Opinion ID: 2053552
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Rogers v. Detroit

Text: This appeal arises out of a wrongful death suit in which the jury awarded $6,132,993 in favor of plaintiff. On June 17, 1988, John Rogers [10] was driving his automobile west on Jefferson approaching Lemay. He was fatally injured when another vehicle that had been speeding on Lemay struck his vehicle. The driver of the other vehicle was fourteen-year-old Keith Montgomery, an unlicensed driver who was attempting to flee from Detroit police officers chasing him in their car. Mr. Montgomery allegedly had failed to stop at the intersection of Lemay and Kercheval. Plaintiff brought suit against the city, its police department, and the police officers who undertook the pursuit. She claimed that the pursuit constituted a hazard and that the city and its police officers were liable for the death of her husband because of their negligence. They included the commencement and continuation of the pursuit, inadequate selection and training of officers, and failure to promulgate proper policies regarding vehicular pursuits. The allegations also stated that Mr. Montgomery was liable because of his negligent operation of the car. Plaintiff did not pursue the suit against him, presumably because he was an uninsured minor and uncollectible at the time of the accident. Pursuant to MCR 2.206, [11] the city filed a motion to join Montgomery as a party-defendant. They asked the circuit court to retain him as a defendant by requiring plaintiff to serve him with a summons and copy of the complaint. At a settlement conference, the circuit court stated that it could not force plaintiff to proceed against Mr. Montgomery. It allowed plaintiff to dismiss him as a defendant, thereby denying the city's motion. However, the court allowed Mr. Montgomery to be added as a third-party defendant, because it recognized the city's desire and right to secure a statutory apportionment of damages. Mr. Montgomery was then added as a third-party defendant only for the purpose of apportioning the city's liability. M.C.L. § 600.6304; M.S.A. § 27A.6304. The trial commenced on April 6, 1992, and ended on April 15, 1992, with the jury returning a verdict [12] in favor of plaintiff. It found that defendants had been negligent and that the negligent operation of the police car was the cause of John Rogers' death. Damages were assessed in the amount of $6,132,933. The jury apportioned fault, eighty percent to the city and twenty percent to Montgomery. Because Montgomery was uncollectible, the circuit court held that the city was responsible for payment to plaintiff of the entire verdict. The city then requested a new trial. The court denied the motion, but granted an evidentiary hearing on the question whether plaintiff and the third-party defendant had cooperated at trial. After the hearing, the court denied the remainder of the city's motion. It heard plaintiff's later motion for entry of judgment and allowed plaintiff's counsel ten days from the entry of judgment to notify contractual lienholders of the verdict. The order was notwithstanding statutory language requiring plaintiff's counsel to notify lienholders within ten days of the verdict. M.C.L. § 600.6303(3); M.S.A. § 27A.6303. Another hearing was held at which defendant sought a statutory collateral source setoff, requesting that the judgment be reduced by $1,050,440. The court refused. Instead, it ordered that the disputed amount be placed in escrow when the judgment was paid. The court entered judgment without reducing the city's liability by the twenty percent for which Montgomery was liable and without giving defendant the benefit of the collateral source setoffs. The city appealed to the Court of Appeals. On appeal, the Court of Appeals affirmed the judgment, but ordered a remand with the direction that the court apportion the judgment pursuant to the verdict and allow collateral source setoffs. Plaintiff now appeals from that decision. In addition to defendants' Fiser claim, defendants also appeal from the Court of Appeals decision that refused to grant a new trial on the basis of various alleged errors perpetuated at trial. We granted defendants' application for leave to appeal and plaintiff's application for leave to appeal as cross-appellant. [13]