AMERICAN COMMERCE INS. CO. v. Ensley

220 P.3d 215
CourtCourt of Appeals of Washington
DecidedDecember 15, 2009
Docket27313-0-III
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 220 P.3d 215 (AMERICAN COMMERCE INS. CO. v. Ensley) 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
AMERICAN COMMERCE INS. CO. v. Ensley, 220 P.3d 215 (Wash. Ct. App. 2009).

Opinion

220 P.3d 215 (2009)

AMERICAN COMMERCE INSURANCE COMPANY, a Foreign Corporation, Respondent,
v.
William ENSLEY, Donna Ensley, as Husband and Wife, and Nicholas Ensley, Individually, Appellants.
AAA Washington, a Washington corporation and Automobile Club Insurance Agency d/b/a AAA Insurance Agency, a Washington corporation.

No. 27313-0-III.

Court of Appeals of Washington, Division 3.

August 27, 2009.
Publication Ordered December 15, 2009.

*216 Aaron Lewis Adee, The Adee Law Firm, PLLC, Seattle, WA, Philip A. Talmadge, Talmadge/Fitzpatrick, Tukwila, WA, for Appellants.

Roy W. Leid, Cole Lether Wathen & Leid PC, Seattle, WA, Pamela Hofer Salgado, Gail Rosario Manuguid, Jerret E. Sale, Deborah Lynn Carstens, Bullivant Houser Bailey PC, Seattle, WA, for Respondent.

SWEENEY, J.

¶ 1 An insurance company in Washington is required to offer underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage at the same limits as the liability limits unless the insured specifically waives those UIM limits in writing. Here, the trial court concluded on summary judgment *217 that the insured had waived UIM limits in writing. We agree with that decision and affirm the summary dismissal of the insured's counterclaims and third-party claims against the insurers.

FACTS

¶ 2 This appeal follows the summary dismissal of counterclaims against American Commerce Insurance Company. So we view the facts in a light most favorable to the nonmoving parties, William Ensley, Donna Ensley, and Nicholas Ensley. Pain Diagnostics & Rehab. Assocs., P.S. v. Brockman, 97 Wash.App. 691, 697, 988 P.2d 972 (1999).

¶ 3 William and Donna Ensley are the parents of Nicholas Ensley.[1] On March 31, 2005, driver Rebecca Humphries lost control of her car and crashed into two parked cars. Nicholas was a passenger in Ms. Humphries' car. Nicholas was seriously injured. Ms. Humphries carried $25,000 in liability insurance coverage. Her insurer paid the policy limit. The Ensleys then filed a claim with their insurance company, American Commerce Insurance Company, for UIM moneys.

¶ 4 The Ensleys had insured their vehicles with Safeco Insurance through AAA Insurance Agency. The Ensleys moved to Wenatchee in approximately 1995. Donna visited the AAA office to change the address on their policy. Brenda Pickering began working as a customer service representative at the Wenatchee AAA in 1996. She transitioned to the job of insurance agent at the same office in 2002.

¶ 5 In 2002, AAA stopped writing insurance with Safeco and switched to American Commerce. Donna expressed concerns to Ms. Pickering that the change would result in increased premiums. The premium for the new policy did increase. Ms. Pickering told Donna that the American Commerce policy included greater UIM coverage than the previous Safeco policy. UIM coverage had increased from $50,000 to $500,000. Donna asked how she could lower the premium to the amount she paid for the old Safeco policy. Ms. Pickering offered a quote on an American Commerce policy with lower UIM limits ($50,000 per person and $100,000 per accident). These limits would have been the same as those provided by the previous Safeco policy. Ms. Pickering did not advise Donna of other options to lower the premium. Nor did she ask Donna about the Ensleys' insurance needs or explain what types of damages and injuries were covered under the UIM provision.

¶ 6 Ms. Pickering told Donna that she would need to sign a document to lower the limits and her premium. Donna signed an authorization form on which UIM bodily injury and property damage coverage for $50,000 per person and $100,000 per accident was selected. The form included a preprinted statement verifying that the insurer offered the policyholder UIM coverage and that the policyholder understood that she "must choose limits lower than or equal to [her] Bodily Injury Liability Limits." Clerk's Papers (CP) at 28, 50. Donna signed the document, but none of the other writing on the form is hers. She did not fill in the date or insurance policy number or check any of the boxes indicating which coverage levels she accepted.

¶ 7 The Ensleys changed their coverage options on their American Commerce policy in the following weeks. Donna cancelled the collision coverage on one of their other cars. American Commerce then mistakenly cancelled all other coverage on that vehicle as well. When she discovered the cancellation, Donna requested that "other than collision" coverage for that vehicle be included in the policy. CP at 47, 113. And she requested a higher deductible for that vehicle. The Ensleys made other changes over the next several years, including removing a 1994 Saturn from the policy, adding a 2003 Pontiac to the policy, replacing a 2002 GMC pickup with a 2004 GMC K2500, and other changes.

¶ 8 After Nicholas's accident in March 2005, the Ensleys filed a claim with American Commerce for $500,000 of UIM benefits. American Commerce paid the $50,000 provided by its policy.

¶ 9 American Commerce then sued the Ensleys for a declaratory judgment that the *218 Ensleys were entitled to only $50,000 rather than $500,000 in UIM coverage. The Ensleys counterclaimed for breach of the insurance contract, negligence, insurance bad faith, and violations of the Consumer Protection Act, chapter 19.86 RCW. The Ensleys also added third-party claims against AAA Washington and AAA Insurance Agency (referred to collectively as AAA), claiming that AAA breached its duty to provide competent insurance advice, acted negligently, and violated the Consumer Protection Act by participating in deceptive and unfair acts and practices.

¶ 10 American Commerce moved for partial summary judgment; they sought a declaration that the Ensleys UIM limits were $50, 000 per person and $100,000 per accident. The court granted partial summary judgment. American Commerce then moved for summary judgment on the Ensleys' counterclaims for insurance bad faith, Consumer Protection Act violations, and negligence on the part of the insurance agent. AAA also moved for summary judgment on the Ensleys' third-party claims against them for breach of duty, negligence, and violation of the Consumer Protection Act. The court granted summary judgment to American Commerce and AAA and dismissed the Ensleys' claims.

DISCUSSION

¶ 11 The Ensleys contend that several material issues of fact preclude summary judgment in favor of either American Commerce or AAA:

• Whether American Commerce and AAA negligently breached well-established legal duties;
○ Whether Ms. Pickering failed to exercise good faith and carry out instructions that the agency relationship with AAA imposed on her. Shows v. Pemberton, 73 Wash.App. 107, 113, 868 P.2d 164 (1994). There is a material question of fact as to whether Ms. Pickering acted unreasonably, frivolously, or unfoundedly, which would constitute bad faith. Smith v. Safeco Ins. Co., 150 Wash.2d 478, 484, 78 P.3d 1274 (2003).
○ Whether Ms. Pickering breached the duties imposed by a special fiduciary relationship between an insurance agent and her clients. See AAS-DMP Mgmt., L.P. v. Acordia Nw., Inc., 115 Wash.App.

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Bluebook (online)
220 P.3d 215, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/american-commerce-ins-co-v-ensley-washctapp-2009.