feasor. Miss.Code Ann. § 85-5-7(8) (emphasis added). [2] Although this amendment was not effective until January 1, 2003, after the incident involved in the case sub judice, we simply acknowledge its existence to assure the reader that the amended statute has not been overlooked. However, this amended statute has not been applied to the case before us today, nor do we by mentioning this amended statute in any way imply what position we may take when called upon in future cases to consider the appropriateness of its application. ¶ 8. On the other hand, Ware is correct in his assertion that the resolution of this issue does not enlarge Entergy's rights on the allocation of fault under Miss.Code Ann. § 45-15-13(2), which provides: There is hereby created a right of action on behalf of any electric utility which is required to pay any sum for injury or death of any person resulting from contact with a high voltage overhead line against any person whose negligence is a proximate contributing cause of such injury or death for that portion of any non-agreed judgment for damages rendered against and paid by the electric utility and attributable to the negligence of such person, however, the electric utility may not recover any portion of such sum which is attributable to its own negligence. The right of action created hereby shall not be available against persons who comply with the provisions of this chapter, and violations of this chapter shall not be considered negligence per se but may be considered as evidence of negligence. (emphasis added). Inasmuch as this issue has already been decided in Mack Trucks (II), the trial court was correct in granting Entergy's motion in limine relative to the allocation of fault to the immune employer.