Court Opinion

ID: 9690118
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 18:54:23.737208+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:18:53.649834
License: Public Domain

SIMONETT, Justice
(concurring in part and dissenting in part).
I agree with the majority and with reversal, except I see no need to try this case again.
At trial the insurer put at issue whether the claimant had sustained bodily injury, a necessary prerequisite to coverage. In evidence as an admission against interest was the Wilcox personal injury complaint which showed that Cheryl Wilcox was not claiming any bodily injury. Clemens and Wilcox made no effort to rebut this proof. Wilcox’s counsel did tell the court, “by way of offer of proof, I have reason to believe that Mrs. Wilcox will testify that she did sustain bodily injury in the course of that event.” But this bland conclusionary assertion does not qualify as an offer of proof. Minn.R. *868Evid. 103(a) (the substance of the excluded testimony must be offered); Minn.R.Civ.P. 43.03 (offer must be specific). Plaintiffs, instead, took the position the bodily injury issue was immaterial and they successfully obtained a ruling from the trial court to that effect.
It was incumbent on plaintiffs to show a bodily injury, at least to the court outside the hearing of the jury if they did not want the jury to know about the injury. Compare Radmacher v. Cardinal, 264 Minn. 72, 78, 117 N.W.2d 738, 742 (1962). Plaintiffs failed to do so and they cannot blame their failure on the trial court, which only did what plaintiffs asked it to do.
Not until oral argument in this court was it suggested, almost as an afterthought, that Cheryl Wilcox had tripped after her altercation with Clemens and after she was outside the Clemens’ house. This incident, if it occurred, may or may not have been attributable to Clemens’ conduct and may or may not have resulted in'bodily injury. In any event, the fact remains: (1) this was not newly discovered evidence; (2) it was evidence that should have been presented to the trial court even under plaintiff's erroneous theory of the case; (3) it is evidence plaintiffs chose to keep from the court and jury notwithstanding there was evidence in the trial record of no bodily injury; and (4) it is evidence which is frustratingly vague and highly vulnerable to impeachment.
There are times when fairness requires parties to be bound by their theory of the case and the record they elect to make, and this is such an instance. I would hold as a matter of law, on this record, there is no coverage for Cheryl Wilcox’s claim. Although not requested by Clemens, I have no objection to a remand to consider whether the insurer should pay Clemens’ attorney fees in this declaratory judgment action.