Court Opinion

ID: 9521471
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-07 02:05:43.938879+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T12:49:48.756471
License: Public Domain

JUSTICE TRAPP, dissenting: I dissent from the reversal and remandment for hearing upon the allegations of plaintiff’s petition. In the initial appeal, Lubbers v. Norfolk & Western Ry. Co. (1980), 89 Ill. App. 3d 1205, 417 N.E.2d 275 (Rule 23 order), appeal denied (1981), 83 Ill. 2d 570, this court affirmed the trial court’s judgment entered upon the jury verdict finding plaintiff guilty of contributory negligence. The record in that case disclosed that the defendant’s signal lights had been flashing continuously for more than 24 hours. Thus, it appears that a defect, or negligence in the maintenance of the signal system, was clearly established before the jury. Upon other evidence introduced, the jury concluded that plaintiff was barred from recovery by his own conduct in the nature of contributory negligence. Ostendorf v. International Harvester Co. (1982), 89 Ill. 2d 273, 433 N.E.2d 253, is not apposite here. In that case, the jury verdict in the initial trial was a finding, in effect, that a tractor was not unreasonably dangerous. In a subsequent proceeding under section 72 (now section 2—1401 of the Code of Civil Procedure (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1981, ch. 110, par. 2 — 1401)) evidence was introduced that discovery was withheld as to documents which disclosed that defendant had knowledge that the equipment, or its design, was unreasonably dangerous. The opinion of the supreme court concluded that an accurate response to discovery by the defendant would have disclosed such defect, and defendant’s knowledge of facts sufficient to support liability. The court concluded that there was such fraudulent concealment in discovery as was sufficient to toll the statute of limitations as a matter of law, so that the trial court’s judgment should be vacated. Here, it is obvious that discovery of the inspection data alleged to have been concealed by defendant would have no relevance to the bar of contributory negligence found by the jury. It would add nothing to the evidence of defendant’s negligent maintenance already before the jury.