Ala. Elec. Co. v. Dow Corning Ala., Inc. (Ex parte Dow Corning Ala., Inc.)

249 So.3d 478

EX PARTE DOW CORNING ALABAMA, INC., et al.

(In re Alabama Electric Company, Inc., of Dothan and National Trust Insurance Company

v.Dow Corning Alabama, Inc., et al.)

11160028

Supreme Court of Alabama.

September 1, 2017

John W. Dodson and F. Tucker Burge, Jr., of Dodson Gregory, LLP, Birmingham, for petitioners.

F. Lane Finch, Jr., and Brian C. Richardson of Swift, Currie, McGhee & Hiers, LLP, Birmingham; and Alan C. Livingston of Lee, Livingston, Lee & Nichols, PC, Dothan, for respondent.

SELLERS, Justice.

Dow Corning Alabama, Inc., Dow Corning Corporation, Rajesh Mahadasyam, Fred McNett, Zurich American Insurance Company ("Zurich"), and National Union Insurance Company of Pittsburgh, PA ("National Union"), petition this Court for a writ of mandamus directing the trial court to transfer the underlying declaratory-judgment action to the Montgomery Circuit Court pursuant to § 6–3–21.1, Ala. Code 1975, the forum non conveniens statute. We deny the petition.

Facts

Alabama Electric Company, Inc., of Dothan ("Alabama Electric") is an Alabama corporation with its principal place of business in Houston County. Dow Corning Alabama is a Delaware corporation with its principal place of business in Montgomery County. Dow Corning Alabama hired Alabama Electric, an independent contractor, to perform the electrical installation of a vacuum system at Dow Corning Alabama's facility in Montgomery. The master construction contract ("the master contract") between the parties includes the following indemnity provision:

"[Section 15.01] INDEMNITY—[Alabama Electric] assumes all risk and liability for provision of the Work and agrees to defend, indemnify and hold harmless [Dow Corning Alabama], its subsidiaries and affiliated companies and their officers, directors, agents, employees and assigns (each ‘Indemnified Party’), from and against all claims, including claims of bodily injury or death, all damages, losses and expenses, including attorneys' fees and expenses, arising out of or resulting from the negligent acts or omissions of [Alabama Electric], [its] employees, representatives subcontractors and independent contractors under [Alabama Electric's] supervision and control while on [Dow Corning Alabama's] premises or traveling to or from [Dow Corning Alabama's] premises for the purpose of performing Work, regardless of whether caused in part by [Dow Corning Alabama]."

(Emphasis added.) Section 16.02 of the master contract requires Alabama Electric to maintain "Commercial General Liability Insurance ... providing standard coverage including, but not limited to, insurance for any and all public liability including bodily injury, property damage, personal injury, or advertising injury to others, arising from or related to [Alabama Electric's] performance under this agreement." (Emphasis added.) Section 16.02 of the master contract also states that "[Dow Corning Alabama] shall be added as an additional insured for the coverages listed in b. [i.e., commercial general-liability insurance] and c. [i.e., automobile-liability insurance] above, with respect to occurrences arising out of [Alabama Electric's] negligent acts or omissions." (Emphasis added.) In accordance with the master contract, Alabama Electric's insurer, National Trust Insurance Company ("National Trust"), issued to Alabama Electric a commercial general-liability insurance policy ("the National Trust policy") for the period March 31, 2011, through March 31, 2012.

On August 1, 2011, Scottie Blue, an employee of Alabama Electric, was injured while working at Dow Corning Alabama's Montgomery facility. On March 28, 2013, Blue filed a personal-injury action in the Montgomery Circuit Court ("the Montgomery lawsuit"), naming as defendants Dow Corning Alabama, Dow Corning Corporation, Rajesh Mahadasyam, and Fred McNett ("the Dow defendants"). The Dow defendants tendered their request for defense and indemnity of the Montgomery lawsuit to Alabama Electric and National Trust, both of whom denied coverage.

On April 28, 2014, Zurich and National Union (hereinafter referred to collectively as "the Dow insurers") settled the Montgomery lawsuit through mediation, and the case was ultimately dismissed.

On May 9, 2014, Alabama Electric and National Trust filed an action in the Houston Circuit Court seeking certain declarations concerning their duties and obligations under the master contract and/or the National Trust policy regarding the settlement. Alabama Electric and National Trust argued primarily that the indemnity provision of the master contract required them to defend and indemnify only those claims based on Alabama Electric's negligence. Alabama Electric emphasized that all the claims asserted by Blue in his complaint were based on the alleged wrongful acts or omissions of the Dow defendants. Alabama Electric and National Trust subsequently amended their complaint to add the Dow insurers based on the Dow defendants' assertion that they had assigned to the Dow insurers their legal rights to sue Alabama Electric and National Trust.

