Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company v. Bynum

The plaintiff-appellant in its brief correctly states the question of law involved in this appeal:

“Can an automobile insurer of one joint tort-feasor after discharging in full a judgment obtained by an injured party against its insured maintain in its own name an action for contribution under G.S. 1-240 against a second joint tort-feasor whose negligence proximately caused and contributed to the injury for which the judgment was obtained where the second tort-feasor was not made a party to the original suit?"

Under the rules of the common law the right of one joint tort-feasor to compel…