Ecker, E. v. National Railroad Passenger Corp. ( 2015 )

J-A20018-15
NON-PRECEDENTIAL DECISION - SEE SUPERIOR COURT I.O.P. 65.37
EDWARD ECKER, IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF
PENNSYLVANIA
Appellant
v.
NATIONAL RAILROAD PASSENGER
CORPORATION A/K/A AMTRAK,
Appellee
v.
CONTROLLED F.O.R.C.E., INC.,
Appellee No. 2360 EDA 2014
Appeal from the Judgment Entered September 9, 2014
In the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County
Civil Division at No(s): January Term, 2013 No. 1226
EDWARD ECKER, IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF
PENNSYLVANIA
Appellee
v.
NATIONAL RAILROAD PASSENGER
CORPORATION A/K/A AMTRAK,
Appellee
v.
CONTROLLED F.O.R.C.E., INC.,
Appellant No. 2608 EDA 2014
J-A20018-15
Appeal from the Order Dated August 5, 2014
In the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County
Civil Division at No(s): January Term, 2013 No. 1226
BEFORE: DONOHUE, SHOGAN, and WECHT, JJ.
MEMORANDUM BY SHOGAN, J.: FILED OCTOBER 05, 2015
These are consolidated appeals. Following our thorough review of the
record, the parties’ arguments, and the applicable law, we affirm.
Edward Ecker (“Ecker”), age fifty-three, was an Amtrak police officer
who filed suit in this negligence action pursuant to the Federal Employers’
Liability Action (“FELA”), 45 U.S.C. § 51, on January 15, 2013, against
Amtrak, Appellee herein. Ecker injured his shoulder on October 19, 2012,
while participating in a defensive tactics training class taught by Controlled
F.O.R.C.E., Inc. (“CF”) in a training room of Amtrak’s station at 30th Street
in Philadelphia.1 After a four-day trial, a jury found in favor of Amtrak and
CF on May 5, 2014. Following the denial of his motion for a new trial, Ecker
filed a notice of appeal at docket number 2360 EDA 2014. When the trial
court subsequently granted Amtrak’s requested indemnification for the costs
____________________________________________
1
Amtrak joined CF as an additional defendant on May 22, 2013.
-2-
J-A20018-15
of defense, CF filed a notice of appeal at docket number 2608 EDA 2014.2
On October 1, 2014, we consolidated the appeals sua sponte.
Appeal by Ecker at 2360 EDA 2014
The trial court summarized the factual underpinnings of this case as
follows:
On May 31, 2012, Amtrak and [CF] entered into a contract
for [CF] to teach several defensive training tactics courses to
Amtrak police officers on Amtrak property. On October 19,
2012, [Ecker] attended the training class and injured his
shoulder while performing a training exercise. [Ecker] claimed
that he injured himself because the parties did not supply
sufficiently thick mats on which he performed the training
exercises. (See Complaint).
Trial Court Opinion, 3/13/15, at 2. At trial, Ecker described the occurrence
of injury as follows:
[Amtrak Police Officer] Harper happened to be standing in
my location just around me. We looked at each other and we
agree that let’s give [the exercise] a try. So we turned around,
got down on the floor with our backs up against each other. We
attempted to do the exercise. I believe I got off the floor a little
bit. Exactly how high, I have no idea; but at that point it was
the very first time I tried it. I fell. Like, I was losing my
balance. I threw my arm out instinctively to keep from falling off
over to the side. So I just threw my arm out there.
N.T., 4/29/14, at 173. Ecker also testified that the training room “was
poorly lit, dingy looking, dirty. Looked like nobody had been back there in
____________________________________________
2
Thus, CF is an appellee in the appeal filed by Appellant Ecker at docket
number 2360 EDA 2014. CF is the appellant in the appeal it filed regarding
the trial court’s ruling that CF must indemnify Amtrak, Appellee therein, at
docket number 2608 EDA 2014.
