DocketNumber: No. CV98-0077815S
Citation Numbers: 2000 Conn. Super. Ct. 10289, 27 Conn. L. Rptr. 665
Judges: DiPENTIMA, JUDGE. CT Page 10290
Filed Date: 8/18/2000
Status: Non-Precedential
Modified Date: 4/18/2021
By motion and memorandum dated June 8, 2000, the third party defendants BAC Sales, Inc. ("BAC") moves for summary judgment in its favor on the third party complaint. The third party defendant Russo Products ("Russo") similarly moves for summary judgment by motion dated July 10, 2000, and incorporates by reference the memorandum of law filed by BAC. The motions rest on the argument that these third party defendants cannot be liable in apportionment in a products liability action. The defendants Chirico and Green Mountain object to the motions on the ground that BAC and Russo can be allocated responsibility share of the plaintiffs damages under General Statutes §§
Summary judgment must be granted if the pleadings, affidavits, and other documentary proof show that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Practice Book §
The purpose of summary judgment is to eliminate the delay and expense accompanying a trial where there is no real issue to be tried. Dowlingv. Kielak,
In their third party complaint, Chirico and Green Mountain allege that CT Page 10291 the third party defendants BAC and Russo are product sellers within the meaning of General Statutes §
17. If Travelers proves its allegations against Green Mountain, BAC [Russo] is partially or entirely liable for the insureds' alleged property damage within the meaning of Act §
52-572m et seq.18. If Travelers proves its allegations against Green Mountain, BAC [Russo] was a substantial factor in causing the insureds' alleged damages.
(Third Party Complaint dated 8/4/99; Count Two, Count Four).
The Supreme Court has most recently reaffirmed that the legislature intended to exclude products liability from apportionment under General Statutes §
The defendants Chirico and Green Mountain do not contend that this complaint is brought under General Statutes §
In any claim involving comparative responsibility, the court may instruct the jury to give answers to special interrogatories, or if there is no jury, the court may make its own findings, indicating (1) the amount of damages each claimant would receive if comparative responsibility were disregarded, and (2) the percentage of responsibility allocated to each party, including the claimant, as compared with the combined responsibility of all parties to the action. For this purpose, the court may decide that it is appropriate to treat two or more persons as a single party. CT Page 10292
They also rely on General Statutes §§
In Malerba and the cases cited by the defendants Chirico and Green Mountain, the third party complaints have sounded in contribution and/or indemnification, which are specifically authorized by the statute, §
In a products liability action, the trier of the first-party claim is required to apportion liability among the plaintiff and the defendants. Subsection (b) of §
52-572o requires the trier to compare the responsibility of all parties to the action and to make findings as to the percentage of responsibility allocated to each party. Subsection (c) of §52-572o provides: "[i]n determining the percentage of responsibility, the trier of fact shall consider, on a comparative basis, both the nature and quality of the conduct of the party." Subsection (d) of §52-572o provides in part: "[t]he judgment shall also specify the proportionate amount of damages allocated against each party liable, according to the percentage of responsibility established for such party." These provisions do not authorize the trier of the first-party claim to include in the apportionment formula a third-party defendant. The apportionment formula is concerned only with those who are parties to the first party claim.
Id.
Under General Statutes §
Because the third party complaint sounds in neither contribution nor indemnification, it is not authorized under General Statutes §
Alexandra D. DiPentima, J.