Dwayne E. Gray v. PPS of Indiana, LLC, and State Farm Fire and Casualty Co. (mem. dec.)

MEMORANDUM DECISION
FILED
Pursuant to Ind. Appellate Rule 65(D), this
Memorandum Decision shall not be regarded as Sep 17 2018, 9:31 am
precedent or cited before any court except for the CLERK
purpose of establishing the defense of res judicata, Indiana Supreme Court
Court of Appeals
collateral estoppel, or the law of the case. and Tax Court
APPELLANT PRO SE ATTORNEYS FOR APPELLEE
Dwayne E. Gray STATE FARM FIRE AND
Indianapolis, Indiana CASUALTY CO.
Dennis F. Cantrell
Keith D. Mundrick
Cantrell Strenski & Mehringer, LLP
Indianapolis, Indiana
IN THE
COURT OF APPEALS OF INDIANA
Dwayne E. Gray, September 17, 2018
Appellant-Plaintiff, Court of Appeals Case No.
49A02-1712-PL-2799
v. Appeal from the Marion Superior
Court
PPS of Indiana, LLC, and State The Honorable Gary L. Miller, Judge
Farm Fire and Casualty Co.,
Trial Court Cause No.
Appellees-Defendants. 49D03-1702-PL-5757
Shepard, Senior Judge.
[1] The trial court granted summary judgment in favor of appellee State Farm Fire
and Casualty Company (State Farm) on appellant Dwayne E. Gray’s complaint
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for damages. Concluding the trial court correctly entered judgment in State
Farm’s favor, we affirm.
Facts and Procedural History
[2] On September 1, 2015, Gray submitted a claim to State Farm under his renter’s
policy for damage to furniture and other personal property from a leak due to a
clogged bathtub. State Farm requested that Gray complete a Personal Property
Inventory Form (PPIF) and provide a plumber’s report and photos of the
damaged property so that it could investigate his claim. Gray submitted
documents to State Farm, most of which did not fulfill its requests. After
several exchanges between the two parties, Gray filed a small claims action
against State Farm and PPS of Indiana, LLC, the entity that allegedly caused
the damage to Gray’s property.
[3] Following a bench trial, the small claims court entered judgment in favor of
Gray in the amount of $927. The court ordered PPS to pay Gray’s deductible
of $500 and ordered State Farm to pay the remainder of $427. Gray then
sought trial de novo in the Marion Superior Court.
[4] State Farm moved for summary judgment, claiming the evidence is undisputed
that Gray breached the contract of insurance by not providing the PPIF and
other documentation and by bringing suit without first complying with the
provisions of his policy. In response, Gray also filed a motion for summary
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judgment against both State Farm and PPS. The court granted summary
1
judgment in favor of State Farm and denied Gray’s motion.
Issues
2
[5] Gray presents three issues on appeal, which we restate as two:
I. Whether the court erred by granting summary judgment for
State Farm; and
II. Whether the court deprived Gray of his rights to due process
by denying his discovery motions.
Discussion and Decision
I. Summary Judgment
[6] On appeal from a grant of summary judgment, our standard of review is similar
to that of the trial court: whether there exists a genuine issue of material fact
and whether the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. City of
Indianapolis v. Cox, 20 N.E.3d 201 (Ind. Ct. App. 2014), trans. denied; see also Ind.
Trial Rule 56(C). Appellate review of a summary judgment motion is limited
to those materials designated to the trial court. Sheehan Const. Co., Inc. v. Cont’l
Cas. Co., 938 N.E.2d 685 (Ind. 2010). All facts and reasonable inferences drawn
1
We note that the trial court granted summary judgment to State Farm only; accordingly, Gray’s action
against PPS remains pending in the trial court.
2
In his brief, Gray claims the trial court’s entry of summary judgment denied him his right to a jury trial. A
grant of summary judgment brings a case to a close when one party or the other has no evidence that creates
a material question of fact for a jury to decide. See Ind. Trial Rule 56(C); see also Winney v. Bd. of Comm’rs of
Vigo Cty., 174 Ind. App. 624, 628, 369 N.E.2d 661, 663 (1977) (stating that if a claim presents only questions
of law and presents no question of fact, there is no function for a jury). Such is the situation here.
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from those facts are construed in favor of the non-movant. Id. Further, the trial
court’s grant of summary judgment is clothed with a presumption of validity,
and the party who lost in the trial court has the burden of demonstrating on
appeal that the grant of summary judgment was erroneous. Auto-Owners Ins. Co.
v. Benko, 964 N.E.2d 886 (Ind. Ct. App. 2012), trans. denied.
[7] Gray’s policy contains the following pertinent provisions:
SECTION I – LOSSES INSURED
COVERAGE B – PERSONAL PROPERTY
We insure for accidental direct physical loss to property described
in Coverage B caused by the following perils, except as provided
in SECTION I – LOSSES NOT INSURED:
*****
12. Sudden and accidental discharge or overflow of water or
steam from within a plumbing, heating, air conditioning or
automatic fire protective sprinkler system, or from within a
household appliance.