-3-
J-A20018-15
years.” Id. at 167. Ecker stated that he talked to the CF instructor about
the conditions in the training room, as follows:
So I just said, mentioned to the instructor I thought that the
flooring that was down seemed a little thin since I’ve been to
many defensive tactics courses over the years and usually you
do takedowns in defensive tactics. Now I didn’t know what to
expect out of this class, but if it was like every other defensive
tactics training I’d been to, I just believed that we were going to
do some kind of takedowns. And I thought that the flooring with
the concrete floor, when you’re—I mean, I mean, if I’m on patrol
you take what you get. You have no choice on that. But if I’m
in a controlled environment, I just think if I’m going to be taken
down to the floor, I didn’t think the carpeting or padding it had
there was appropriate.
Id. at 168.
As noted, after a four-day jury trial, the jury found in favor of Amtrak
and CF. Ecker filed a motion for a new trial on May 12, 2014, which the trial
court denied on June 19, 2014. Subsequently, Ecker filed a notice of appeal
on July 15, 2014.3 Both Ecker and the trial court complied with Pa.R.A.P.
1925.
Ecker presents the following two issues in his appeal:
I. Did the trial court err when it precluded evidence of a prior
similar accident in the same location that occurred shortly
before Appellant’s accident?
____________________________________________
3
Because judgment had not been entered on the docket as required by
Pa.R.A.P. 301, Ecker was directed to praecipe the trial court to enter
judgment. Judgment was entered on September 9, 2014, and the
previously filed notice of appeal, therefore, is treated as filed after the entry
of judgment. See Pa.R.A.P. 905(a).
-4-
J-A20018-15
II. Did the trial court err when it precluded evidence of
subsequent remedial measures including preclusion of
questions to [CF’s] liability expert of subsequent remedial
measures?
Ecker’s Brief at 3 (full capitalization omitted).
Ecker’s challenges are to evidentiary rulings by the trial court.
Questions concerning the admissibility of evidence lie within the sound
discretion of the trial court, and we will not reverse the court’s decision
absent a clear abuse of discretion or misapplication of the law. Koller
Concrete, Inc. v. Tube City IMS, LLC, 115 A.3d 312, 316 (Pa. Super.
2015). “For a ruling on the admissibility of evidence to constitute reversible
error, it must have been harmful or prejudicial to the complaining party.”
Id. “An abuse of discretion occurs where the trial court ‘reaches a
conclusion that overrides or misapplies the law, or where the judgment
exercised is manifestly unreasonable, or is the result of partiality, prejudice,
bias, or ill will.’” Brady v. Urbas, 111 A.3d 1155, 1161 (Pa. 2015) (citing
Commonwealth v. Wright, 78 A.3d 1070, 1080 (2013)). “An abuse of
discretion may not be found merely because an appellate court might have
reached a different conclusion . . . .” Keystone Dedicated Logistics, LLC
v. JGB Enterprises, Inc., 77 A.3d 1, 11 (Pa. Super. 2013).
The above issues relate to the trial court’s grant of CF’s motions in
limine. CF filed two motions in limine on April 11, 2014. The first sought to
-5-
J-A20018-15
preclude evidence of a prior injury sustained by Amtrak Police Officer Robert
McCleary.4 McCleary had injured his arm the day prior to Ecker’s injury,
while participating in the same training program. The second motion sought
to preclude evidence of post-accident changes to the training room.
Following oral argument, the trial court granted the motions on the first day
of trial, April 28, 2014.
A motion in limine is used before trial to obtain a ruling on the
admissibility of evidence. Northeast Fence & Iron Works, Inc. v.
Murphy Quigley Co., Inc., 933 A.2d 664 (Pa. Super. 2007). “It gives the
trial judge the opportunity to weigh potentially prejudicial and harmful
evidence before the trial occurs, thus preventing the evidence from ever
reaching the jury.” Parr v. Ford Motor Co., 109 A.3d 682, 690 (Pa. Super.
2014), appeal denied, ___ A.3d ___, 2015 WL 3500130 (Pa. filed May 27,
2015). A trial court’s decision to grant a motion in limine “is subject to an
evidentiary abuse of discretion standard of review.” Id.
Ecker maintains that evidence of McCleary’s prior injury was
admissible, citing DiFrancesco v. Excam, Inc., 642 A.2d 529, 535 (Pa.
