Allstate Ins. Co. v. Michael Stack

CourtCourt of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
DecidedDecember 31, 2020
Docket20-1061
StatusUnpublished

This text of Allstate Ins. Co. v. Michael Stack (Allstate Ins. Co. v. Michael Stack) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Allstate Ins. Co. v. Michael Stack, (6th Cir. 2020).

Opinion

NOT RECOMMENDED FOR PUBLICATION File Name: 20a0726n.06

No. 20-1061

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE SIXTH CIRCUIT FILED Dec 31, 2020 ALLSTATE INSURANCE COMPANY, ) DEBORAH S. HUNT, Clerk INCORPORATED, ) ) Plaintiff-Appellant, ) ON APPEAL FROM THE UNITED ) STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR v. ) THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF ) MICHIGAN MICHAEL GERARD STACK; AMCO ) INSURANCE COMPANY; THOMAS ) OPINION MCINTYRE, Personal Representative of the ) Estate of Shannon McIntyre; SANDY ) HOLEWINSKI, Personal Representative of the ) Estate of Nicolas Pare, ) ) Defendant-Appellees. )

BEFORE: COOK, BUSH, and NALBANDIAN, Circuit Judges.

NALBANDIAN, Circuit Judge. In December 2017, Michael Stack (“Stack”) veered

across the median on Interstate 275 and began driving against traffic down the highway. He

continued into oncoming traffic until he hit Shannon McIntyre’s car head on, killing her and her

passenger. Stack is now in prison for causing the accident, and the estates of the deceased driver

and passenger have sued him for wrongful death.

Stack owned two insurance policies through Allstate at the time of the crash, a no-fault

automobile policy and an umbrella policy. Allstate paid the estates the maximum available under

the no-fault policy. But the company argues that Stack’s umbrella policy doesn’t cover the

accident. That policy includes a business exclusion, and since the accident occurred between No. 20-1061, Allstate Insurance Co. v. Michael Stack, et al.

Stack’s home and his company’s warehouse, Allstate claims that exclusion applies here. Because

the umbrella policy’s text does not support Allstate’s position, we AFFIRM.

I.

Michael Stack. Professionally, Defendant Michael Stack was a part-owner of Penguin

Toilets, LLC (“Penguin”). Privately, he struggled with alcoholism. Stack had been sober for 25

years before relapsing in January 2017. At that time, he checked himself into a 10-day inpatient

clinic, after which he was sober again for a few months. But in the fall, Stack began drinking

again, having ten or more drinks a day about three days a week.

Even so, Stack remained the Senior Vice President of Sales and Distribution for Penguin.

He owned 6% of the company. On top of that, Penguin gave him a weekly “guaranteed” payment

for about 20 hours of work. Although described as “guaranteed” for tax purposes, Stack stated

that this payment required him to complete certain professional duties, which he would not have

done for free. His brother, Patrick Stack, was the company’s “managing member.”

Stack’s duties included representing Penguin at trade shows and coordinating the

company’s sales and distribution networks. More regularly, he made sales calls, delivered

documents to the company’s warehouse, and inspected inventory before it shipped. Stack

maintained a home office and set his own hours. He did not have any office space at the warehouse.

But he had to go there periodically to inspect inventory.

Stack did not have a company car, so he used his own to make these trips. Penguin did not

reimburse Stack for mileage or maintenance. No decals or advertising on the car signaled its

connection to Penguin. Stack and his wife bought the insurance policies themselves. The only

arguable financial gain he received from driving to the warehouse was a possible tax write-off.

(See R.42-6 at PID 798 (suggesting that he claimed his mileage on his taxes).)

2 No. 20-1061, Allstate Insurance Co. v. Michael Stack, et al.

The Crash and Its Aftermath. Either the night before or the morning of the accident, Stack

printed purchase orders and bills of lading in his home office. For breakfast that morning, he ate

a bagel and “took a slug of” vodka. The amount of vodka Stack drank is disputed, but he had at

least one shot. (Compare R.42-6 at PID 789, 801 (Stack says he had a shot that morning and did

not remember drinking during the drive), with R.44-6 at PID 940 (Trooper Lambert reports that

Stack told him he had 3 to 4 shots before driving), and R.44-6 at PID 941 (Officer Baetens reports

that Stack told her he had 3 to 4 shots before driving).) After breakfast, Stack put the documents

in his car and headed to Penguin’s warehouse to deliver them. The bottle of vodka came too.

