Mobile Infirmary Association d/b/a Mobile Infirmary Medical Center v. Quest Diagnostics Clinical Laboratories, Inc.

Summary

The Supreme Court of Alabama affirmed summary judgment for Quest in Mobile Infirmary's contractual-indemnity action arising from a settled wrongful-death claim. The reciprocal indemnity provisions did not clearly and unequivocally establish a formula for allocating liability when both parties' negligence contributed to the death, and Mobile Infirmary's admission that its negligence contributed to the death triggered its own indemnity obligation. The court therefore rejected both Mobile Infirmary's request for proportionate indemnity and its request for full indemnity.