Super. 1994), in support. DiFrancesco was a products liability case where
an injured pistol buyer brought an action against the seller, distributor, and
manufacturer of the pistol. This Court determined that evidence of other
____________________________________________
4
At oral argument on the motion in limine, the potential witness McCleary
was referred to as McThiery. N.T., 4/29/14, at 6.
-6-
J-A20018-15
accidental gun discharges, which were different models than the one that
accidentally discharged and injured the buyer, were not so dissimilar as to
render the evidence inadmissible. Id. at 535. Ecker also cites Lockley v.
CSX Transp., Inc., 5 A.3d 383, 395 (Pa. Super. 2010), suggesting that the
impact of the challenged evidence was tempered by the trial court’s
instruction that evidence is admissible only if the prior accident is sufficiently
similar to the incident involving the plaintiff and that it occurred under
sufficiently similar circumstances. Ecker asserts that CF and Amtrak were
put on notice that the environment was unsafe when the injury occurred to
McCleary the day before Ecker was hurt. Ecker contends that whether to
admit such evidence is a “fact-specific inquiry,” and he acknowledges that
the burden is on him, the party introducing the evidence, to establish the
accident’s similarity to the present incident. Blumer v. Ford Motor Co, 20
A.3d 1222, 1228–1229 (Pa. Super. 2011).
Ecker proffers that the trial court failed to consider the following
factually relevant factors:
1) Both accidents occurred at the 30th Street Station training
room;
2) the same Amtrak instructors were present and providing
instruction to the groups at the time of the accidents;
3) the same [CF] instructor was present and providing
instruction to the group[s] at the time of the accidents;
4) the accident occurred during the training class;
-7-
J-A20018-15
5) both injuries involved trauma to an upper extremity that
struck a concrete floor;
6) both individuals received first aid from the instructors; and
7) both cases were investigated by the same Amtrak [C]laims
Agent[,] Barbara Maine[, whom Ecker] intended to call as a
witness.
Ecker’s Brief at 16. However, Ecker fails to support these factors by any
reference to the record. Thus, they merely are bald allegations in his brief.
“It is not this Court’s responsibility to comb through the record seeking the
factual underpinnings of [an appellant’s] claim.” Irwin Union Nat. Bank &
Trust Co. v. Famous, 4 A.3d 1099, 1103 (Pa. Super. 2010).
CF responds that Ecker failed to meet his burden of showing that the
two incidents had substantial similarity. CF’s Brief at 9. CF mimics the
holding of the trial court, explained below. Amtrak asserts that Ecker failed
to prove a “fact-based inquiry,” maintaining that Ecker showed only that
both injuries occurred in the same training class at the same location.
Amtrak’s Brief at 6. Amtrack claims that Ecker failed to identify evidence of
the circumstances surrounding the McCleary incident and avers that the fact
that the two men suffered upper extremity injuries “is not indicative of
similarity.” Id. at 7.
The trial court precluded evidence of McCleary’s injury, holding that
Ecker failed to establish that the prior accident was substantially similar to
the instant incident. The trial court stated that the only evidence Ecker
submitted was the deposition of Amtrak Police Captain Lee O’Brien
-8-
J-A20018-15
(“O’Brien”). The trial court determined that while O’Brien stated that he
received a report concerning injury to McCleary, he “had no other details and
was not even certain when the other incident occurred.” Trial Court Opinion,
3/13/15, at 5.
The record supports this assessment by the trial court. O’Brien, who
controlled the Mid-Atlantic Amtrak Police Department, Patrol Division, was
deposed on December 2, 2013. Lee O’Brien Deposition, 12/2/13; Ecker’s
Answer to Motion in Limine, 4/21/14, at Plaintiff’s Exhibit 2. Ecker’s counsel
asked O’Brien, who arranged the defense tactics course for Amtrak, if he
“receive[d] notice of any individuals reporting that they had an injury during
class,” and he replied, “Yes.” Id. at 44. “I had a report of an injury where
an officer fell off the surface and injured his elbow, and then I received a
report of an injury with Officer Ecker.” Id. Counsel asked if the elbow
injury occurred before or after Ecker’s injury, and the witness answered, “I
don’t recall, but I believe it was before.” Id. at 46. O’Brien testified that
“[a]ccording to policy, there’s an investigation done when there’s an officer
injury.” Id. at 45–46. He continued, “The only time that I would be notified
is if the accident investigation or the incident investigation determined that it
was part of the class that got him injured or it was an unsafe condition.” Id.
at 46. Counsel inquired, “Were you notified of those things?” and O’Brien
responded, “No.” Id.
