Opinion ID: 1870584
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: evidence of prior settlements

Text: Plaintiffs argue that INA failed to present evidence at trial of plaintiffs' pre-trial settlements with the manufacturer-defendants and therefore is precluded from relying upon such settlements to seek a reduction in plaintiffs' recovery. Rejecting plaintiffs' argument, the Third Circuit found that INA was not required to prove the settlements at trial, explaining what transpired: After trial, defendant filed a motion to correct the record to which plaintiffs filed opposition. Pursuant to a hearing on the motion, the trial judge signed an order correcting the record to show that plaintiffs had settled with and released the eleven defendant manufacturers of asbestos. The final judgment signed by the trial judge states the parties stipulated that the eleven released defendants were legally at fault in causing plaintiffs' injuries, which means no proof was required of INA that the released defendants were at fault. Cole, 588 So.2d at 383. We agree. A similar attempt to retract representations made by a party's counsel at a pre-trial conference was rejected in Maurer v. Caballero, 278 So.2d 880 (La.App. 1st Cir. 1973). In Maurer, supra, the defense counsel contended on appeal that the plaintiffs had failed at trial to prove two elements of their case. Plaintiffs countered that these two elements had been winnowed out at an informal pre-trial conference in the judge's chambers. At oral argument before the appellate court, the defense counsel conceded that he had participated at that pre-trial conference, but indicated that he had no recollection of what had transpired. Finding LSA-C.C.P. Art. 1551 [60] controlling, the court of appeal concluded that plaintiffs had the right to assume that the trial judge, as required by LSA-C.C.P. Art. 1551, would, before the case was complete, render an order reciting the agreements and stipulations made between the parties at the pre-trial conference. As the record was devoid of any evidence of what transpired at that conference, the court of appeal remanded for a new trial. Unlike in Maurer, supra, the trial judge in the instant case complied with the requirements of LSA-C.C.P. 1551, by, at INA's request, rendering an order, before the completion of the case, reciting the agreements and stipulations made among the parties at the pre-trial conference. Indeed, we find the following recitation contained in the trial judge's order dispositive: That after representing to the Court that he had effected a settlement, plaintiffs' counsel further represented to the Court and all other counsel present that the sole defendant remaining in the litigation, and thus the sole defendant against whom he would continue prosecuting his clients' claims through the trial commencing that morning, was INSURANCE COMPANY OF NORTH AMERICA. We find that INA was entitled to rely upon that representation. Maurer, supra .