Bourque v. Audubon Ins. Co.

704 So. 2d 808, 97 La.App. 3 Cir. 522, 1997 La. App. LEXIS 2699, 1997 WL 717817
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedNovember 19, 1997
Docket97-522
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 704 So. 2d 808 (Bourque v. Audubon Ins. Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bourque v. Audubon Ins. Co., 704 So. 2d 808, 97 La.App. 3 Cir. 522, 1997 La. App. LEXIS 2699, 1997 WL 717817 (La. Ct. App. 1997).

Opinion

704 So.2d 808 (1997)

Johnny BOURQUE, Plaintiff-Appellee,
v.
AUDUBON INSURANCE COMPANY, Defendant-Appellant.

No. 97-522.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Third Circuit.

November 19, 1997.
Writ Denied February 20, 1998.

*809 Kent Mercier, Lafayette, for Johnny Bourque.

Kraig Thomas Strenge, Lafayette, for Audubon Insurance Company, et al.

Before WOODARD, SULLIVAN and PICKETT, JJ.

WOODARD, Judge.

Plaintiff, Johnny Bourque (Bourque), filed suit on July 23, 1993 against the defendant, Audubon Insurance Company (Audubon), to recover proceeds under a policy of homeowner's insurance for wind damages that occurred to a small structure on his property that he used to train roosters to fight. Bourque contended that Audubon arbitrarily and capriciously failed to pay for the wind damage. From a decision by the trial court awarding damages, penalties, and attorney's fees, this appeal was taken. We affirm.

FACTS

All of his life, Bourque has been involved with raising and fighting roosters. The structure damaged by the wind storm, for *810 which he presented a property damage claim to Audubon, was his "cockhouse." The structure was used to train his roosters to fight. It was also used to store feed and supplies to care for his roosters.

For ten years prior to the date of the wind damage, Bourque had been disabled as a result of a previous work related accident. At trial, he testified that his only means of financial support was his monthly social security check. Bourque admitted that he entered his roosters in cockfighting derbies every Friday night and that he won prize money in the derbies.

His rooster operation was substantial. At any given time, he had approximately 200 roosters which he was raising and training to fight. As a part of this operation, he had a partner, Elliott Bienvenu. The two agreed that the roosters Bienvenu bred would be turned over to Bourque to train when they were ten months old. Bourque would train them to fight and enter them into derbies, and the two would split the winnings evenly.

Bourque admitted that he took prize money home on a monthly basis. He also testified that the prize money he earned at the derbies merely offset his expenses for raising and training the roosters. Neither Bourque nor Bienvenu kept any records of the money they won. Bourque kept no records of his monthly expenses for the care and training of the roosters, and all the prize money Bourque won in the cockfighting derbies was paid in cash.

At the time of the cockhouse damage, his homeowner's policy provided for coverage for "other structures" located on the property. In relevant part, the policy stated:

We cover other structures on the residence premises set apart from the dwelling by clear space. This includes structures connected to the dwelling by only a fence, utility line, or similar connection.
This coverage does not apply to land, including land on which the other structures are located.
We do not cover other structures:
1. used in whole or in part for business; or
2. rented or held for rental to any person not a tenant of the dwelling; unless used solely as a private garage.
The limit of liability for this coverage will not be more than 10% of the limit of liability that applies to Coverage A. Use of this coverage does not reduce the Coverage A limit of liability.

(Emphasis added).

When Audubon received notice of Bourque's claim of April 8, 1993, for wind damage to the cockhouse roof, it conducted a brief investigation, sought a legal opinion and ultimately denied Bourque's claim for insurance coverage because the cockhouse was allegedly being used as a part of the "business" of raising roosters for cockfighting.

Bourque filed this suit on July 23, 1993. It was tried on November 10, 1994. The trial court ruled from the bench in favor of Bourque. She awarded Bourque $4,000.00 in compensatory damages, $8,000.00 in penalties for Audubon's alleged violation of La. R.S. 22:1220 and attorney's fees in the amount of $6,000.00, rendering Written Reasons for Judgment on December 6, 1994. She signed the formal judgment on June 16, 1995. Audubon filed a Motion for a New Trial on June 21, 1995, which was denied on October 8, 1996. Audubon filed a Motion and Order for a Suspensive Appeal on October 23, 1996. These proceedings followed.

ASSIGNMENTS OF ERROR

Audubon claims the following assignments of error:

1. The trial court erred in failing to grant the defendant's Motion for Involuntary Dismissal.
2. The trial court erred in finding that Bourque's activities of raising, training, and fighting roosters did not constitute a "business."
3. The trial court erred in awarding Bourque statutory penalties and attorney's fees.

LAW

THE MOTION FOR INVOLUNTARY DISMISSAL

At the conclusion of Bourque's case, Audubon moved for involuntary dismissal on the *811 grounds that Bourque had failed to prove the existence of the insurance contract during his case. Audubon argued that Bourque's counsel had failed to request or produce a complete copy, certified or otherwise, of any policy of insurance issued by Audubon.

The burden of proof is on the plaintiff to establish every fact essential to his claim and that his claim is within the insurance policy coverage. Mercadel v. Tran, 92-798 (La.App. 4 Cir. 3/29/94); 635 So.2d 438; Pierce v. Aetna Life and Cas. Ins. Co., 572 So.2d 221 (La.App. 1 Cir.1990); C.L. Morris, Inc. v. Southern Am. Ins. Co., 550 So.2d 828 (La.App. 2 Cir.1989).

While the trial court acknowledged that Bourque had failed to introduce the policy of insurance, it found that the record contained enough information upon which to find the existence of a contract of insurance between the plaintiff and defendant and its terms and conditions by reason of the testimony of the insurance adjuster. The trial court denied Audubon's Motion for Involuntary Dismissal.

We note that the record before us establishes that Audubon specifically denied in its pleadings Bourque's allegations regarding insurance coverage. At trial, the parties stipulated to the authenticity of a standard HO-3 homeowners form for the policy. Audubon contends that the HO-3 form is only one of several documents making up this entire policy and that there would be additional endorsements, amendatory endorsements for specific Louisiana provisions, a certified declarations page, and other documents making up the entire policy.

The question we have to decide is whether the trial record, as it existed at the time the trial court denied Audubon's Motion for Involuntary Dismissal, established Bourque's claim to compensatory damages under a contract of insurance with Audubon by a preponderance of evidence.

The evidence in the record establishes that Steven Durand, an insurance agent with the Durand Insurance Agency, sold a National Union Fire Insurance Company homeowner's insurance policy to Bourque to cover his home, adjacent structures, personal property, loss of use, liability, and medical payments. The renewal declaration was introduced into evidence for the policy period November 15, 1992 to November 15, 1993. The document established the coverages, the limits of liability, that "other structures" were covered to the extent of $5,000.00, the policy number was identified, and that it was a "HO-3" policy; i.e., a homeowner's policy.

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Bluebook (online)
704 So. 2d 808, 97 La.App. 3 Cir. 522, 1997 La. App. LEXIS 2699, 1997 WL 717817, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bourque-v-audubon-ins-co-lactapp-1997.