-9-
J-A20018-15
The trial court held that Ecker “failed to provide . . . the trial court
with any definitive evidence that the other incident was similar to this
one and even when the other incident occurred.” Trial Court Opinion,
3/13/15, at 5 (emphasis added). We agree. We recently reiterated that it is
the burden of the proponent of evidence, “to establish, to the court’s
satisfaction, the similarity between other accidents and the subject accident
before this evidence could have been admitted for any purpose.” Parr, 109
A.3d at 698–699 (citing Hutchinson v. Penske Truck Leasing Co., 876
A.2d 978 (Pa. Super. 2005)). During argument before the trial court, Ecker
failed to show the required similarity between Ecker’s injury and McCleary’s
injury. N.T., 4/29/14, at 6–8. The trial court did not abuse its discretion in
concluding that Ecker failed to sustain his burden of establishing the
requisite similarity.5
Ecker next assails the trial court’s decision to preclude Ecker’s
questioning of CF’s expert witness in the field of police training, Anthony
Grano (“Grano”), former CF instructor and owner, regarding Amtrak’s use of
protective floor mats subsequent to Ecker’s injury. As noted supra, on April
11, 2014, CF filed a motion in limine to preclude evidence of post-accident
____________________________________________
5
In addition, we note that Ecker admitted that he failed to include McCleary
as a potential witness in his Pretrial Memorandum and Supplemental Pretrial
Memorandum, in violation of the trial court’s April 23, 2013 Case
Management Order advising that “[c]ounsel should expect witnesses not
listed [in the pretrial memorandum] to be precluded from testifying at trial.”
Order, 4/23/13.
- 10 -
J-A20018-15
changes to the training room. Amtrak joined in this motion, and the trial
court granted it on April 28, 2014. Ecker contends that he should have been
permitted to discuss the fact that “several months” after his injury, “Amtrak
placed padded mats in the [training] room for future training groups.”
Ecker’s Brief at 18.
Ecker submits that the location of both accidents was the 8th floor of
Amtrak’s 30th Street Station. He describes the location as an open storage
space that was in disrepair and had wires hanging and broken chairs. The
floor was made of concrete and “was not proper for individuals for doing
tactics that required contact with the floor. The only protection on the floor
was a rug which was identified to be like a blanket.” Ecker’s Brief at 18.
Ecker posits that several months after his injury, Amtrak placed padded
mats in the room for future training groups. Id. Ecker argues that Pa.R.E.
407 permits evidence of subsequent remedial measures with a proper
limiting instruction when the measures are offered for impeachment. He
maintains that he desired to impeach Grano, who, Ecker submits, was
accepted as a “13th hour expert without any pretrial disclosure.” Ecker’s
Brief at 19.
In support of its decision granting CF’s and Amtrak’s motion in limine,
the trial court cited Pa.R.E. 407, which provides as follows:
Rule 407. Subsequent Remedial Measures
When measures are taken by a party that would have made an
earlier injury or harm less likely to occur, evidence of the
- 11 -
J-A20018-15
subsequent measures is not admissible against that party to
prove:
 negligence;
 culpable conduct;
 a defect in a product or its design; or
 a need for a warning or instruction.
The trial court underscored, however, the Rule’s final provision that:
the court may admit this evidence for another purpose such as
impeachment or—if disputed—proving ownership, control, or
the feasibility of precautionary measures.
Pa.R.E. 407 (emphasis added). The trial court considered Pa.R.E. 403, in
tandem, which states as follows:
Rule 403. Excluding Relevant Evidence for Prejudice,
Confusion, Waste of Time, or Other Reasons
The court may exclude relevant evidence if its probative value is
outweighed by a danger of one or more of the following: unfair
prejudice, confusing the issues, misleading the jury, undue
delay, wasting time, or needlessly presenting cumulative
evidence.
Pa.R.E. 403.
