Court Opinion

ID: 9634645
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 13:19:06.916181+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:43:02.053849
License: Public Domain

WHITE, Judge,
concurring in part and dissenting in part.
I.
I concur with the majority opinion’s conclusion that summary judgment does not lie by virtue of estoppel to preclude State Farm Fire and Casualty Insurance Company (State Farm) from raising its coverage defense in a subsequent garnishment proceeding. I respectfully dissent, however, from the principal opinion’s analysis that defensive collateral estoppel may be applied by State Farm using Robert Paul’s (Paul) guilty plea to deprive Danny James (James) of his day in court to challenge an intentional act exclusion in a homeowner’s policy. I would remand to the garnishment court for a full proceeding on the merits.
II.
The majority opinion grants State Farm summary judgment concluding the determination of liability, or “intent,” was made in Paul’s plea bargain and is dispositive of insurance coverage. If collateral estoppel is to be applied by equating the factual issue of intent with the issue of coverage, then all four factors of the doctrine must be satisfied and it must be shown that Paul’s “intent” was fully litigated in the plea bargain proceeding. What the principal opinion fails to adequately address when using Paul’s guilty plea to trigger the insurer’s exclusion clause is that plea bargains do not result from a full litigation of the underlying factual issues.1 Comment (b) to the Restatement (Second) of Judgments, section 85, highlights this distinction and states in pertinent part:
A defendant who pleads guilty may be held to be estopped in a subsequent civil litigation from contesting the facts representing the elements of the offense. However, under the terms of this Restatement such an estoppel is not a matter of issue preclusion, because the issue has not actually been litigated, but is a matter of the law of evidence beyond the scope of this Restatement. (Emphasis added)!
The principal opinion attacks the Restatement’s position by claiming it fails to appropriately scrutinize the rational for es-toppel. The opinion discusses, at length, the equal split of authority in applying the Restatement’s rule in outside jurisdictions; however, it curiously ignores the jurisdiction with binding authority on this issue, namely Missouri precedent. This Court has consistently followed the reasoning behind comment (b) that “[wjith regard to collateral estoppel ... the established rule is that the judgment in the prior adjudication operates only as to the issues, points, or questions actually litigated and determined.” 2 With regard to a criminal guilty plea specifically, comment (b) correctly explains that this is an issue of evidence, not *691issue preclusion. The well-settled eviden-tiary rule in Missouri is that while a guilty plea is admissible in a subsequent civil proceeding against the one who made it, it is not conclusive, and it may be explained, thus relitigated.3
A guilty plea is a declaration against interest, not independent, objective evidence of guilt.4 Without full litigation of particularized issues, such as the elements of the crime charged, a subsequent opposite determination in a civil suit does not necessarily generate an inconsistent judgment. Even a fact determined in a full criminal jury trial must be distilled to a specific, unambiguous, and necessary finding of one particular fact, or finding on one specific issue, for that fact or issue to be barred from relitigation.5 In State v. Simmons, this Court observed that because it is usually impossible to discern a specific basis upon which a jury reaches its verdict, collateral estoppel will rarely be available in a criminal context.6
The principal opinion misreads this Court’s decision in Oates v. Safeco Ins. Co. of America.7 Acceptance of the doctrine of non-mutual collateral estoppel is not inconsistent with and does not eliminate the long-standing evidentiary rule that a guilty plea is a declaration against interest, admissible, but not conclusive, in a subsequent civil proceeding. In fact, the liberalizing of the doctrine of collateral estoppel by the elimination of the mutuality requirement weighs in favor of preservation of such evidentiary rules to ensure the full and fair litigation of the relevant issues. This case exemplifies the rationale underlying the Restatement’s position that this is an issue of evidence not issue preclusion, because the record of Paul’s plea proceeding is devoid of evidence that there was a full and fair litigation of the factual element of “intent.”
