Staab v. Diocese of St. Cloud
Annotate this CasePlaintiff Alice Ann Staab brought suit against Defendant Diocese of St. Cloud for injuries she sustained on premises Defendant owned and operated. A special jury verdict attributed fifty percent of the negligence to the sole defendant and fifty percent of the negligence to a nonparty to the lawsuit. The district court ruled that Minn. Stat. 604.02, subd. 1 does not apply in an action against only one defendant and ordered Defendant to pay the entire damages award. The court of appeals reversed, holding that under the plain language of section 604.02, subdivision 1, Defendant must pay only in proportion to the percentage of fault attributed to Defendant by the jury. The Supreme Court affirmed but under a different analysis, holding (1) section 604.02, subdivision 1, applies when a jury apportions fault between a sole defendant and a nonparty tortfeasor and limits the amount collectible from the defendant to its percentage share of the fault assigned to it by the jury; and (2) consequently, Defendant must pay Plaintiff fifty percent of the jury award, Defendant's share of the fault as determined by the jury.
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