Court Opinion

ID: 537646
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2011-08-23 10:04:17+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:47:27.791777
License: Public Domain

897 F.2d 794
Andrew C. SMITH, Plaintiff,v.AMERICAN MEDICAL SYSTEMS, INC., Defendant-Appellee,v.HUMANA HOSPITAL CORPORATION, INC., Defendant-Appellant.
No. 88-5527.
United States Court of Appeals,Fifth Circuit.
April 4, 1990.

1
Richard Francis and Jerry A. Gibson, Plunkett, Gibson & Allen, San Antonio, Tex., for defendant-appellant.

2
John Milano, Jr., Thornton, Summers, Biechlin, Dunham & Brown, San Antonio, Tex., for defendant-appellee.

3
Appeal from the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas;  Edward C. Prado, District Judge.

4
Before WILLIAMS and GARWOOD, Circuit Judges, and POLOZOLA,* District Judge.

FRANK J. POLOZOLA, District Judge:

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In our original opinion,1 we certified the following question to the Texas Supreme Court:

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Under Texas law, is a seller of a product entitled to indemnification from the manufacturer for attorney's fees incurred by seller during the litigation where the manufacturer settles the case with the plaintiff before a judicial determination of the liability of the parties is made?

7
In response to our certification, the Texas Supreme Court has ruled as follows:2

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In this cause, there has been no judicial finding that American Medical Systems was negligent or that the prosthesis was unreasonably dangerous.  In other words, there has been no judicial determination--or admission--that American Medical Systems was, or could have been legally liable to Smith in any way.  Unless and until there is such a determination, Humana Hospital's claim for indemnity is premature.

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For the reasons stated previously, our answer to the certified question is "no".3

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Therefore, the opinion of the district court is AFFIRMED.

*
 District Judge of the Middle District of Louisiana, sitting by designation

1
 Smith v. American Medical Systems, Inc., 876 F.2d 434 (5th Cir.1989)

2
 Humana Hospital Corp. v. American Medical Systems, Inc., 785 S.W.2d 144 (Texas 1990)

3
 Id. at 145