ALASKA NAT. INS. CO. v. Bryan

104 P.3d 1
CourtCourt of Appeals of Washington
DecidedDecember 21, 2004
Docket52894-7-I
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 104 P.3d 1 (ALASKA NAT. INS. CO. v. Bryan) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Washington primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
ALASKA NAT. INS. CO. v. Bryan, 104 P.3d 1 (Wash. Ct. App. 2004).

Opinion

104 P.3d 1 (2004)

ALASKA NATIONAL INSURANCE COMPANY, an Alaska corporation; and Federal Insurance Company, an Indiana corporation, Respondents,
v.
Harold A. BRYAN, an individual; Wards Cove Packing Company, a Washington corporation; and, Defendants,
Kevin D. Brunk, an individual; and Orville Brunk and Peggy Brunk, husband and wife, Appellants.

No. 52894-7-I.

Court of Appeals of Washington, Division 1.

November 8, 2004.
Publication Ordered December 21, 2004.

*3 Wayne David Hawn, Phillip Paul Weidner, Anchorage, Michael Charles Kahrs, Seattle, Patrick H. LePley, Bellevue, for Kevin, Orville & Peggy Brunk.

A. Richard Dykstra, J. William Ashbaugh, Stafford Frey Cooper, Seattle, for Alaska National Insurance Company.

Michael Alan Barcott, Seattle, for Wards Cove Packing Company.

Craig Hinton Bennion, Thomas Martin Jones, Seattle, for Federal Insurance Company.

William Robert Hickman, Seattle, for Washington Insurance Law.

COLEMAN, J.

An employee of Wards Cove Packing Company injured a passenger on his motorcycle while returning to Wards Cove's property after a night of heavy drinking. The injured passenger alleges that Wards Cove's insurer is liable for a judgment entered against the employee because the employee was acting in the business or personal affairs of Wards Cove at the time of the accident. In the alternative, the passenger argues that the insurer acted in bad faith and is estopped from denying coverage. We affirm the trial court's orders granting summary judgment in favor of the insurer because (1) the trial court properly applied Washington law, (2) the employee was not acting in the business or personal affairs of his employer when he was returning from a night of social drinking, (3) the insurer adequately reserved its right to deny coverage, (4) the insurer allowed the employee to select his own counsel and paid for all of counsel's fees in the underlying tort action, (5) the insurer was not obligated to pay for the employee's defense in the declaratory judgment action, (6) the passenger and employee did not produce evidence that the insurer acted in bad faith, and (7) the trial court did not abuse its discretion in denying *4 the employee's request for a continuance and additional discovery.

FACTS

Harold Bryan was employed as an engineer for Wards Cove Packing Company aboard a fishing vessel in Kenai, Alaska. Bryan lived aboard the vessel and was on call 24 hours a day. When Bryan left Seattle for Kenai, he took his motorcycle with him, at Wards Cove's expense. One night, Bryan drove the motorcycle to several bars. After consuming a large amount of alcohol, Bryan attempted to give Kevin Brunk a ride back to the Wards Cove facility. Bryan erred in negotiating a turn and both he and Brunk were thrown off the motorcycle into a gravel pit. Brunk was severely injured. Bryan was legally intoxicated at the time of the accident.

Brunk and his parents, Orville and Peggy Brunk (hereinafter "the Brunks"), sued Wards Cove and others in Alaska, alleging that Wards Cove was vicariously liable for Bryan's actions and was negligent in operation of the gravel pit where the accident occurred ("underlying suit"). Initially, the Brunks sued Bryan only as an agent of Wards Cove. Eventually, Wards Cove and the State of Alaska brought cross claims for apportionment against Bryan, and the Brunks amended their complaint to sue Bryan personally. Wards Cove tendered the defense of the underlying suit to its liability insurer, Alaska National Insurance Company.[1] Alaska National arranged for Michael Barcott to represent Wards Cove.

Additionally, Alaska National provided an attorney for Bryan under the "Business Auto Policy." This defense, however, was subject to a reservation of rights. Alaska National allowed Bryan to choose his own attorney. Alaska National sent the initial reservation of rights letter to Bryan on October 6, 1995, and stated that it would deny coverage if it was determined that Bryan was not acting in the "business or personal affairs" of Wards Cove.

Ben Esch appeared on Bryan's behalf and represented him until Patrick McKay took over Bryan's defense. McKay continued to represent Bryan through the conclusion of the underlying suit.

In April 1996, Wards Cove moved for summary judgment in the underlying suit. The Alaskan trial court granted Wards Cove's motion in part, ruling that Wards Cove was not vicariously liable for Brunk's injuries and finding that there were issues of material fact precluding summary judgment on the claim that Wards Cove was negligent in operation of the gravel pit. The Brunks settled with Wards Cove on the remaining claim, releasing Wards Cove from all claims, including claims for punitive damages and bad faith. The Brunks eventually settled with all defendants except Bryan.

Alaska National and Federal Insurance filed a declaratory judgment action against Bryan and the Brunks in Washington state.[2] Before filing their answers, the Brunks and Bryan entered into a settlement for $43,183,079.86, which the Alaskan court formally entered as a judgment against Bryan. As part of the settlement, Bryan assigned all of his rights against Alaska National and Federal Insurance to the Brunks. Alaska National and Federal Insurance filed a motion for summary judgment, declaring that Bryan was not covered under the insurance policies because he was not using his motorcycle in the "business or personal affairs" of Wards Cove at the time of the accident. The King County Superior Court found that Bryan was not acting within the business or personal affairs of Wards Cove and "that unless otherwise established by estoppel, bad faith, or any other basis claimed by the Brunk Defendants, Harold Bryan does not qualify as an insured under the Business Auto Policy."

The Brunks filed a motion for summary judgment and set hearing for February 2003. *5 Alaska National and Federal Insurance filed a motion for partial summary judgment regarding the duty to defend and estoppel and set hearing for the same day as the Brunks' motion. The Brunks filed a motion to continue under CR 56(f), stating that they needed additional discovery. The trial court continued the summary judgment hearing until May. After the hearing on cross motions for summary judgment, the trial court granted Alaska National and Federal Insurance's motions and denied the Brunks' motion.

The trial court subsequently denied the Brunks' remaining discovery motions. The trial court also granted Alaska National and Federal Insurance's motion for final summary judgment and dismissed all of the Brunks remaining claims. The Brunks appeal.[3]

ANALYSIS

We first address whether the trial court erred in applying Washington law in the declaratory judgment action. Before a court will conduct a conflict of law analysis, the party seeking to apply foreign law must show that an actual conflict exists between the presumptive Washington law and the law of the foreign state. Rice v. Dow Chem. Co., 124 Wash.2d 205, 210, 875 P.2d 1213 (1994). An actual conflict exists if the two states' laws produce different results on a legal issue. Seizer v. Sessions, 132 Wash.2d 642, 648, 940 P.2d 261 (1997). If applying the two states' laws would produce the same result, there is a "false conflict" and Washington law will presumptively apply. Burnside v. Simpson Paper Co.,

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Bluebook (online)
104 P.3d 1, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/alaska-nat-ins-co-v-bryan-washctapp-2004.