Truck Insurance Exchange v. Storer
Truck Insurance Exchange v. Storer
Opinion of the Court
MEMORANDUM
We review the district court’s grant of summary judgment de novo, applying the same standard used by the trial court under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 56(c).
In Lapham v. Stewart,
In some cases, such as those involving negligent drafting of an instrument, there is objective proof of the damage upon hiring new counsel to deal with the consequences of the error.
Truck Insurance prevailed on summary judgment in the bad faith litigation in Idaho’s trial court. At that point, there was no ground upon which it could have sued its attorneys, because the trial court’s judgment in favor of Truck Insurance insulated it from any objectively ascertainable damage. The Idaho Supreme Court’s reversal of summary judgment did not begin the accrual of the cause of action because it remanded for further proceedings and did not hold that Truck Insurance had engaged in bad faith. Although Truck Insurance no longer had won the case, neither had it lost. Until settlement occurred, it was speculative, not only whether damages would be caused, but also whether there was any breach of duty by the insurance carrier and by the attorney. Any damage to Truck Insurance was not objectively ascertainable until it settled the claim for an amount in excess of policy limits. Accordingly, we reverse the district court’s judgment.
Appellees argue that even if the statute of limitations does not bar Truck Insurance’s malpractice claim, the doctrine of judicial estoppel does. Under Rissetto,
Our reversal does not establish that there was any professional malpractice, nor do we speak to any other defenses that may pertain. The summary judgment based on the statute of limitations is
REVERSED.
This disposition is not appropriate for publication and may not be cited to or by the courts of this circuit except as provided by Ninth Circuit Rule 36-3.
. Delta Savings Bank v. United States, 265 F.3d 1017, 1021 (9th Cir. 2001).
. See Salve Regina College v. Russell, 499 U.S. 225, 231, 111 S.Ct. 1217, 113 L.Ed.2d 190 (1991); Matter of McLinn, 739 F.2d 1395, 1403 (9th Cir. 1984) (en banc).
. Mullaney v. Wilbur, 421 U.S. 684, 691 & n. 11, 95 S.Ct. 1881, 44 L.Ed.2d 508 (1975) (citations omitted).
. 137 Idaho 582, 51 P.3d 396 (Idaho 2002).
. Id. at 400.
. Id. at 400-01; Chicoine v. Bignall, 122 Idaho 482, 835 P.2d 1293, 1298 (Idaho 1992).
. Chicoine, 835 P.2d at 1298.
. See, e.g., Elliott v. Parsons, 128 Idaho 723, 918 P.2d 592, 594 (Idaho 1996).
. Chicoine, 835 P.2d at 1298.
. Rissetto v. Plumbers & Steamfitters Local 343, 94 F.3d 597 (9th Cir. 1996).
. Id. at 600.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- TRUCK INSURANCE EXCHANGE, a California Corporation, Plaintiff—Appellant v. Theo L. STORER, Personal Representative of the Estate of Morton B. Hiller Dean Dalling William R. Dalling, Defendants—Appellees
- Status
- Published