Court Opinion

ID: 9730098
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 15:01:11.208128+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:26:04.127906
License: Public Domain

SNELL, Judge
(dissenting).
I respectfully dissent from the majority’s conclusion in Division III that the trial court erred by submitting the issue of punitive damages to the jury. I also dissent from the finding of error in Division IV and would hold that the trial court correctly denied the defendant’s cross-petition for indemnity or contribution from defendant David Mitchell. The trial court should be affirmed on all issues.
Regarding the punitive damage issue, error was not preserved. Even if an adequate objection had been made, it would have been proper to overrule. Defendant’s complete objection to the proposed instruction was:
It might be a little bit out of order, but the first objection is to the instruction 9 with respect to gross negligence. I don’t believe there is any evidence whatsoever to establish — to carry this case under the jury’s issue, I would disregard for the safety of others.
The instruction on exemplary damages is number 20, not number 9. It directs the jury to consider whether defendant was wanton, reckless or grossly negligent. Defendant’s objection directed the court’s attention to instruction number 9, respecting the words “gross negligence,” and did not mention either exemplary or punitive damages. Following this is a cloudy statement on lack of evidence which ends with an obscure and irrelevant comment on disregarding the words, for the safety of others.” I believe a trial court is entitled to more specificity than this in being given notice of the exception counsel is making. See Franken v. City of Sioux Center, 272 N.W.2d 422, 426 (Iowa 1978); Pose v. Roosevelt Hotel Co., 208 N.W.2d 19, 25 (Iowa 1973); Iowa R.Civ.P. 196 (1981).
The majority holds as a matter of law that there is no issue of punitive damages. This issue must be judged in the light most favorable to submission. See Gunnison v. Torrey, 216 N.W.2d 361, 364 (Iowa 1974). Evidence was presented that defendant gas company did not cut weeds that grew up around the riser when it was not located on company-owned property, nor did it alert the property owner to this fact. The riser was painted gray and was not marked by a barricade or warning sign. The installation site was located by the installer hired by the gas company. Some evidence was presented that the company’s own “Operations Manual” was not followed in its location of the riser and safety procedures to be followed. After the mobile home which it serviced was removed, the riser was neither taken away nor was the gas cut off. The evidence was sufficient to present a jury question as to whether the gas company was indifferent to the rights of others or otherwise reckless so that the assessment of punitive damages was legally possible. The Iowa Supreme Court has stated:
exemplary damages may be awarded where defendant acts maliciously, but malice may be inferred where defendant’s act is illegal or improper; where the nature of the illegal act is such as to negative any inference of feeling toward the person injured, and is in fact consistent with a complete indifference on the part of defendant, liability for exemplary damages is not based upon the maliciousness of the defendant but is based, rather, upon the separate substantive principle that illegal or improper acts ought to be deterred by the exaction from the defendant of sums over and above the actual damage he has caused.
*696Syester v. Banta, 257 Iowa 613, 628-29, 133 N.W.2d 666, 676 (1965) (citation omitted).
On the question of indemnity, the trial court concluded that although Mitchell was negligent, the gas company was not entitled to indemnity or contribution because the jury found its culpability such as to warrant punitive damages. I believe the evidence supports this finding. “[T]he principle of equity on which the right of contribution is founded can apply only in cases where the situations of the parties are equal, for equality among persons whose situations are not equal is not equitable.” 18 C.J.S. Contribution § 3 (1939).
SCHLEGEL, J., joins this dissent.