2005 Ohio 4305 | Ohio Ct. App. | 2005
Lead Opinion
{¶ 2} Plaintiffs-appellants Nancy Sheesley ("Sheesley") and Ronald Sheesley (collectively referred to as "appellants") appeal the decision of the trial court. Having reviewed the arguments of the parties and the pertinent law, we hereby affirm the lower court.
{¶ 4} On March 1, 2002, a low impact, rear-end motor vehicle accident occurred. Walsh was traveling eastbound on Chagrin Boulevard and came to a complete stop because of traffic. After stopping, she took her foot off the brake and began moving at approximately five m.p.h. It is at this point that Walsh accidentally struck the rear of Sheesley's 1983 Oldsmobile Delta 88. Immediately after the accident, Walsh exited her car and spoke to Sheesley. Both parties expressed that they were not injured, and both vehicles were driven away. However, Sheesley did accumulate $7,122 in medical bills for soft-tissue injuries to her neck and back. Appellee Allstate Insurance Company offered appellants $350 to settle the case. Appellants' counsel made a settlement demand of $25,000. By the date of trial, appellants lowered their demand to $15,000, and appellees raised their offer to $1,500. The case went to trial, and the jury returned a verdict in favor of the appellants for $10,000. As previously mentioned, appellants filed a motion for prejudgment interest, which was eventually denied by the trial court. Appellants then filed their appeal to this court.
{¶ 6} Because of the substantial interrelation of appellants' assignment of errors, we shall address them together. The general rule is that a trial court must conduct an oral hearing on a motion for prejudgment interest. However, if the motion for prejudgment interest is obviously not well taken, the trial court can deny the motion without conducting a hearing. The trial court has the discretion to decline to convene a hearing if it appears no award is likely. Foreman v. Wright, Cuyahoga App. No. 82067, 2003-Ohio-5819. The trial court has the authority to deny a motion for prejudgment interest without conducting a hearing when the request is not adequately supported by the record. Fazio v.Meridian Ins. Co. (Apr. 9, 1998), Cuyahoga App. No. 73320. If the motion for prejudgment interest is obviously not well taken, the court can exercise its discretion to deny the motion without conducting a hearing. Jones v. Capco, Cuyahoga App. Nos. 81748, 81892, 2003-Ohio-5807; Taylor v. Steinberg, Cuyahoga App. Nos. 80280, 80493, 2002-Ohio-2961. Thus, the trial court has the discretion to decline to convene a hearing if it appears no award is likely. Augustine v. North Coast Limousine, Inc. (Aug. 10, 2000), Cuyahoga App. Nos. 76742, 76993.
{¶ 7} The record in the case at bar fully supports the trial court's decision. For example, Sheesley acknowledged in sworn testimony at her deposition and during trial that she told Walsh and the investigating police officer at the scene that she was fine. She further acknowledged in her sworn testimony that there was very little property damage to the 1983 Oldsmobile Delta 88 she was operating. In fact, she testified that it was "nothing really," other than a twisted bumper. The property damage invoice for $968.35 included $400 for labor and over $60 in tax; only $505 of the invoice was for parts.
{¶ 8} Investigating police officer Paul Reddix testified, and his police report reflects, that Walsh was not cited, because of lack of damage to both vehicles. Officer Reddix estimated Sheesley's speed at zero m.p.h. and Walsh's speed at five m.p.h. Dr. Zaas, Sheesley's orthopedic specialist, acknowledged that Sheesley had severe degenerative disc disease in her cervical spine, including disc space narrowing at C5-6, osteophytes (bone spurs), and narrowing of the neural foramin, all of which could cause symptoms of pain and none of which were caused by the accident of March 1, 2002. Accordingly, the evidence presented properly supports the trial court's decision to deny appellants' motion for prejudgment interest without a hearing.
{¶ 9} The decision as to whether a party's settlement efforts indicate good faith is generally within the sound discretion of the trial court. The court will not overturn a finding on this issue unless the trial court's actions indicate an abuse of discretion. Kalain v. Smith (1986),
{¶ 10} A party has not failed to make a good faith effort to settle under R.C.
