Hertz Equipment Rental Corp. v. Dravo Corp.
Hertz Equipment Rental Corp. v. Dravo Corp.
Opinion
This is an appeal, under authority of a Rule 54 (b) determination, from a summary judgment dismissing Hertz's third-party suit for indemnification against Dravo. We affirm.
The third party complaint arises out of a suit filed by Raymond Lawhorn against General Motors Corporation and Hertz for negligence and breach of warranties to recover damages for personal injuries incurred when a clutch assembly of a dump truck "exploded" while being operated by Lawhorn. Lawhorn was employed by Dravo which leased the dump truck from Hertz. The lease agreement provides that Dravo will indemnify or hold harmless Hertz with regard to any claim for property damage or personal injuries instituted against Hertz.
The issue is whether §
Our recent case of Paul Krebs Assoc. v. Matthews and FrittsConst. Co., Inc.,
As an alternative, Hertz argues that the decisions of this court prohibiting such third-party suits against the employer — Krebs, supra, and cases cited therein — deprive Hertz of remedies in violation of Art. I, § 10, and § 13 of the Alabama Constitution and due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution. Hertz cites SunspanEngineering Construction Co. v. Spring-Lock Scaffolding Co.,
There is no duty owing Hertz by Dravo which would give rise to a tort claim, for the rule in Alabama is that one of several joint tort-feasors cannot enforce contribution from other tort-feasors. Sherman Concrete Pipe Machinery, Inc. v. GadsdenConcrete and Metal Pipe Co., Inc.,
The right to indemnification that Hertz claims that deprivation of which would violate § 10 and § 13 of our constitution is not a cause of action and remedy preserved by our constitution. See the Grantham trilogy (Grantham v. Denke),
Thus, Dravo owes Hertz no legal duty upon which Hertz may sue. We reject the constitutional challenge.
The judgment of the trial court is hereby affirmed.
AFFIRMED.
BLOODWORTH, FAULKNER, JONES and EMBRY, JJ., concur. *Page 327
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Hertz Equipment Rental Corporation v. Dravo Corporation.
- Cited By
- 5 cases
- Status
- Published