Court Opinion

ID: 9777368
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-29 20:08:29.939345+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:32:53.095463
License: Public Domain

CARVER, Justice,
dissenting.
I respectfully dissent. In my view, the Uniform Declaratory Judgment Act is a proper vehicle for a defendant’s counterclaim seeking a declaration of non-liability to a particular tort claim as asserted in a plaintiff’s suit on file. Consequently, I would hold that the trial court erred in dismissing the counterclaim on the ground that it failed to state a cause of action.
The scope of the Uniform Declaratory Judgment Act is stated as follows:
Courts of record within their respective jurisdictions shall have power to declare rights, status, and other legal relations whether or not further relief is or could be claimed. No action or proceeding shall be open to objection on the ground that a declaratory judgment or decree is prayed for. The declaration may be either affirmative or negative in form and effect; and such declarations shall have the force and effect of a final judgment or decree.
Tex.Rev.Civ.Stat.Ann., art. 2524-1, Sec. 1 (Vernon 1965). There is nothing on the face of the statute that would prevent the court from hearing the counterclaim. While the majority admits the above is true, they proceed to “interpret” the scope of the Act, based on several federal cases and one Idaho case, so as to preclude the determination of non-liability.
The majority relies primarily on four federal cases, Cunningham Bros., Inc. v. Bail, 407 F.2d 1165, 1167 (7th Circ.), cert. denied, 395 U.S. 959, 89 S.Ct. 2100, 23 L.Ed.2d 745 (1969); Frito-Lay Inc. v. Dent, 373 F.Supp. 771, (N.D.Miss.1974); States Steamship Co. v. Featherstone, 240 F.Supp. 830, (D.Ore.1965); Sun Oil Co. v. Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Co., 108 F.Supp. 280, (E.D.Pa.1952), aff’d., 203 F.2d 957 (3rd Circ. 1953), to which are ascribed the proposition that a defendant’s cross-action in a tort case may not seek a determination of non-liability by way of a declaratory judgment. None of these cases so hold. All of their cited cases concern a declaratory determination of non-liability initiated by a prospective defendant. These cases merely refused to permit a potential defendant to compel an injured party to litigate his claim at a time and forum chosen by the alleged tort-feasor. Here, we are concerned with an actual, not a prospective, defendant brought into a suit at a time and forum chosen by the injured party as plaintiff. Consequently, the “procedural safeguards” accorded injured persons, not yet plaintiffs, which Cunningham, Frito-Lay, Featherstone, and Sun Oil sought to protect, are not violated by the counter-claim for declaratory relief filed after those procedural safeguards” have been fully enjoyed and the injured party’s suit has actually been filed.
The remaining case relied on by the majority is Ennis v. Casey, 72 Idaho 181, 238 P.2d 435 (1954), which likewise fails to support their position. In Ennis, the Idaho Supreme Court held that a default judgment was void for lack of service of process. The court specifically noted that the issue of liability was not before them. Accordingly, the courts discussion of the applicability of a declaratory judgment to the determination of non-liability is merely dicta, and of no precedential value to to the majority’s opinion.
In any event, I would reject Cunningham, Frito-Lay, Featherstone, Sun Oil, and Ennis and join in the view set out in Borchard, Declaratory Judgments (2d.ed) which states:
“. . . Instead of awaiting the pleasure of the accuser or claimant in bringing his demand or claim to adjudication, legislators and courts have found that social peace is promoted by taking under judicial cognizance the desire of the party charged or in jeopardy to be relieved of the peril, the insecurity and the uncertainty created by an unjust claim, actual or potential.”
Id. at 645. See Ditzler v. Spee, 288 Minn. 314, 180 N.W.2d 178, 181 (1970).
As I have already noted, the case before us does not concern an action brought by a *176potential defendant to anticipate an injured party’s claim by a declaratory judgment but, instead, concerns a counterclaim brought by an actual defendant. Consequently, there is no danger, as seen in the authorities relied upon by the majority, of depriving the injured party of the right to choose the time and forum to litigate one’s claim. Nancy Willingham chose the time and forum, and now, since her choice of forum seems improvident, she has taken a non-suit and secured the dismissal of KMS’ counterclaim. To affirm this case is to nullify the plain right granted KMS by the Declaratory Judgment Act to conclude the specific peril stated in Nancy Willingham’s petition, and in the forum she selected.
In view of the legislative expression contained within the Declaratory Judgment Act that the act be liberally construed to serve its remedial purpose, the dismissal should be reversed and KMS’ counterclaim tried.