American Family Mutual Insurance Group v. Kostaneski

2004 SD 114, 688 N.W.2d 410, 2004 S.D. LEXIS 183
CourtSouth Dakota Supreme Court
DecidedOctober 13, 2004
DocketNone
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 2004 SD 114 (American Family Mutual Insurance Group v. Kostaneski) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering South Dakota Supreme Court 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 Group v. Kostaneski, 2004 SD 114, 688 N.W.2d 410, 2004 S.D. LEXIS 183 (S.D. 2004).

Opinion

GILBERTSON, Chief Justice.

[¶ 1.] American Family Mutual Insurance Group brought a declaratory action against its insured contending the policy’s “criminal law exclusion” precluded coverage for injuries to a third party. The trial court determined there were no genuine issues of material fact and granted American Family’s motion for summary judgment. Kulesza, the injured third party, appealed contending the trial court erred in 1) finding the “criminal law exclusion” unambiguous and enforceable; 2) refusing to apply the reasonable expectations doctrine; and 3) not finding the insurance exclusion violates public policy. Affirmed.

FACTS AND PROCEDURE

[¶ 2.] The facts in this case are not in dispute. On July 18, 1999, 19-year-old Lawrence J. Kostaneski fired a paintball gun in the general direction of a group of teenagers with whom he had engaged in a verbal altercation earlier that evening. Kostaneski’s action resulted in a permanent eye injury to a bystander, 15-year-old Jona Kulesza. Kulesza suffered a fifty percent loss of vision in her right eye as a result of the injury.

[¶ 3.] Kostaneski was charged with four counts of assault, including one count of aggravated assault (felony) under SDCL 22-18-1.1(4). Kostaneski ultimately pleaded guilty to the single count of aggravated assault (felony) in exchange for a dismissal of the remaining three counts and to avoid a habitual criminal conviction under SDCL 22-7-7. Kostaneski was convicted and sentenced to twelve years in the South Dakota State Penitentiary.

[¶ 4.] As a result of the eye injury, the victim Kulesza filed suit against Kostane-ski for personal damages. American Family, which provided homeowner’s insurance for Kostaneski’s father, considered Kos-taneski an insured under the policy at the time of the incident. On August 25, 2003, American Family filed a declaratory judgment action in the Circuit Court for the Seventh Judicial Circuit of the State of South Dakota, the Honorable Merton B. Tice presiding.

[¶ 5.] The question raised by American Family’s declaratory judgment action was whether the policy’s “criminal law exclusion” disallowed coverage for Kostaneski’s conduct. On November 14, 2003, American Family moved for summary judgment contending it had no obligation to defend or indemnify Kostaneski under the language of the policy. On December 12, 2003, Kulesza filed a cross-motion for summary judgment on the issue of whether American Family had a duty to defend or indemnify Kostaneski.

[¶ 6.] The Kostaneski policy contained a “criminal law exclusion” that stated: “We will not cover bodily injury or property damage arising out of: a. violation of any criminal law for which any insured is convicted.” Following a hearing on the matter on December 19, 2003, the trial court determined that the policy language in question was unambiguous and excluded coverage for Kostaneski’s criminal conduct. Accordingly, the trial court held that American Family had no duty to defend or indemnify and that it was entitled to summary judgment.

STANDARD OF REVIEW

[¶ 7.] Our standard of review for the grant or denial of a motion for summary judgment is well settled. Holzer v. Dakota Speedway, 2000 SD 65, ¶ 8, 610 N.W.2d 787, 791. Summary judgment is proper where “the pleadings, depositions, *413 answers to interrogatories, and admissions on file, together with the affidavits, if any, show that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.” SDCL 15-6-56(c). “We will affirm only when there are no genuine issues of material fact and the legal questions have been correctly decided.” Holzer, 2000 SD 65, ¶ 8, 610 N.W.2d at 791 (citing Bego v. Gordon, 407 N.W.2d 801, 804 (S.D.1987)). All reasonable inferences drawn from the facts must be viewed in favor of the non-moving party. Id. (citing Morgan v. Baldwin, 450 N.W.2d 783, 785 (S.D.1990)). The burden is on the moving party to clearly show an absence of any genuine issue of material fact and entitlement to judgment as a matter of law. Id. (citing Wilson v. Great N. Ry. Co., 83 S.D. 207, 212, 157 N.W.2d 19, 21 (1968)).

[¶ 8.] In addition, “[wjhen interpreting insurance contracts, we have uniformly held them renewable as a matter of law under the de novo standard.” Opperman v. Heritage Mut. Ins. Co., 1997 SD 85, ¶ 3, 566 N.W.2d 487, 489 (citations omitted). “This includes determining whether an insurance contract is ambiguous.” Id. (citing Rogers v. Allied Mut. Ins. Co., 520 N.W.2d 614, 616 (S.D.1994)).

ANALYSIS AND DECISION

[¶ 9.] 1. Whether the trial court erred in finding the “criminal law exclusion” clause was unambiguous and enforceable.

[¶ 10.] We first address Kules-za’s argument that the “criminal law exclusion” is ambiguous. Language in an insurance contract is ambiguous when it “is fairly susceptible to two constructions.” National Sun Industries, Inc. v. South Dakota Farm Bureau Ins. Co., 1999 SD 63, ¶ 18, 596 N.W.2d 45, 48 (quoting American Family Mut. Ins. v. Elliot, 523 N.W.2d 100, 102 (S.D.1994)) (citations omitted). Ambiguity will not be created merely by one party offering a different interpretation of the contract language. Alverson v. Northwestern Nat. Cas. Co., 1997 SD 9, ¶ 8, 559 N.W.2d 234, 235-36 (citation omitted). Nor will the Court seek out a “strained or unusual meaning for the benefit of the insured.” Id. (citing Johnson v. Johnson, 291 N.W.2d 776, 778-79 (S.D.1980)). Instead, ambiguity is “determined with reference to the policy as a whole and the plain meaning and effect of its words.” National Sun, 1999 SD 63, ¶ 18, 596 N.W.2d at 48 (citation omitted).

[¶ 11.] The policy issued by American Family provides in part:

We will not cover bodily injury or property damage arising out of: a. violation of any criminal law for which any insured is convicted; b. violation of any building or housing code for which any insured is convicted; or c. violation of any criminal law for which any insured is not convicted due to mental incapacity-

The “criminal law exclusion” is fairly typical in the insurance industry, with minor language variations encountered in the pertinent case law.

[¶ 12.] Kulesza argues the exclusion should only apply to criminal conduct in which the defendant intended the results of his actions.

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

Related

Goddard v. South Dakota Public Assurance Alliance
687 F.3d 965 (Eighth Circuit, 2012)
American Family Insurance Group v. Robnik
2010 SD 69 (South Dakota Supreme Court, 2010)
State Farm Fire & Casualty Co. v. Harbert
2007 SD 107 (South Dakota Supreme Court, 2007)
Perle O'Daniel v. Nau Country Insurance Company
427 F.3d 1058 (Eighth Circuit, 2005)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
2004 SD 114, 688 N.W.2d 410, 2004 S.D. LEXIS 183, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/american-family-mutual-insurance-group-v-kostaneski-sd-2004.