Stack did not make or plan to make any stops; he took his normal route to work: “Pontiac

Trail to M-5, M-5 to 275, 275 to Eureka, and Eureka to north on Commerce.” (R.42-6 at PID 789.)

On his drive, Stack spoke with Larry Rosenfeld, a Penguin sales representative based in New

York.1 Stack does not remember discussing business with Rosenfeld, but he says they may have.

Visiting Penguin’s warehouse was the only reason Stack ever drove to Taylor, Michigan. During

his deposition, Stack said it was “possible” that he continued drinking during his drive.

Stack testified that, while he drove, he began to see flashes of light in both eyes. He ignored

them at first, but the flashes worsened, and Stack decided he needed to get off the freeway. He

planned to pull over until the flashes stopped. But he feared police might approach his idle vehicle.

If they did, Stack would have to retrieve his insurance from the glove compartment, revealing the

vodka. So Stack decided to throw the bottle into his backseat, where police might not see it when

1 At a different point in his deposition, Stack states that he spoke to Rosenfield before leaving his home. Construing the facts in the light most favorable to Allstate, we assume Stack spoke to Rosenfield while driving. 3 No. 20-1061, Allstate Insurance Co. v. Michael Stack, et al.

he grabbed his insurance documents. Reaching for the glove compartment is the last thing Stack

remembers before the crash.

While trying to hide the bottle, Stack crossed the median and began driving into oncoming

traffic at 70 mph. Stack drove on the wrong side of the road for about one mile. That is, Stack’s

drive to work required him to go southbound on I-275, but he crossed the median and continued

to drive southbound in the northbound lane. Eventually, he collided with Shannon McIntyre’s car,

killing her and her passenger, Nicholas Pare.

Dennis Turkette, a trucker, witnessed this crash through his side mirror. He says Stack

drove into traffic for at least eight seconds without trying to change lanes, slow down, or re-enter

the median. Turkette immediately called 9-1-1, alerting first responders to the crash. And that

night he sent the video recording from his dashboard camera to law enforcement.2

In their depositions, both Michael and Patrick Stack stated that Michael’s decisions to drink

before driving and to drive on the wrong side of the freeway were not part of his responsibilities

at Penguin. Michael Stack testified that driving into oncoming traffic was not a “business activity

or function” related in any way to his duties at Penguin. (R.42-6 at PID 808.) He also implied

that Patrick Stack would not have approved of his drinking before driving to work. For his part,

Patrick testified that both his brother’s driving against traffic and drinking before driving were

“totally inconsistent” with his duties at Penguin. (See R.42-7 at PID 822, 824–25.)

2 Local news obtained part of the footage, and readers can view it here: https://www.wxyz.com/news/dash-cam-video-shows-moment-before-deadly-wrong-way-crash- on-i-275. Mr. Turkette’s voice is audible, and he authenticated the video during his deposition. 4 No. 20-1061, Allstate Insurance Co. v. Michael Stack, et al.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Erie Railroad v. Tompkins
304 U.S. 64 (Supreme Court, 1938)
In Re EGBERT R SMITH TRUST
745 N.W.2d 754 (Michigan Supreme Court, 2008)
People v. Johnson
712 N.W.2d 703 (Michigan Supreme Court, 2006)
Wilkie v. Auto-Owners Insurance
664 N.W.2d 776 (Michigan Supreme Court, 2003)
State Mutual Cyclone Insurance v. Abbott
216 N.W.2d 606 (Michigan Court of Appeals, 1974)
Bianchi v. AUTO CLUB OF MICH.
467 N.W.2d 17 (Michigan Supreme Court, 1991)
Auto-Owners Insurance v. Harrington
565 N.W.2d 839 (Michigan Supreme Court, 1997)
Thornton v. Allstate Insurance
391 N.W.2d 320 (Michigan Supreme Court, 1986)
Morley v. Automobile Club of Michigan
581 N.W.2d 237 (Michigan Supreme Court, 1998)
Pacific Employers Insurance v. Michigan Mutual Insurance
549 N.W.2d 872 (Michigan Supreme Court, 1996)
In Re Estate of Moukalled
714 N.W.2d 400 (Michigan Court of Appeals, 2006)
Donna Craig v. Bridges Bros. Trucking LLC
823 F.3d 382 (Sixth Circuit, 2016)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
Allstate Ins. Co. v. Michael Stack, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/allstate-ins-co-v-michael-stack-ca6-2020.