Our Supreme Court has stated:
The admission of [evidence of subsequent remedial measures]
cannot be defended on principle. It is not more likely to show
that there was negligence before the accident than that the
occurrence of the accident first suggested the use of methods or
appliances not before thought of; it applies to conduct before an
accident a standard of duty determined by after-acquired
knowledge; it punishes a prudent and well-meaning defendant
who guards against the recurrence of an accident he had no
reason to anticipate, or who out of a considerate regard for the
- 12 -
J-A20018-15
safety of others exercises a higher degree of care than the law
requires.
Duchess v. Langston Corp., 769 A.2d 1131, 1137 n.7 (Pa. 2001) (citation
omitted); see also Columbia & Puget Sound RRCo. v. Hawthorne, 144
U.S. 202, 207-208 (1892) (describing evidence of remedial measures as
incompetent in that the taking of such precautions against the future is “not
to be construed as an admission of responsibility for the past, has no
legitimate tendency to prove that the defendant had been negligent before
the accident happened, and is calculated to distract the minds of the jury
from the real issue, and create a prejudice against the defendant.”);
Hoffmaster v. County of Allegheny, 550 A.2d 1023, 1028 (Pa. Cmwlth.
1988) (stating that “evidence of other accidents that occur subsequent to
that upon which the litigation is brought is not admissible to show knowledge
of a condition prior to an accident.”).
CF maintains that the trial court determined that Amtrak’s placement
of thicker mats in the training room was irrelevant because CF was not the
party who altered the flooring, in that CF’s contract had expired, and CF no
longer was involved in training Amtrak employees. Amtrak points out that
the Rule’s exclusion of evidence of subsequent remedial measures was
subject to certain exceptions, one of which was feasibility. That exception,
however, presupposes that feasibility is contested by the party against
whom the evidence is offered. Duchess, 769 A.2d at 1134. Amtrak posits
that was not the case here. “Neither Amtrak nor [CF] ever contended that
- 13 -
J-A20018-15
some other, thicker floor cover could not have been used during the
training.” Amtrak’s Brief at 9. As Amtrak’s counsel argued to the trial court:
“We’re not taking a position that this was not feasible. We’re taking a
position we just didn’t do it.” N.T., 4/29/14, at 23. Amtrak avers that
Grano made the same point when, during cross-examination by Ecker’s
counsel, he acknowledged not only the feasibility of using mats during
[Ecker’s] training, but also CF’s use of mats in other training classes:
Q. Now, in terms of the feasibility, meaning was it possible to
have mats placed down on the floor at 30th Street Station on
October 19, 2012?
A. . . . Is it possible?
Q. Yes.
A. Sure, it’s possible.
N.T., 5/1/14, at 11. As Amtrak explains, it did not challenge the feasibility
of putting thicker padding on the training floor. Therefore, because the
feasibility of precautionary measures was not in dispute, “the trial court
properly precluded evidence of Amtrak’s replacement of the existing flooring
with thicker mats after [Ecker’s] alleged injury.” CF’s Brief at 12.
Since Amtrak did not contest the feasibility of precautionary measures,
the issue was not in dispute. Thus, pursuant to Pa.R.E. 407, the trial court
properly precluded Ecker from introducing into evidence the fact that Amtrak
replaced the existing floor covering with thicker mats after Ecker’s injury
because such evidence would not constitute impeachment evidence.
- 14 -
J-A20018-15
Moreover, as found by the trial court, the subsequent remedial measures
were not relevant to CF because CF did not alter the floor’s surface, and CF
was not involved in training Amtrak employees at the time the floor was
altered. Trial Court Opinion, 3/13/15, at 8. We conclude the trial court did
not abuse its discretion in the evidentiary rulings identified by Ecker.
Appeal by CF at 2608 EDA 2014
On June 2, 2014, Amtrak filed a motion for counsel fees claiming that
CF was contractually obligated to indemnify Amtrak for the costs of defense
in light of the jury’s verdict absolving Amtrak of liability. CF opposed the
motion, asserting the plain language of the contract. On August 5, 2014,
the trial court granted Amtrak’s June 2, 2014 request for indemnification for
costs of defense. CF appealed this order on September 3, 2014, at docket
number 2608 EDA 2014. Both CF and the trial court complied with Pa.R.A.P.
1925.
