Court Opinion

ID: 9722086
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 09:16:38.546333+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:24:30.590817
License: Public Domain

VAIDIK, Judge,
dissenting.
I agree with the majority that Daimler Chrysler has failed to raise its interlocutory appeal under any of the provisions of Indiana Appellate Rule 14. However, I disagree with the majority that we have discretion to hear this appeal under Appellate Rule 66(B). Consequently, I would dismiss the appeal.
Appellate Rule 14 provides three ways for this Court to hear an interlocutory appeal: (1) Appellate Rule 14(A) allows interlocutory appeals as of right; (2) Appellate Rule 14(B) permits discretionary interlocutory appeals "if the trial court certifies its order and the Court of Appeals accepts jurisdiction over the appeal"; and (3) Appellate Rule 14(C) authorizes other interlocutory appeals only as provided by statute. This appeal does not fall under any of the categories listed for interlocutory appeals as of right. Additionally, there is no statute authorizing this interlocutory appeal. Finally, because Daimler Chrysler did not file a motion requesting certification by the trial court and then file a motion requesting acceptance by this Court, this is not a discretionary interlocutory appeal. Nevertheless, the majority found that it has discretion to hear this appeal under Appellate Rule 66(B).
Appellate Rule 66(B) provides:
No appeal shall be dismissed as of right because the case was not finally disposed of in the trial court or Administrative Agency as to all issues and parties, but upon suggestion or discovery of such a situation, the Court may, in its discretion, suspend consideration until disposition is made of such issues, or it may pass upon such adjudicated issues as are severable without prejudice to parties who may be aggrieved by subsequent proceedings in the trial court or Administrative Agency.
In Allstate Insurance Co. v. Scroghan, 801 N.E.2d 191 (Ind.Ct.App.2004), trans. denied, the court acknowledged that other panels of the court of appeals have suggested that we may find jurisdiction to hear an interlocutory appeal outside of Appellate Rule 14. Id. at 195. However, the Allstate court opted to follow the rea*540soning of INB National Bank v. 1st Source Bank, 567 N.E.2d 1200 (Ind.Ct.App.1991), wherein the court held:
[Rule 66(B) ] should not be interpreted as an alternative authorization to litigants to initiate interlocutory appeals apart from, or in addition to, the authorization provided by [Rule 14]. In addition, we believe it would constitute an abuse of discretion for this court to grant an interlocutory appeal cognizable under [Rule 14(B)] where the trial court, as here, has expressly refused or denied certification.
Id. at 1202. I stand by my previous decision in Allstate and echo its reasoning that if we were to allow the use of Appellate Rule 66(B) to supplement our jurisdiction to hear interlocutory appeals under Appellate Rule 14, then the limitations of Appellate Rule 14 would become meaningless. Allstate, 801 N.E.2d at 196; see also Bueter v. Brinkman, 776 N.E.2d 910 (Ind.Ct.App.2002) (refusing to apply Rule 66(B) to "rescue" an appeal). Additionally, this case is more compelling than Allstate because in that case, Allstate requested certification by the trial court, but the court denied it. Here, Daimler Chrysler did not even request certification. Accordingly, I would hold that this Court does not have discretion to hear this appeal and therefore would dismiss it.