Auto-Owners Insurance v. Home Pride Companies, Inc.

684 N.W.2d 571, 268 Neb. 528, 2004 Neb. LEXIS 145
CourtNebraska Supreme Court
DecidedAugust 6, 2004
DocketS-03-352
StatusPublished
Cited by59 cases

This text of 684 N.W.2d 571 (Auto-Owners Insurance v. Home Pride Companies, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Nebraska Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Auto-Owners Insurance v. Home Pride Companies, Inc., 684 N.W.2d 571, 268 Neb. 528, 2004 Neb. LEXIS 145 (Neb. 2004).

Opinion

Gerrard, J.

NATURE OF CASE

Auto-Owners Insurance Company (Auto-Owners) instituted this declaratory judgment action to determine its obligations to its insured, Home Pride Companies, Inc. (Home Pride). The district court determined that the policy issued by Auto-Owners to Home Pride did not cover Home Pride’s claim and granted summary judgment in favor of Auto-Owners. The main issue on appeal is whether a standard commercial general liability (CGL) insurance policy covers an insured contractor for the faulty workmanship of a subcontractor that it hired.

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

Because this action is based upon an underlying action filed in April 2002, we digress to trace the history of the original action. Appletree Apartments, Inc. (Appletree), is a wholly owned subsidiary of J.A. Peterson Enterprises, Inc. (Peterson). Appletree and Peterson entered into a contract with JT Builders, Inc., to install new shingles on a number of Appletree’s apartment buildings. Thereafter, JT Builders subcontracted with Craig Industries, Inc., to do the work. After becoming dissatisfied with Craig Industries’ work, JT Builders terminated its contract with Craig Industries and subcontracted the work to Home Pride. Home Pride then entered into a subcontract with Ron *530 Hansen, doing business as Ron Hansen Construction, to install the shingles.

Sometime in 1996, Ron Hansen Construction completed the project. Soon thereafter, Appletree began to notice problems with the roof. Appletree notified Home Pride of the problems, and after receiving what it believed to be an unsatisfactory response, Appletree and Peterson filed suit against Home Pride, JT Builders, and Craig Industries. In their petition, Appletree and Peterson claimed that the aforementioned parties failed to install the shingles in a workmanlike manner and that such faulty workmanship caused substantial and material damage to the roof structures and buildings. Appletree and Peterson also alleged that the shingles were defective and included in the action the manufacturer of the shingles, Certain Teed Corporation, and G.S. Roofing Products Co., a company that merged with Certain Teed Corporation after Appletree purchased the shingles.

After the suit was filed, Home Pride made a claim to its insurer, Auto-Owners, for coverage under its CGL policy. Pursuant to a reservation of rights, Auto-Owners assumed the defense of Home Pride. Thereafter, Auto-Owners instituted this declaratory judgment action against Home Pride, Appletree, Peterson, JT Builders, Craig Industries, Certain Teed Corporation, G.S. Roofing Products Co., and Ron Hansen, doing business as Ron Hansen Construction. Essentially, Auto-Owners claimed that the insurance policy did not provide coverage because the faulty workmanship of a subcontractor is not an “occurrence” under a CGL policy.

Both Auto-Owners and Home Pride moved for summary judgment. The district court determined that any alleged property damage was not caused by an “occurrence” and granted summary judgment in favor of Auto-Owners. Home Pride filed a timely notice of appeal.

ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR

Home Pride assigns that the district court erred in determining that its CGL policy did not provide coverage.

STANDARD OF REVIEW

Summary judgment is proper when the pleadings and evidence admitted at the hearing disclose that there is no genuine *531 issue as to any material fact or as to the ultimate inferences that may be drawn from those facts and that the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Keys v. Guthmann, 267 Neb. 649, 676 N.W.2d 354 (2004). In reviewing a summary judgment, an appellate court views the evidence in a light most favorable to the party against whom the judgment is granted and gives such party the benefit of all reasonable inferences deducible from the evidence. Id.

ANALYSIS

Broadly speaking, this appeal requires us to determine whether damage caused by faulty workmanship is covered under a standard CGL insurance policy. Although this issue has been frequently examined by a number of courts, it is a matter of first impression in Nebraska.

The meaning of an insurance policy is a question of law, in connection with which an appellate court has an obligation to reach its own conclusions independently of the determination made by the lower court. Poulton v. State Farm Fire & Cas. Cos., 267 Neb. 569, 675 N.W.2d 665 (2004). In construing insurance policy provisions, a court must determine from the clear language of the policy whether the insurer in fact insured against the risk involved. Id. In an appellate review of an insurance policy, the court construes the policy as any other contract to give effect to the parties’ intentions at the time the writing was made. Where the terms of a contract are clear, they are to be accorded their plain and ordinary meaning. Id.

As relevant here, Home Pride’s policy states:

SECTION I — COVERAGES
COVERAGE A. BODILY INJURY AND PROPERTY DAMAGE LIABILITY
1. Insuring Agreement.
a. We will pay those sums that the insured becomes legally obligated to pay as damages because of “bodily injury” or “property damage” to which this insurance applies. . . .
b. This insurance applies to “bodily injury” and “property damage” only if:
*532 (1) The “bodily injury” or “property damage” is caused by an “occurrence” that takes place in the “coverage territory” ....
2. Exclusions.
This insurance does not apply to:
1. “Property damage” to “your work” arising out of it or any part of it and including in the “products-completed operations hazard”.
This exclusion does not apply if the damaged work or the work out of which the damage arises was performed on your behalf by a subcontractor.

As an initial matter, we note that Home Pride appears to argue that coverage exists because the policy contains a subcontractor exception to the “your work,” or “1,” exclusion found in section 2. We disagree. The provision Home Pride relies on is merely an exception to an exclusion and, therefore, incapable of providing coverage. See, Auto Owners Ins. Co. v. Travelers Cas. & Surety, 227 F. Supp. 2d 1248 (M.D. Fla. 2002); Hawkeye-Security Ins. Co. v. Davis, 6 S.W.3d 419 (Mo. App. 1999); Lassiter Const. v. American States Ins., 699 So. 2d 768 (Fla. App. 1997). Stated otherwise, the exception contained within exclusion “1” is irrelevant until two conditions precedent are met: (1) There is an initial grant of coverage and (2) exclusion “1” operates to preclude coverage. See, L-J, Inc. v.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
684 N.W.2d 571, 268 Neb. 528, 2004 Neb. LEXIS 145, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/auto-owners-insurance-v-home-pride-companies-inc-neb-2004.