{¶ 11} Moreover, in addition to the fact that there is substantial evidence supporting the trial court's decision, appellants failed to establish a lack of good faith on the part of appellees. Appellants in the case at bar made no claims that appellees have (1) not fully cooperated in discovery proceedings or have (2) attempted to unnecessarily delay any of the proceedings. Appellants failed to establish a prima facie case of lack of "good faith" on the part of appellees. Appellees' offer of $1,500 was based on the fact that this case involved a low speed, low impact accident with minimum property damage. Moreover, no one appeared to be injured at the accident scene. After reviewing the evidence in the record, we find no abuse of discretion in the court's denial of prejudgment interest.
{¶ 12} Accordingly, appellants' first and second assignments of error are overruled.
Judgment affirmed.
It is ordered that appellees recover of appellants their costs herein taxed.
The court finds there were reasonable grounds for this appeal.
It is ordered that a special mandate issue out of this court directing the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas to carry this judgment into execution.
A certified copy of this entry shall constitute the mandate pursuant to Rule 27 of the Rules of Appellate Procedure.
Cooney, P.J., concurs; KARPINSKI, J., DISSENTS. (SEE SEPARATE DISSENTING OPINION.)
(a) In an action in which the party required to pay the money has admitted liability in a pleading, from the date the cause of action accrued to the date on which the order, judgment, or decree was rendered;
(b) In an action in which the party required to pay the money engaged in the conduct resulting in liability with the deliberate purpose of causing harm to the party to whom the money is to be paid, from the date the cause of action accrued to the date on which the order, judgment, or decree was rendered;
(c) In all other actions, for the longer of the following periods: * * *."
Dissenting Opinion
{¶ 13} I respectfully dissent from the majority opinion.
{¶ 14} The majority finds significance in the following facts: neither plaintiff nor the other driver were given traffic citations because neither vehicle had heavy damage, plaintiff's vehicle was not moving when it was hit, the other driver was traveling only five m.p.h., and plaintiff stated that "she was fine" and that the impact was "nothing really." Majority Opinion, at 4. The majority also finds relevance in plaintiff's property damage being less than $1,000 and that she had a preexisting degenerative disc disease before the accident.
{¶ 15} The majority, however, ignores facts relevant to plaintiff's motion for prejudgment interest. Those facts are as follows:
1. Defendant admitted liability;1
2. Allstate's second and final settlement offer of $1,500 was made approximately one year before trial;
3. Allstate never sent an adjuster to any pretrial either before or after its $1,500 offer;
4. Plaintiff received a $17,500 arbitration award, which Allstate appealed;
5. After the arbitration, plaintiff bid against herself two more times by going from $17,500 down to $15,000 to settle the case;
6. Allstate never responded to either the $17,500 or the $15,000 demand;
7. Plaintiff's injuries and her $7,000 in medical expenses were never disputed by a defense medical expert;2
8. The jury awarded plaintiff $10,000.
{¶ 16} As observed in Bailey v. Container Corp. of Am.,
(N.D. Ohio 1986),
* * * [T]he Ohio Supreme Court has affirmed the broad discretion of the trial court to award prejudgment interest, and has stated that an appellee's perfunctory rejection or absurdly low response to an offer is a sufficient basis upon which the trial court could award prejudgment interest under §
Id., at 1055, 1057. See also Cashin v. Cobett, Cuyahoga App. No. 84475, 2005-Ohio-102,3 at ¶ 19 and ¶ 20.
{¶ 17} From the undisputed facts in this case, there is substantial evidence that defendant failed to reasonably evaluate its risks and potential liability in this case, especially in light of its decision not to present any expert medical testimony on the issue of causation or damages. Defendant's defense theory that this was a minor impact case does not justify its decision not to present any expert testimony. This is especially true because there is evidence that the parties disputed the force of the impact. The issue of impact, moreover, has minimal importance without any medical evidence whatsoever refuting that the accident aggravated plaintiff's condition and with the defense stipulating to the medical bills. See, plaintiff's Motion for Prejudgment Interest and Defendant's Brief in Opposition, generally.
{¶ 18} In light of the record in this case, Allstate's $1,500 settlement offer was disproportionately low when compared to undisputed medical bills alone of $7,000. I would grant plaintiff's request for prejudgment interest and I would do so without a hearing because the pertinent facts in this case are unchallenged and, therefore, plaintiff's motion is obviously "well taken." Augustine, ante. At a minimum, however, I would remand this matter for a hearing on plaintiff's motion for prejudgment interest.