*692Reviewing Paul's plea bargain transcript, it is clear that the trial court met the requirements of Rule 24.02 by attempting to ascertain if the defendant understood the nature of the charge and penalties to which the plea was offered. However, the rule does not require any specific evidence to be adduced on the individual elements of the crime, and absolutely nowhere in the transcript does there appear conclusive evidence of Paul’s “intent” that could constitute full litigation of that factual issue.
Whether an insured expected or intended injury is a question of fact, and the burden is on the insurer to establish that an exclusion bars coverage.8 For an exclusion for expected or intended conduct to bar coverage, the insurer must not only show that the insured intentionally acted, but also that the insured expected or intended the result that occurred.9 In the plea bargain proceeding, the judge never questioned the defendant, or his attorney, as to whether or not Paul acted with the intent to cause injury, or intended the result that occurred. In fact, the recitation of facts offered by Paul tends to reflect exactly the opposite.
Paul’s rendition of the incident included such statements as “I just lost complete control,” “I struck out at him,” and “I snapped.” Losing control and striking out at someone falls short of establishing an intentional act and an expected and intended result. While these factual statements support the fact that Paul acted, they do not conclusively resolve the issue of intent. Expert testimony in the civil negligence proceeding demonstrated that Paul suffered from diminished capacity at the time of the incident and was not capable of appreciating or comprehending the nature and consequences of his conduct. The trial court concluded, “Defendant, Robert M. Paul, did not intend or expect for Plaintiff, Danny T. James, to be injured.” (Emphasis added).
The majority opinion also appears to confuse the fully litigated requirement with the requirements for accepting a guilty plea. A plea, offered freely and voluntarily by a competent individual with a factual basis does not equate with every factual issue being fully and fairly litigated and being barred from relitigation. Only in the civil negligence case was there a specific determination of this particularized factual finding, which at the minimum leaves the issue one of disputed fact not appropriate for summary judgment.
III.
State Farm’s summary judgment motion only provides a copy of the insurance policy, the affidavit of a claim superintendent stating the policy was in effect, and the transcript of the plea proceeding. The motion does not include any additional evidence relating to a determination of Paul’s intent. State Farm concedes in its brief that the issue of intent has not been resolved by asking this Court to infer it. State Farm cites to several court of appeals cases to support the proposition that intent to harm is inferred if the natural and probable consequences of an act are to produce harm.10 The distinguishing factor *693between these cases and the one before this Court is that in all of these cited cases the trial court made a determination that the insured’s conduct was intentional rather than negligent. Moreover, when reviewing a motion for summary judgment, it is the non-movant who receives the benefit of all reasonable inferences from the record, and facts set forth in support of a party’s motion are only taken as true if not contradicted by the non-moving party’s response.11
In James’ renewed motion for summary judgment in the garnishment court, he presented evidence of the trial court’s determination of Paul’s negligence and renewed the previous motion’s arguments that included the affidavit of expert psychiatrist John M. Schmitz, M.D. Dr. Schmitz and the trial court both concluded Paul was incapable of comprehending the nature or consequences of his actions at the time of the incident and that he did not intend or expect James to be injured. Consequently, there was substantial evidence contradicting the facts set forth in State Farm’s summary judgment motion. State Farm has the burden of proof and, under these facts, cannot establish that there is no genuine dispute as to the material facts to support its motion.12
Since collateral estoppel does not apply, and the subsequent civil proceeding resulted in a determination of negligence, at minimum there is a dispute over the material fact of “intent,” and summary judgment for State Farm is not appropriate. I would remand to the garnishment court for a full proceeding on the coverage issue following the well-settled evidentiary rule of this state that a guilty plea is admissible in a subsequent civil proceeding, but is not conclusive and may be explained.