CF presents one question in its appeal, as follows:
Whether the trial court erred in granting Amtrak’s motion
for assessment of defense fees and costs and declaring that [CF]
shall pay the reasonable defense fees and costs incurred by
Amtrak in the underlying matter where the jury specifically
exonerated [CF] from liability in connection with the underlying
matter and where the contract language provides for [CF’s]
indemnification of Amtrak only for injuries arising out of, caused
by or resulting from materials or services provided by [CF]?
CF’s Brief at 4.
CF maintains that Amtrak relied on the language of paragraph twenty-
four of its contract with CF, which provides as follows:
- 15 -
J-A20018-15
24. Indemnification.
A. Contractor agrees to defend, indemnify and hold harmless
Amtrak, its officers, directors, employees, agents, successors,
assigns and subsidiaries (collectively, “Indemnified Parties”),
from and against any claims, losses, liabilities (including without
limitation environmental liabilities), penalties, fines, causes of
action, suits, costs and expenses incidental thereto, (including
costs of defense and attorneys’ fees)(collectively “Claims”),
which any of the Indemnified Parties may hereafter incur, be
responsible for or pay as a result of breach of warranty, injury or
death of any person, or damage to or loss (including loss of use)
of any property, including of the parties thereto, arising out of or
in any degree directly or indirectly caused by or resulting from
materials or deliverables supplied by, or from activities of, or
Services performed by Contractor, Contractor’s officers,
employees, agents, subcontractors, or any other person acting
for or with the permission of Contractor under the Contract, or
as a result of Contractor’s failure to perform its obligations in
compliance with the Contract Documents.
Defendant’s [Amtrak’s] Answer to Plaintiff’s Complaint with New Matter,
Exhibit C, 3/12/13, Amtrak Services Contract, 1/6/10, ¶ 24.
CF posits that Amtrak relied on Mace v. Atlantic Ref. & Mktg. Corp.,
785 A.2d 491 (Pa. 2001), in asserting that it was entitled to defense costs
because it had been absolved of liability in the underlying matter. CF avers
that Amtrak ignored the fact that CF, likewise, was absolved from liability.
CF contends that it argued to the trial court that “there must be some
connection to CF’s activities or services in order to trigger its obligation to
indemnify.” CF’s Brief at 11. CF suggests the trial court dismissed this fact
and instead reasoned that the complaint and lawsuit were “a claim” that
Ecker’s injury resulted from CF’s training class. Id. CF argues that the trial
court’s interpretation of the contract language cannot be reconciled with
- 16 -
J-A20018-15
Lane v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, 954 A.2d 615 (Pa. Super.
2008). The Lane Court examined the relevant contract language therein
and concluded that indemnification was not required. CF attempts to draw
similarities to Lane.
CF avers that it did not intend to assume liability for all injuries
associated with its training program regardless of whether it caused those
injuries. Rather, CF posits that it agreed to defend and indemnify Amtrak
only for injuries “arising out of or in any degree directly or indirectly caused
by or resulting from materials or deliverables supplied by, or from activities
of or [s]ervices performed by” CF. CF’s Brief at 15–16. CF suggests that
like the indemnitor in Lane, and in contrast to the indemnitor in Mace, the
jury absolved CF from any liability. It asserts that the jury verdict is
conclusive of the effect of this contractual language. Lane, 954 A.2d at 622.
Amtrak urges that the trial court properly discerned the intent of the
parties from the contract itself. It argues that the words of the contract are
clear and unambiguous. Here, the jury assigned no liability to Amtrak for
the injuries and damages allegedly suffered by Ecker during the training.
Amtrak posits that applying basic contract principles, it is clear that Amtrak
is entitled to indemnification because Ecker’s claims, causes of action, and
alleged injuries arose “out of or are to some degree directly or indirectly
caused by or resulting from the services performed by” CF. Amtrak’s Brief
at 4.
- 17 -
J-A20018-15
Amtrak refers to the Perry-Ruzzi rule. This reference is to Perry v.
