American Auto. Ass'n, Inc. v. Globe Indem. Co.

362 So. 2d 1206, 1978 La. App. LEXIS 2805
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedSeptember 12, 1978
Docket9360
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 362 So. 2d 1206 (American Auto. Ass'n, Inc. v. Globe Indem. Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
American Auto. Ass'n, Inc. v. Globe Indem. Co., 362 So. 2d 1206, 1978 La. App. LEXIS 2805 (La. Ct. App. 1978).

Opinion

362 So.2d 1206 (1978)

AMERICAN AUTOMOBILE ASSOCIATION, INC.
v.
GLOBE INDEMNITY COMPANY.

No. 9360.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Fourth Circuit.

September 12, 1978.

*1207 Frank J. Varela, New Orleans, for plaintiff-appellant, American Automobile Association, Inc.

Bernard, Micholet & Cassisa, Joseph S. Palermo, Jr., Metairie, for defendant-appellee, Globe Indemnity Co.

Before SAMUEL, SCHOTT and GARRISON, JJ.

GARRISON, Judge.

This declaratory judgment action was brought by American Automobile Association, Inc. (AAA) against Globe Indemnity Company because of Globe's failure to defend AAA in a suit brought against it, and for denial of coverage under a comprehensive general liability policy. Both AAA and Globe moved for summary judgment, and AAA lodged this devolutive appeal after summary judgment was granted in favor of Globe and AAA's motion for summary judgment was denied.

AAA was the local retailer for a tour of the Orient in 1973, organized and conducted by Dynimex-Pacifex Tours, Inc. Certain members of that tour (six couples, referred to collectively as "Cook") filed suit against AAA and Dynimex on October 4, 1974 in the Twenty-Fourth Judicial District Court for the Parish of Jefferson, under Docket Number 168-103, styled "Cook, et al. v. AAA Worldwide Travel Agency, a division of American Automobile Assoc. of La., and Dynimex-Pacifex Tours, Inc.," alleging damages for mental pain and anguish, physical pain and suffering, and additional expenses incurred as a result of AAA and Dynimex's breach of contract and/or negligence in the operation of the tour. The original petition alleged that AAA was acting as a representative of Dynimex; however, a supplemental petition was filed to allege, in addition, as follows:

"[AAA] was acting as a principal in the course and scope of its authority for itself and for its co-obligor, DYNIMEX-PACIFEX TOURS, INC. . . . in all respects and that such relationship between AAA WORLDWIDE TRAVEL AGENCY. . . and DYNIMEX-PACIFEX TOURS, INC. . . . was in fact acting as joint venturers or partners and in the alternative that AAA WORLDWIDE TRAVEL AGENCY . . . was acting within the course and scope of its representation of DYNIMEX-PACIFEX TOURS, INC. . . . ." Record, p. 16.

AAA notified defendant Globe of this claim and tendered to Globe the defense of the suit, based on Globe's Comprehensive Business Policy No. GYB 657576, issued to AAA for the policy period 8-1-72 to 8-1-75. Globe denied coverage under the policy for the Cook claims due to AAA's alleged "breach of contract and/or negligence" concerning the tour, and therefore Globe refused to defend AAA in this action. The present suit for declaratory judgment has resulted.

Globe filed an answer in this action, denying coverage and alleging the "terms, limitations, and conditions" of the policy. AAA filed a motion for summary judgment based on its assertion that, taking all of the allegations of the Cook petition as true, there is coverage under Globe's policy, and thus that Globe is under the broad duty to defend AAA against this suit, regardless of whether the claims are ultimately shown to be "groundless, false, or fraudulent." This motion for summary judgment was denied.

Likewise, Globe filed a motion for summary judgment in the suit, seeking dismissal of AAA's suit, or alternatively, dismissal of the supplemental relief sought by AAA. Globe asserted that its policy unambiguously excluded coverage so that there was no duty to defend. Specifically, Globe claimed that the policy's "contractual liability" exclusion was applicable so as to preclude coverage, that the policy's "business risk" exclusion applied so as to preclude coverage, and that Cook's petition failed to allege an "occurrence" within the policy language.

*1208 Alternatively, Globe denied that the supplemental relief sought by AAA (an order directing Globe to assume AAA's defense in the Cook case and to pay AAA for the costs already incurred in defending that suit) was available under the Louisiana declaratory judgment articles (C.C. Articles 1871-1875). All these points were thoroughly argued in the memoranda filed by the parties in support of their respective motions for summary judgment.

After a hearing on these two motions for summary judgment, Globe's motion was granted, thereby dismissing AAA's suit. The trial judge entered oral reasons for judgment, as follows, to indicate the bases for his judgment.

"The Court has read the exclusion in the policy at issue here issued by Globe to AAA and under exclusions this is provided,

"`This insurance does not apply:

"`To liability assumed by the insured under any contract or agreement [emphasis added by the Court] except an incidental contract but this exclusion does not apply to a warranty of fitness or quality of the named insured's products or a warranty that work performed by or on behalf of the named insured will be done in a workmanlike manner.'

* * * * * *
"The incidental contracts are further explained in the policy under definitions, to read as follows: `Incidental contract means any written (1) lease of premises, (2) easement, agreement, exception in connection with construction or demolition operations on or adjacent to a railroad, (3) undertaking to indemnify a municipality required by municipal ordinance, except in connection with work for the municipality, (4) sidetrack agreement, or (5) elevator maintenance agreement.' It's obvious to the Court none of these definitions of incidental contract apply to the facts at issue in this case.
"The contract of insurance between AAA and Globe further provides in the very beginning that this coverage A and B insurance agreement is, number one, bodily injury liability and property damage liability—to which this insurance applies, caused by an occurrence, and the company shall have the right and duty to defend any suit against the insured seeking damages on account of such bodily injury or property damage—so forth.
"The point is, as the Court sees it, that the insuring agreement defines the fact that the insurer will defend for bodily injury or property damage liability arising from an occurrence. An occurrence, on Page 3 of the insuring agreement under Roman Numeral V, Definitions, is defined as follows: `Occurrence means an accident, including injurious exposure to conditions, which results, during the policy period, in bodily injury or property damage neither expected nor intended from the standpoint of the insured.' Taking all of the above into consideration and in considering the petition and the original petition and supplemental petition, this Court finds that the original petition is labeled breach of contract, that is, as it pertains to AAA although the petition there referring to the breach of contract the plaintiff entered into with AAA, the contract is referred to over and over as pointed out by astute counsel for mover, Globe, Mr. Palermo, it is not until we get down to Article 9B in the original petition, Subsection J, where negligence is mentioned for the first time and that is where it goes, `Due to the negligence of Dynimex-Pacifex Tours (the co-defendant of AAA) by overbooking the tour, petitioners were placed on flights,' et cetera, et cetera. Now, the defendant apparently, I mean the plaintiff, apparently realized some time later that they hadn't covered all the bases and they made a very valiant effort to bring them under the Czarniecki

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362 So. 2d 1206, 1978 La. App. LEXIS 2805, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/american-auto-assn-inc-v-globe-indem-co-lactapp-1978.