. When recognizing the use of non-mutual collateral estoppel, this Court acknowledged that the full and fair litigation factor must be satisfied in order to dispense with the doctrine of mutuality. Oates v. Safeco Ins. Co. of America, 583 S.W.2d 713, 719 (Mo.1979) ("Fairness is the overriding consideration in determining whether or not to apply the Doctrine of Mutuality.”). See also Parklane Hosiery Co., Inc. v. Shore, 439 U.S. 322, 329-30, 99 S.Ct. 645, 58 L.Ed.2d 552 (1979). While offensive use of the doctrine may be a less favored approach, this does not excuse the satisfaction of this requirement by those parties employing the doctrine defensively.

. American Polled Hereford v. City of Kansas City, 626 S.W.2d 237, 241 (Mo.1982).

. Pruiett v. Witform, 477 S.W.2d 76, 80 (Mo.1972); Ferguson v. Boyd, 448 S.W.2d 901, 903 (Mo.1970); Nichols v. Blake, 418 S.W.2d 188, 189-90 (Mo.1967); Howard v. Riley, 409 S.W.2d 154, 156 (Mo.1966). See also Wallace v. Director of Revenue, State of Mo., 786 S.W.2d 893, 895 (Mo.App.1990) (overruled on other grounds by Riche v. Director of Revenue, 987 S.W.2d 331, 335-36 (Mo. banc 1999)); State ex rel. O’Blennis v. Adolf, 691 S.W.2d 498, 503 (Mo.App.1985); Curtain v. Aldrich, 589 S.W.2d 61, 65 (Mo.App.1979); State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co. v. Worthington, 405 F.2d 683 (8th Cir.1968), affirming, Worthington v. Stevens, 294 F.Supp. 349 (W.D.Mo.1967); Cooper v. National Life Ins. Co. of the USA, 212 Mo.App. 266, 253 S.W. 465, 467 (1923); Zimmerman v. Southern Surety Co., 241 S.W. 95, 96-97 (Mo.App.1922); Annotation: Conviction or Acquittal as Evidence of the Facts on which it was Based in Civil Action, 18 A.L.R.2d 1287, 1311.

. See footnote 2. See also State v. Spica, 389 S.W.2d 35, 47 (Mo.1965).

. State v. Simmons, 955 S.W.2d 752, 760 (Mo. banc 1997); State v. Nunley, 923 S.W.2d 911, 922 (Mo. banc 1996); King General Contractors, Inc. v. Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, 821 S.W.2d 495, 500 (Mo. banc 1991); State v. Johnson, 598 S.W.2d 123, 125-26 (Mo. banc 1980); State v. Booker, 540 S.W.2d 90, 93 (Mo.App.1976). See also Ashe v. Swenson, 397 U.S. 436, 445, 90 S.Ct. 1189, 25 L.Ed.2d 469 (1970).

. Simmons, 955 S.W.2d at 760. See also State ex rel. Westfall v. Mason, 594 S.W.2d 908, 913 (Mo. banc 1980); Booker, 540 S.W.2d at 93; United States v. Tramunti, 500 F.2d 1334, 1346 (2d Cir.1974); United States v. Cioffi, 487 F.2d 492, 498 (2d Cir.1973). The principal opinion cites to Estate of Laspy, 409 S.W.2d 725, 731 (Mo.App.1966), for the proposition that defensive use of collateral estoppel is allowed in conjunction with judicial determinations of guilt. That determination, however, was based upon a full jury trial with specific instruction on the individual elements of the crime, including "intent.” It did not involve a plea bargain without reference to this factual element.

. 583 S.W.2d 713 (Mo. banc 1979).

. American Family Mut. Ins. Co. v. Pacchetti, 808 S.W.2d 369, 370-71 (Mo. banc 1991).

. Id. at 371.

. State Farm Fire & Casualty Co. v. Caley, 936 S.W.2d 250, 252 (Mo.App.1997); B.B. v. Continental Ins. Co., 8 F.3d 1288, 1290 (8th Cir.1993); Mid-Century Ins. Co. v. L.D.G., 835 S.W.2d 436, 437 (Mo.App.1992); Economy Fire and Casualty Co. v. Haste, 824 S.W.2d 41, 44 (Mo.App.1991); Farm Bureau Town & Country Ins. Co. v. Turnbo, 740 S.W.2d 232, 236 (Mo.App.1987); Travelers Ins. Co. v. Cole, 631 S.W.2d 661, 664 (Mo.App.1982); Truck *693Ins. Exchange v. Pickering, 642 S.W.2d 113, 116 (Mo.App.1982); Hanover Ins. Co. v. Newcomer, 585 S.W.2d 285 (Mo.App.1979).

. ITT Commercial Fin. Corp. v. Mid-America Marine Supply Corp., 854 S.W.2d 371, 376 (Mo. banc 1993).

. Id. at 381.