Norfolk Southern v. Gretakis

Decision Date14 June 1934
PartiesNORFOLK SOUTHERN RAILROAD COMPANY v. MANUEL GRETAKIS.
CourtVirginia Supreme Court

Present, Campbell, C.J., and Epes, Hudgins, Gregory, and Browning, JJ.

1. CONTRIBUTION — Parent and Child — Parent and Railroad Joint Wrongdoers — Case at Bar. The instant case was a suit for contribution by a railroad against a parent for money paid by the railroad on a judgment obtained by his infant daughter. The daughter was injured in an automobile collision caused by the concurring negligence, without moral turpitude, of the parent and the railroad. The parent was covered by liability insurance. The bill praying for contribution was filed under section 5779 of the Code of 1930 and the defendant demurred to the bill on the ground, among others, that the bill showed on its face that the complainant was seeking contribution for money paid to his infant daughter, and that an infant daughter cannot sue a parent and therefore there can be no contribution. The court sustained the demurrer upon this ground.

Held: That the court did not err.

2. PARENT AND CHILD — Action by Unemancipated Minor Child against His or Her Parent. — According to the great weight of authority an unemancipated minor child cannot sue his or her parent to recover for personal injuries resulting from an ordinary act of negligence.

3. CONTRIBUTION — Section 5779 of the Code of 1930 — Liability Created by Statute. Section 5779, Code of 1930, gives a right of contribution only where the person injured has a right of action against two persons for the same indivisible injury. Though the concurring negligence of two persons may have resulted in an indivisible injury to a third, if the third person has a cause of action against only one of them, that one cannot enforce contribution from the other. The statute allowing contribution does not create any greater liability than existed before its enactment.

4. PARENT AND CHILD — Accident Liability Insurance — Case at Bar. The instant case was a suit for contribution by a railroad against a parent for money paid by the railroad on a judgment obtained by his infant daughter. The fact that the father carried accident liability insurance did not create any liability against the father, which would not exist were he uninsured; therefore, as the infant daughter could not sue her father, a demurrer to the bill was properly sustained.

Appeal from a decree of the Law and Chancery Court of the city of Norfolk. Decree for defendant. Complainant appeals.

The opinion states the case.

James G. Martin, for the appellant.

Williams, Loyall & Taylor, for the appellee.

EPES, J., delivered the opinion of the court.

The Norfolk Southern Railroad Company filed its bill in chancery against Manuel Gretakis in which it makes the following allegations:

Gretakis was driving his automobile when it came into collision with an electric car of the Norfolk Southern Railroad Company at a grade crossing in Princess Anne county. The collision was caused by the concurring negligence, without moral turpitude, of both parties. Gretakis was "guilty of the greatest negligence in causing said collision, to-wit: ninety per cent of the total negligence being chargeable against" him. As a result of the collision Gretakis' infant daughter, who was riding in his automobile with him, was injured. She, suing by her father as her next friend, brought her action against the Norfolk Southern Railroad Company to recover for the personal injuries she received, and recovered a judgment against it for $1,500, with interest and costs, all of which it has paid. "Gretakis is fully covered by liability insurance by a solvent insurance company against all liability for such accidents as occurred in this case, * * * and any judgment or decree herein will be paid by that company, which will save Manuel Gretakis entirely harmless."

While the bill does not in terms allege that Gretakis was guilty of gross negligence for which he would have been liable to a guest (see Boggs Plybon, 157 Va. 30, 160 S.E. 77, and Thomas Snow, post, p. 654, 174 S.E. 837), we treat it as so alleging.

The prayer of the bill is "that Manuel Gretakis may be * * * compelled to contribute and to pay it the Norfolk Southern Railroad Company nine-tenths of the amount which it has had to pay for said judgment, or such part thereof as under the facts and the law it is proper that he should contribute."

The bill is filed under section 5779, Code Va. 1919, which reads as follows: "Section 5779. When contribution among wrongdoers enforced. — Contribution among wrongdoers may be enforced where the wrong is a mere act of negligence and involves no moral turpitude."

Gretakis demurred to the bill on the following grounds:

"(1) The bill shows on its face that the complainant is seeking contribution for money paid to his infant daughter. That an infant daughter cannot sue her parent and there can be no contribution.

"(2) That there was no common liability on the Norfolk Southern Railroad Company and Manuel Gretakis to Mary Gretakis.

"(3) The bill does not allege any equitable jurisdiction, there being an adequate remedy at law.

"(4) There is no jurisdiction in equity to enforce section 5779, Code...

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