Opinion ID: 2329826
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Heading: Sun Cab failed to state a claim for equitable indemnity

Text: Sun Cab's third-party claim for equitable indemnity was essentially a demand that LaTourette reimburse Sun Cab for the damage it allegedly caused to Zinni in the car accident. This claim fails as a matter of law. Equitable indemnity, which allows a defendant to seek recovery from other potential tortfeasors, is generally available to remedy the situation in which the defendant, who has committed no independent wrong, is held liable for the loss of a plaintiff caused by another party. Rodriguez v. Primadonna Company, 125 Nev. 578, 589, 216 P.3d 793, 801 (2009). Thus, Nevada's equitable indemnity law has long drawn a distinction between secondary and primary liability. `[I]n order for one tortfeasor to be in a position of secondary responsibility vis-a-vis another tortfeasor, and thus be entitled to indemnification, there must be a preexisting legal relation between them, or some duty on the part of the primary tortfeasor to protect the secondary tortfeasor.' Doctors Company v. Vincent, 120 Nev. 644, 654, 98 P.3d 681, 688 (2004) (quoting Black & Decker v. Essex Group, 105 Nev. 344, 346, 775 P.2d 698, 699-700 (1989)). Additionally, where a party has committed an independent wrong, and is thus actively negligent, that party has no right to indemnity from other tortfeasors. See Rodriguez, 125 Nev. at 589, 216 P.3d at 801; see also Doctors Company, 120 Nev. at 658, 98 P.3d at 690. Here, LaTourette had no preexisting legal relationship with or other duty to protect Sun Cab's interests, and Sun Cab's liability in the underlying litigation is admittedly based upon claims of its own active negligence in causing the car accident. Accordingly, we affirm the district court's dismissal of Sun Cab's equitable indemnity claim, as there was no preexisting relationship between the parties and because Sun Cab was allegedly actively negligent in causing the underlying injuries. See Rodriguez, 125 Nev. at 590, 216 P.3d at 802; Doctors Company, 120 Nev. at 658, 98 P.3d at 690.