Perez v. Percarpio

Filing 91

Judge George A. OToole, Jr: ORDER entered. (Lyness, Paul)

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT DISTRICT OF MASSACHUSETTS __________________________________________ AMELIA PEREZ, ) Plaintiff, ) Civil Action No. 07-30244-GAO v. ) KATHERINE PERCARPIO, ) Defendant/ ) Third-Party Plaintiff, ) v. ) RAFEAL ZENO, ) Third-Party Defendant/ ) Fourth-Party Plaintiff, ) v. ) ELIZABETH BALLOU and MICHAEL ) GELLMAN, ) Fourth-Party Defendants. ) __________________________________________) __________________________________________ RAFAEL ZENO, SR., ) Plaintiff/Defendant in ) Counterclaim/Third-Party ) Plaintiff, ) ) AWILDA ZENO, individually and as mother and ) next best friend of RAFAEL ZENO, JR. and ) Civil Action No. 08-11891-GAO JONATHAN ZENO, ) Plaintiffs, ) CONSOLIDATED v. ) KATHERINE B. PERCARPIO, ) Defendant/ ) Plaintiff-in-Counterclaim, ) v. ) ELIZABETH BALLOU and MICHAEL ) GELLMAN, ) Third-Party Defendants. ) __________________________________________) ORDER July 27, 2010 O'TOOLE, D.J. This Order resolves two issues raised at the pre-trial conference: Rafael Zeno, Sr. is entitled to a jury trial on Katherine Percarpio's contribution claim under Massachusetts General Laws chapter 231B. Under Massachusetts law, the right to a jury

trial on a statutory cause of action exists where the legislature confers such a right, Nei v. Burley, 446 N.E.2d 674, 677 (Mass. 1983), or where the statutory cause of action is analogous to an action at law, see Dalis v. Buyer Adver., Inc., 636 N.E.2d 212, 214 (Mass. 1994). The contribution claim requires a determination of the extent to which Zeno's negligence contributed to Amelia Perez's injuries. See Panagakos v. Walsh, 749 N.E.2d 670, 672 (Mass. 2001) ("[T]he party seeking contribution must show that the potential contributor is directly liable to the tort plaintiff."). Because the underlying issue of negligence is legal in nature, a right to a jury trial exists on the contribution claim. See also In re N-500L Cases, 691 F.2d 15, 19-21 (1st Cir. 1982) (finding a right to a jury trial under Puerto Rico's contribution statute); Daley v. E.I. Du Pont De Nemours & Co., No. 94-2849, 1994 WL 928187, at *1-2 (Mass. Super. Ct. May 2, 1994) (finding a right to a jury trial under Massachusetts's contribution statute). Zeno's contention that the release executed by Perez bars Percarpio's contribution claim under Massachusetts General Laws chapter 231B, § 4 lacks merit. See Robertson v. McCarte, 433 N.E.2d 1262, 1264-65 (Mass. App. Ct. 1982) (holding that Massachusetts General Laws chapter 231B, § 4 does not apply to situations where both tortfeastors are named in the release).

/s/ George A. O'Toole, Jr. United States District Judge

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