2007 WI 124

 

Supreme Court of Wisconsin

 

 

 

 

 

Case No.:

2005AP1638

Complete Title:

 

 

Hjalmer C. Heikkinen, Kim Heikkinen, Special

Administrator of the Estate of Amelia Heikkinen, State of Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services and Tommy G. Thompson Secretary, Department of Health and Human Services,

          Plaintiffs-Respondents,

     v.

United Services Automobile Association and Margaret E. Morse,

          Defendants-Third-Party

          Plaintiffs-Respondents,

     v.

The Catholic Mutual Relief Society of America and Archdiocese of Milwaukee,

          Defendants-Third-Party

          Defendants-Appellants-Petitioners.

 

 

 

 

 

 

REVIEW OF A DECISION OF THE COURT OF APPEALS

2006 WI App 207

Reported at:  296 Wis. 2d 438, 724 N.W.2d 243

(Ct. App. 2006-Published)

 

 

Opinion Filed:

October 12, 2007 

Submitted on Briefs:

      

Oral Argument:

September 12, 2007 

 

 

Source of Appeal:

 

 

Court:

Circuit 

 

County:

Milwaukee 

 

Judge:

Michael Guolee 

 

 

 

Justices:

 

 

Concurred:

      

 

Dissented:

      

 

Not Participating:

CROOKS, J., did not participate. 

 

 

 

Attorneys:

 

For the defendants-third-party defendants-appellants-petitioners there were briefs by Frank L. Steeves, O. Thomas Armstrong, Jr. and von Briesen & Roper, S.C., Milwaukee, and oral argument by O. Thomas Armstrong, Jr.

 

For the defendants-third-party plaintiffs-respondents there was a brief filed by Terry E. Johnson, Frederick J. Smith, Michael D. Crooks, and Peterson, Johnson & Murray, S.C., Milwaukee, and oral argument by Terry E. Johnson.

 

For the plaintiffs-respondents there was a brief filed by Don C. Prachthauser, Kevin J. Kukor, and Murphy & Prachthauser, Milwaukee, and oral argument by Don C. Prachthauser.

 

An amicus brief was filed by Michael B. Apfeld, Milwaukee, on behalf of the Defense Research Institute.

 

An amicus brief was filed by William C. Gleisner, III and the Law Offices of Wm. Gleisner, Milwaukee, and Lynn R. Laufenberg and Laufenberg & Hoefle, S.C., Milwaukee, on behalf of the Wisconsin Academy of Trial Lawyers.

 

 

2007 WI 124

notice

This opinion is subject to further editing and modification.  The final version will appear in the bound volume of the official reports. 

No.  2005AP1638

(L.C. No.

2003CV1267)

STATE OF WISCONSIN                   :

IN SUPREME COURT

 

 

Hjalmer C. Heikkinen, Kim Heikkinen, Special Administrator of the Estate of Amelia Heikkinen, State of Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services, and Tommy G. Thompson, Secretary, Department of Health and Human Services,

 

          Plaintiffs-Respondents,

 

     v.

 

United Services Automobile Association and Margaret E. Morse,

 

          Defendants-Third-Party Plaintiffs-

          Respondents,

 

     v.

 

The Catholic Mutual Relief Society of America and Archdiocese of Milwaukee,

 

          Defendants-Third-Party Defendants-

          Appellants-Petitioners.

 

FILED

 

OCT 12, 2007

 

David R. Schanker

Clerk of Supreme Court

 

 

 

 

 

REVIEW of a decision of the Court of Appeals.  Affirmed. 

 

1   PER CURIAM.    The court is equally divided on the question of whether the published decision of the court of appeals, Heikkinen v. United Services Automobile Association, 2006 WI App 207, 296 Wis. 2d 438, 724 N.W.2d 243, should be affirmed or reversed.  CHIEF JUSTICE SHIRLEY S. ABRAHAMSON, JUSTICE ANN WALSH BRADLEY, and JUSTICE LOUIS B. BUTLER, JR., would affirm; JUSTICE DAVID T. PROSSER, JUSTICE PATIENCE DRAKE ROGGENSACK, and JUSTICE ANNETTE KINGSLAND ZIEGLER would reverse.  JUSTICE N. PATRICK CROOKS did not participate.

2   Accordingly, the decision of the court of appeals is affirmed.