On November 3, 2014, the Dow defendants moved to transfer the declaratory-judgment action from Houston County to Montgomery County pursuant to the interest-of-justice prong of § 6–3–21.1. In their motion to transfer, the Dow defendants argued that Montgomery County had a "much stronger connection" to the declaratory-judgment action because Blue's accident occurred in Montgomery County, Montgomery County was the site of Alabama Electric's alleged negligent conduct, and Montgomery County is where Blue filed his action. They argued that, in contrast, Houston County had little connection to the declaratory-judgment action other than being the location of Alabama Electric's principal place of business. Alabama Electric and National Trust argued in response that Houston County has a strong interest in the adjudication of their declaratory-judgment action because, they said, the issues presented are solely whether Alabama Electric owes indemnity under the master contract, which was executed in Houston County, and whether National Trust owes indemnity under its policy of insurance, which was issued in Houston County. At some point thereafter, the Dow insurers also filed a motion to transfer the action to Montgomery County, asserting the same grounds as did the Dow defendants. After considering briefs from the parties and conducting a hearing, the trial court entered an order denying the motions to transfer, concluding that the Dow defendants and the Dow insurers had failed to meet their burden of showing that the requested transfer to Montgomery County was justified, based on the interest of justice, under § 6–3–21.1. The trial court specifically determined that the claims asserted by the Dow defendants and the Dow insurers arise, if at all, from the master contract or from the National Trust policy.

The Dow defendants and the Dow insurers (hereinafter sometimes referred to collectively as "the Dow parties") then filed this petition for a writ of mandamus, requesting that this Court order the trial court to transfer the underlying declaratory-judgment action from the Houston Circuit Court to the Montgomery Circuit Court. This Court ordered answers and briefs.

Standard of Review

"The proper method for obtaining review of a denial of a motion for a change of venue in a civil action is to petition for the writ of mandamus. Lawler Mobile Homes, Inc. v. Tarver, 492 So.2d 297, 302 (Ala. 1986). ‘Mandamus is a drastic and extraordinary writ, to be issued only where there is (1) a clear legal right in the petitioner to the order sought; (2) an imperative duty upon the respondent to perform, accompanied by a refusal to do so; (3) the lack of another adequate remedy; and (4) properly invoked jurisdiction of the court.’ Ex parte Integon Corp., 672 So.2d 497, 499 (Ala. 1995). ‘When we consider a mandamus petition relating to a venue ruling, our scope of review is to determine if the trial court abused its discretion, i.e., whether it exercised its discretion in an arbitrary and capricious manner.’ Id. Our review is further limited to those facts that were before the trial court. Ex parte American Resources Ins. Co., 663 So.2d 932, 936 (Ala. 1995)."

Ex parte National Sec. Ins. Co., 727 So.2d 788, 789 (Ala. 1998).

Discussion

The Dow parties contend that the trial court exceeded its discretion in denying their motion to transfer the declaratory-judgment action to Montgomery County under the "interest-of-justice" prong of § 6–3–21.1, which provides, in pertinent part:

"With respect to civil actions filed in an appropriate venue, any court of general jurisdiction shall, for the convenience of parties and witnesses, or in the interest of justice, transfer any civil action or any claim in any civil action to any court of general jurisdiction in which the action might have been properly filed and the case shall proceed as though originally filed therein."

(Emphasis added.) "A [party] moving for a transfer under § 6–3–21.1 has the initial burden of showing that the transfer is justified, based on the convenience of the parties and witnesses or based on the interest of justice." Ex parte Masonite Corp., 789 So.2d 830, 831 (Ala. 2001) (emphasis added). In this case, it is undisputed that venue is appropriate in both Houston County, see § 6–3–7(a)(2), Ala. Code 1975 ("All civil actions against corporations may be brought ... [i]n the county of the corporation's principal office in this state ...."), and Montgomery County. "When venue is appropriate in more than one county, the plaintiff's choice of venue is generally given great deference." Ex parte Perfection Siding, Inc., 882 So.2d 307, 312 (Ala. 2003). Accordingly, this Court must determine "whether ‘the interest of justice’ overrides the deference due the plaintiff's choice of forum. Our inquiry depends on the facts of the case." Ex parte J & W Enters., LLC, 150 So.3d 190, 194 (Ala. 2014).

"The ‘interest of justice’ prong of §

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