Archie A. Talley v. Mustafa Mustafa

2018 WI 47, 911 N.W.2d 55, 381 Wis. 2d 393
CourtWisconsin Supreme Court
DecidedMay 11, 2018
Docket2015AP002356
StatusPublished
Cited by29 cases

This text of 2018 WI 47 (Archie A. Talley v. Mustafa Mustafa) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Wisconsin Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Archie A. Talley v. Mustafa Mustafa, 2018 WI 47, 911 N.W.2d 55, 381 Wis. 2d 393 (Wis. 2018).

Opinions

REBECCA GRASSL BRADLEY, J.

*399¶ 1 In this insurance coverage dispute, we consider whether a business-owners liability policy covers a negligent supervision claim arising out of an alleged employee's1 intentional act of physically punching a customer in the face. We hold that this insurance policy does not provide coverage under these circumstances. When the negligent supervision claim pled rests solely on an employee's intentional and unlawful act without any separate basis for a negligence claim against the employer, no coverage exists. Accordingly, we reverse the decision of the court of appeals,2 which *59reversed the circuit court's3 grant of summary judgment in *400favor of Auto-Owners Insurance Company (Auto-Owners) on the coverage issue. The circuit court correctly concluded that there is no coverage under this business liability insurance policy for either the employee's intentional act or the negligent supervision claim against the employer arising solely out of the employee's intentional act.4

I. BACKGROUND

¶ 2 The insurance coverage issue in this case arises from an incident that occurred in July 2009 at a neighborhood convenience store, Burleigh Food Market. Mustafa Mustafa owned and operated the store, and at the time carried a "Businessowners' Liability Policy" with Auto-Owners.5

¶ 3 The provisions in the business liability insurance policy provide, as material:

A. COVERAGES
1. Business Liability We will pay those sums that the insured becomes legally obligated to pay as damages because of "bodily injury" ... to which this *401insurance applies. No other obligation or liability to pay sums or perform acts or services is covered unless explicitly provided for under COVERAGE EXTENSION SUPPLEMENTARY PAYMENTS.
a. This insurance applies only:[6 ]
(1) To "bodily injury" or "property damage":
(a) That occurs during the policy period; and
(b) That is caused by an "occurrence". The "occurrence" must take place in the "coverage territory".
....
B. EXCLUSIONS
1. Applicable to Business Liability Coverage-
This insurance does not apply to:
a. "Bodily injury" or "property damage" expected or intended from the standpoint of the insured. This exclusion does not apply to "bodily injury" resulting from the use of reasonable force to protect persons or property.
....
C. WHO IS AN INSURED
1. If you are designated in the Declarations as:
a. An individual, you and your spouse are insureds, but only with respect to the conduct of a business of which you are the sole owner.
*402b. A partnership or joint venture, you are an insured. Your members, your partners and their spouses are *60also insureds, but only with respect to the conduct of your business.
c. An organization other than a partnership or joint venture, you are an insured. Your executive officers and directors are insureds, but only with respect to their duties as your officers or directors. Your stockholders are also insureds, but only with respect to their liability as stockholders.
2. Each of the following is also an insured:
a. Your employees, other than your executive officers, but only for acts within the scope of their employment by you.
....
F. LIABILITY AND MEDICAL EXPENSES DEFINITIONS
....
3. "Bodily injury" means bodily injury, sickness or disease sustained by a person, including death resulting from any of these at any time.
....
9. "Occurrence" means an accident, including continuous or repeated exposure to substantially the same general harmful conditions.

(Some formatting altered).

¶ 4 On July 24, 2009, Archie A. Talley walked into Mustafa's store to buy beer. Talley claims that while he was inside the store, Mustafa's security guard, Keith Scott, punched him in the face twice.

*403Talley left the store and called police to report the assault. Talley was taken to the hospital where he was treated for a broken jaw.

¶ 5 On July 17, 2012, Talley filed suit against Mustafa, Keith Scott,7 and Mustafa's insurer, Auto-Owners. The complaint alleged, as material:

• "[Keith Scott] was a[n] employee, security guard and/or customer of the defendant, Mustafa Mustafa."
• "Auto-Owners ... issued a policy of liability insurance wherein it agreed, among other things, to pay up to the limits of its policy any and all damages sustained as a result of negligence in the ownership and/or maintenance of ... Burleigh Food Market."
• As Talley entered the store, "the alleged security guard on the premises, began a verbal altercation with" Talley. Talley, "while walking in the premises was then struck by the security guard twice, fracturing his jaw."
• "The defendants had a duty to properly train and supervise their employees and have a duty to exercise the highest degree of care for the safety of their customers from any harm that might befall them by reason of the actions and/or conduct of their employees."
• "The defendants failed to provide adequate or proper security for their customers, and further said defendants, their agents, employees, or representatives, were the parties who attacked the plaintiff. A videotape viewed by officers of the Milwaukee Police Department from the defendants' own security system, showed the assault."

*404¶ 6 Auto-Owners hired counsel to represent Mustafa. Auto-Owners filed an Answer and conducted discovery, which revealed issues related to coverage. In January 2014, Auto-Owners notified the *61insured that it was defending the case under a reservation of rights letter.

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Bluebook (online)
2018 WI 47, 911 N.W.2d 55, 381 Wis. 2d 393, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/archie-a-talley-v-mustafa-mustafa-wis-2018.