This peril does not include loss:
a. to the system or appliance from which the water or steam
escaped;
b. caused by or resulting from freezing;
c. caused by or resulting from water or sewage from outside the
residence premises plumbing system that enters through sewers
or drains, or water which enters into and overflows from within a
sump pump, sump pump well or any other system designed to
remove subsurface water which is drained from the foundation
area; or
d. caused by or resulting from continuous or repeated seepage or
leakage of water or steam which occurs over a period of time and
results in deterioration, corrosion, rust, mold, or wet or dry rot.
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Appellee’s App. Vol. 2, pp. 47-48.
SECTION I – CONDITIONS
*****
2. Your Duties After Loss. After a loss to which this insurance
may apply, you shall see that the following duties are performed:
a. give immediate notice to us or our agent. Also notify the
police if the loss is caused by theft. Also notify the credit card
company or bank if the loss involves a credit card or bank fund
transfer card;
b. protect the property from further damage or loss, make
reasonable and necessary temporary repairs required to protect
the property, keep an accurate record of repair expenditures;
c. prepare an inventory of damaged or stolen personal property.
Show in detail the quantity, description, age, replacement cost
and amount of loss. Attach to the inventory all bills, receipts and
related documents that substantiate the figures in the inventory;
d. as often as we reasonably require:
(1) exhibit the damaged property;
(2) provide us with records and documents we request and
permit us to make copies;
(3) submit to and subscribe, while not in the presence of
any other insured:
(a) statements; and
(b) examinations under oath; and
(4) produce employees, members of the insured’s
household or others for examination under oath to the
extent it is within the insured’s power to do so; and
e. submit to us, within 60 days after the loss, your signed, sworn
proof of loss which sets forth, to the best of your knowledge and
belief:
(1) the time and cause of loss;
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(2) interest of the insured and all others in the property
involved and all encumbrances on the property;
(3) other insurance which may cover the loss;
(4) changes in title or occupancy of the property during the
term of this policy;
(5) specifications of any damaged building and detailed
estimates for repair of the damage;
(6) an inventory of damaged or stolen personal property
described in 2.c.;
(7) receipts for additional living expenses incurred and
records supporting the fair rental value loss; and
(8) evidence or affidavit supporting a claim under the
Credit Card, Bank Fund Transfer Card, Forgery and
Counterfeit Money coverage, stating the amount and
cause of loss.
*****
7. Suit Against Us. No action shall be brought unless there has
been compliance with the policy provisions. The action must be
started within one year after the date of loss or damage.
Id. at 51, 52.
[8] In its motion for summary judgment, State Farm asserted it is entitled to
judgment as a matter of law because Gray breached the insurance contract by
failing to comply with the provisions requiring production of documentation
following a loss and by violating the policy provision concerning suit against
State Farm. In support of this contention, State Farm submitted an affidavit of
the Claim Team Manager who handled Gray’s claim, along with copies of
correspondence showing the documentation requested by State Farm and
Gray’s responses to the requests. Although Gray submitted several documents,
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he did not provide all the necessary information for State Farm to properly
investigate his claim. In response to State Farm’s final request, Gray instructed,
“Save your questions for the judge we will be filing lawsuit against 3 fountains
insurance for negligence and State Farm for breach of contract and bad faith in
the amount of 8000.” Id. at 93. State Farm included in its designated materials
the notice of claim Gray filed in small claims court as well as the complaint he
subsequently filed in the superior court.
[9] Gray’s own motion for summary judgment contained the small claims court’s
judgments and, it appears, designated State Farm’s designated materials. On
appeal, Gray presents this Court with nothing to overcome his burden of
demonstrating that the grant of judgment was erroneous.
II. Discovery
[10] On this issue, Gray claims the trial court did not afford him due process when it
denied his “properly drafted motions” and allowed State Farm to violate
discovery rules. Appellant’s Br. p. 7. His argument on this contention is
murky, at best.
[11] On March 17, 2017, Gray filed with the court a “Motion to Leave and Request
for Interrogatories and Production of Document to be Propounded to
Defendant’s.” Appellant’s App. Vol. 2, p. 12. The motion included several
interrogatory questions and one request for production of documents. On
March 20, 2017, the court responded by drawing a line through the order Gray
had submitted to the court with his motion and simply typing in “The Court
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orders all parties to comply with the Indiana Rules of Trial Procedure.” Id. at
36. Gray claims that State Farm thereafter failed to respond to the discovery
requests, prompting his filing of at least one motion for sanctions and two
motions to compel. All were denied by the trial court, and, in denying the final
motion to compel, the trial court added at the bottom of the order, “Plaintiff has
failed to comply with Indiana [R]ules of Trial Procedure, including service.”
Appellee’s App. Vol. 2, p. 9. State Farm asserts that Gray neither prepared nor
served discovery requests in accordance with Trial Rules 33 and 34, and Gray
points to nothing to show otherwise.
[12] Thus, we find no violation of Gray’s due process rights. Stated simply, he did
not follow the rules. See Thacker v. Wentzel, 797 N.E.2d 342 (Ind. Ct. App.
2003) (stating that a litigant who chooses to proceed pro se will be held to same
rules of procedure as trained legal counsel and must be prepared to accept
consequences of his action).
Conclusion
[13] The trial court did not err in granting summary judgment for State Farm and it
did not violate Gray’s due process rights.
[14] Affirmed.
Najam, J., and Mathias, J., concur.
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