Payne, 66 A. 553 (Pa. 1907), and Ruzzi v. Butler Petroleum Co., 588
A.2d 1 (Pa. 1991), and the principle that any contractual provision requiring
indemnification for one’s own negligence must be expressed in “unequivocal
terms.” Mace, 785 A.2d at 494. Amtrak contends that if the jury had found
Amtrak causally negligent for Ecker’s injuries, the provision would have had
to pass muster under that rule. However, in the absence of such a finding,
the “general principles of contract interpretation” rather than the Perry-
Ruzzi rule are the proper standard for assessing CF’s obligations under the
contract provision. Amtrak’s Brief at 5.
Amtrak looks to Mace for guidance in resolving this issue. Amtrak
argues that CF’s indemnification obligation is not dependent on it being
found liable to Ecker. Rather, it proffers that whether CF was absolved of
liability is irrelevant “with respect to its contractual obligation to indemnify
Amtrak.” Amtrak’s Brief at 10. It contends that CF’s reliance on Lane is
misplaced, and that Mace controls.
In holding that its award of attorneys’ fees was proper, the trial court
referred to the May 31, 2012 Amtrak Services Contract between CF and
Amtrak. The trial court examined paragraph twenty-four quoted above and
concluded that the indemnification provision applied. The trial court stated:
The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania has held that the jury
verdict determines the standard that the trial court must use to
interpret an indemnification provision. Ruzzi v. Butler Petroleum
Co., 527 Pa. 1, 7, 588 A.2d 1, 4 (1991) (reaffirming Perry v.
- 18 -
J-A20018-15
Payne, 217 Pa. 252, 66 A. 553 (1907)). If the jury had found
that Amtrak was negligent for [Ecker’s] injuries and damages,
then the “Perry-Ruzzi” rule would apply. This rule provides that
“If a party seeks to indemnify itself against its own negligence,
the language seeking to do so in the indemnification provision
must be clear and unequivocal.” Mace v. Atl. Ref. Mktg. Corp.,
567 Pa. 71, 76, 785 A.2d 491, 494 (2001).
In contrast, if the jury finds the indemnified party not
negligent, then the trial court is to interpret an indemnification
provision using “general principles of contract interpretation.”
Mace, 567 Pa. at 79. In particular, the trial court is to “ascertain
and give effect to the intent of the contracting parties.” Id. at
80 citing Shovel Transfer & Storage, Inc. v. Pennsylvania Liquor
Control Bd, 559 Pa. 56, 65, 739 A.2d 133, 137 (1999) (citations
omitted). Further, “when the words of a contract are clear and
unambiguous, the meaning of the contract is ascertained from
the contents alone.”
* * *
The plain language of the contract states that [CF] “agrees
to defend, indemnify and hold harmless Amtrak ... against any
claims ... which Amtrak may hereafter incur, be responsible for,
or pay as a result of injury or death of any person ... arising out
of or in any degree directly or indirectly caused by or resulting
from materials or deliverables supplied by or from activities of,
or Services performed bv Contractor.
Parsing out the phrases in the indemnification provision
reveals that it applies. The Complaint and resulting lawsuit are
undisputedly a “claim.” The evidence at trial demonstrated that
Mr. Ecker injured himself while performing a training exercise
and went to the hospital for treatment. Therefore, the “claim” is
“a result of injury” that “ar[ose] out of or any degree directly or
indirectly caused by” the training classes that Appellee [CF]
conducted.
Appellant [CF] argues that it is not obligated to indemnify
Amtrak because the jury did not find that [CF] was negligent.
The indemnification provision in the Service Contract is not so
limited. The parties agreed in the Service Contract to a much
broader indemnification provision, one in which [CF] must
indemnify Amtrak for any claim in which an individual suffered
- 19 -
J-A20018-15
an injury in some manner connected to the services [CF]
performed. This provision is not limited to [CF’s] negligence[,]
and using general principles of general contract construction, the
trial court could not interpret it in such a limited manner.
Trial Court Opinion, 3/13/15, at 9–10 (internal citations omitted)(emphases
in original). We agree with the trial court’s analysis and conclude the trial
court properly ordered CF to indemnify Amtrak for its expenses pursuant to
the service contract between Amtrak and CF.
Judgment entered September 9, 2014, is affirmed. Order entered
August 5, 2014, is affirmed.
Judgment Entered.
Joseph D. Seletyn, Esq.
Prothonotary
Date: 10/5/2015
- 20 -