Opinion ID: 885288
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Did the District Court err in granting Infinity Insurance Company's prayer for Interpleader?

Text: ¶ 22 Appellants raise the legal question of whether the District Court, by granting Infinity's prayer for interpleader in its entirety, infringed on their rights to seek further relief under Montana law after the $50,000 in insurance proceeds is distributed. ¶ 23 Infinity, in its Complaint for Interpleader, requested an order enjoining and restraining each and all of the defendants from instituting or prosecuting further any proceeding on account of the incident or the insurance policy. Aside from this one request, the remainder of its prayers for relief pertained specifically to the release of Infinity from further claims in this matterthus, it is unclear whether Infinity specifically requested additional relief for other parties. In addition to granting its motion for summary judgment, the District Court granted the relief sought by Infinity's interpleader without comment, and the summary judgment was certified as a final judgment pursuant to Rule 54(b), M .R.Civ.P. ¶ 24 Appellants argue that, regardless of the outcome of the issues on summary judgment, they are prejudiced in that they are technically enjoined from pursuing either Christeck, individually, or Vannatta's estate, once Infinity is released from all claims arising from the accident. We agree with Appellants that the measure of damage for negligence, notwithstanding available insurance proceeds, is the amount that will compensate the injured for all detriment proximately caused. The fundamental purpose of any tort remedy is to return the plaintiff to his or her rightful position, or the position or state the party would have attained had the wrong not occurred. Butler v. Germann (1991), 251 Mont. 107, 110, 822 P.2d 1067, 1069. See also § 27-1-202 and 27-1-317, MCA. ¶ 25 It is not clear, howeverand Infinity sheds no further lighton whether it, and subsequently the District Court, intended such a comprehensive exclusion of remedies. As a matter of law, pursuant to the principles of subject matter jurisdiction, the court should have only released Infinity from further claims, not the potentially liable individuals involved in this matter. See generally Old Fashion Baptist Church v. Department of Revenue (1983), 206 Mont. 451, 457, 671 P.2d 625, 628. Upon remand, the District Court is instructed to clarify its order accordingly.