American Family Mutual Insurance Co. v. Ginther

803 N.E.2d 224, 2004 Ind. App. LEXIS 197, 2004 WL 231447
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedFebruary 9, 2004
Docket71A05-0305-CV-214
StatusPublished
Cited by22 cases

This text of 803 N.E.2d 224 (American Family Mutual Insurance Co. v. Ginther) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
American Family Mutual Insurance Co. v. Ginther, 803 N.E.2d 224, 2004 Ind. App. LEXIS 197, 2004 WL 231447 (Ind. Ct. App. 2004).

Opinions

OPINION

RILEY, Judge.

STATEMENT OF THE CASE

Appellant-Garnishee-Defendant, American Family Mutual Insurance Company (American Family), appeals the trial court's order denying its Motion to Dismiss and Motion for Summary Judgment.

We affirm.

ISSUES

American Family raises three issues on appeal, which we restate as follows:

(1) Whether the trial court abused its discretion by failing to estop Eugene H. Ginther, Mary Ginther, James O. Clay, and Emma Jean Clay (collectively, the "injured motorists") from re-litigating an insurance coverage question that had been litigated and dismissed with prejudice in a prior declaratory judgment action;
(2) Whether the trial court erred by finding that Robert Beckner's (Beck-ner) newly purchased vehicle was in[227]*227sured under Beckner's policy with American Family; and
(8) Whether the trial court erred by failing to estop the injured motorists from claiming that Beckner was entitled to coverage under American Family's policy when they earlier claimed that Beckner was uninsured.

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

On June 28, 1997, Beckner was involved in an automobile accident with the injured motorists. The accident happened at the intersection of State Road 28 and St. Joseph Valley Parkway in South Bend, Indiana. Beckner told the investigating police officer at the seene of the accident that he did not have insurance coverage for the pickup truck.

At the time of the accident, Beckner-was driving a 1963 Ford pickup truck. Beck-ner had purchased the pickup truck earlier that day from an acquaintance in New Buffalo, Michigan, and was on his way home to South Bend when the accident occurred. Beckner bought the pickup truck with the intent to restore it and ultimately use it in his own construction business, which he eventually created approximately one month after his purchase of the truck.

Beckner and his wife, Lee (Mrs. Beck-ner) (collectively, the "Beckners"), maintained a family car insurance policy (the "policy") underwritten by American Family, and the policy was in full force and effect on June 28, 1997. The policy was issued through the Glenn Shultz Agency.1 The Beckners owned three motor vehicles, namely a 1986 Pontiac Grand Am, a"1984 Sonoma S-15 pickup truck, and the recently purchased 1963 Ford pickup, truck that was involved in the collision. However, only the Pontiac Grand Am was listed on the declarations page of the policy. The 1984 Sonoma was not insured under the policy on June 28, 1997.

Several hours after the accident, Beck-ner arrived at his home and discussed the collision with his spouse. Mrs. Beckner informed © Beckner' that she called the Glenn Shultz Insurance Agency at some point during the week prior to the accident. Mrs. Beckner assured her husband that the Glenn Shultz Insurance Agency informed her that a thirty day binder provided insurance coverage to the newly acquired 1963 Ford pickup truck.

On June 30, 1997, Mrs. Beckner submitted the accident report and the title of the pickup truck to the Glenn Shultz Insurance Ageney. The Beckners requested liability coverage from American Family. Mrs. Beckner explained to Karen Klima (Klima), an agent at the Glenn Shultz Agency, that her husband had purchased the 1963 Ford pickup truck over the week-énd and that it was going to be used as a commercial vehicle. However, Klima informed Mrs. Beckner that since they did not have a commercial auto policy, there was no coverage under their existing policy. In particular, the Beckners held a family car insurance policy that did not cover commercial vehicles. As a result, American Family denied lability coverage to the Beckners.

On October 20, 1997, Beckner filed a Declaratory Action in the St. Joseph Circuit Court against American Family on the coverage issue. On November 26, 1997, American Family filed its Answer to Complaint for Declaratory Judgment. Beck-ner's attorney eventually withdrew from the Declaratory Action and the Beckners and American Family's counsel signed a [228]*228Stipulation of Dismissal.2 On May 14, 1999, the court entered an Order of Dismissal with Prejudice. Neither Beckner nor American Family joined the injured motorists as parties to the Declaratory Action.

Rather, the injured motorists asserted an uninsured motorist claim against Safe-co/American States Insurance Company (Safeco), the insurance carrier for Eugene Ginther, one of the injured motorists. The injured motorists ultimately settled their uninsured motorist claim with Safeco for the total sum of $68,017.19, which was paid out pursuant to the uninsured motorist provisions of the Safeco policy.

On June 4, 1999, the injured motorists filed the instant claim against Beckner, as subrogors for Safeco, for personal injuries sustained in the automobile accident.3 On or about September 7, 1999, the injured motorists provided a copy of the Complaint to American Family's counsel. On December 30, 1999, the injured motorists moved for the entry of default judgment against Beckner on grounds that Beckner failed to plead or otherwise defend against their claims. In support of their motion, the injured motorists filed the Affidavit of Greg Beilach (Beilach), an insurance sub-rogation adjuster with Safeco. The Bei-lach Affidavit sets forth the amount of payments made to the injured motorists under the uninsured motorists portion of the policy. On January 31, 2000, the injured motorists obtained a Default Judgment against Beckner in the total amount of $100,000.00.

On May 17, 2000, the injured motorists filed a Verified Motion in Proceedings Supplemental, naming American Family as Garnishee-Defendant. On September 20, 2000, American Family filed a Motion to Dismiss the Proceedings Supplemental on grounds that the coverage issue had previously been litigated in the declaratory judgment action.4 American Family argued that the injured motorists, as subro-gors of Safeco, were barred by the principles of res judicata and collateral estoppel from re-litigating the coverage issue because the injured motorists had an opportunity to intervene in Beckner's declaratory judgment action, but failed to do so. On September 27, 2000, the injured motorists filed their Response to American Family's Motion to Dismiss. On September 28, 2000, a hearing on the motion was held and the trial court took the matter under advisement. On January 10, 2001, the trial court denied American Family's Motion to Dismiss.

On January 25, 2001, American Family filed its Motion to Certify Interlocutory Order. On March 8, 2001, a hearing on this motion was held. On March 12, 2001, the trial court certified its Order of Janu[229]*229ary 10, 2001, for purposes of interlocutory appeal. On April 6, 2001, this court declined to undertake an interlocutory review of the trial court's Order denying American Family's Motion to Dismiss.

On July 27, 2001, American Family filed its Motion for Summary Judgment in the Proceeding Supplemental. American Family argued that the 1963 Ford pickup truck was not an insured vehicle under the terms and conditions of the policy. Additionally, American Family argued that the injured motorists should be judicially es-topped from asserting coverage when they. had previously taken the position that Beckner was an uninsured motorist.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
803 N.E.2d 224, 2004 Ind. App. LEXIS 197, 2004 WL 231447, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/american-family-mutual-insurance-co-v-ginther-indctapp-2004.