Brock v. CARONNA

8 So. 3d 22, 8 La.App. 5 Cir. 370, 2009 La. App. LEXIS 56, 2009 WL 91731
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedJanuary 13, 2009
Docket08-CA-370
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 8 So. 3d 22 (Brock v. CARONNA) 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
Brock v. CARONNA, 8 So. 3d 22, 8 La.App. 5 Cir. 370, 2009 La. App. LEXIS 56, 2009 WL 91731 (La. Ct. App. 2009).

Opinions

SUSAN M. CHEHARDY, Judge.

|2This is a personal injury suit by the parents of a teenage girl for damages arising from the rape of their daughter. The defendant filed a third-party demand against his homeowners’ insurer for indemnification under its policy. The trial court granted a summary judgment dismissing the third party demand and the defendant/third-party plaintiff appeals. We affirm.

STATEMENT OF THE CASE

Harry J. Brock, III and Amy L. Brock (“the Brocks”) filed suit against Victor J. Caronna (“Caronna”), individually and on behalf of their minor daughter (“Plaintiff’). The Brocks alleged that Caronna had been their daughter’s dog-training advisor and mentor; that on March 14, 2005 he came to the Brock family home in St. Charles Parish while their sixteen-year-old daughter was there alone, and he forcibly raped their minor daughter in her bedroom. They asserted claims pursuant to La.C.C. art. 2315, 2815.7, and 2316 for intentional and negligent infliction of emotional and mental anguish, unauthorized touching of the minor, sexual harassment, and forcible rape. They sought compensatory and punitive damages for mental anguish, emotional distress, embarrassment, medical expenses, pain and suffering, loss of consortium, and any other damages to be proven at trial.

|3Caronna answered, admitting he is of the age of majority but denying the other allegations of the petition. He filed a third party demand against his homeowners insurer, Farmers Insurance Exchange (“Farmers”), in which he alleged that Farmers is obligated to indemnify him against any liabilities he may have to any third parties, including payment and satisfaction of any and all liabilities to third parties arising out of the claims made in this lawsuit.

Farmers denied the allegations of the third party demand and pleaded the terms and conditions of its policy. Farmers raised specific affirmative defenses and policy exclusions in denial of coverage and denial of a duty to defend. Farmers asserted that at the time of the sexual assault at issue, Caronna was insured under a Special Form Homeowners — Preferred policy issued by Farmers, which did not afford coverage for the incident made the basis of this lawsuit. Farmers asserted it had specifically denied both coverage and a defense to Caronna, under the policy exclusions for bodily injury or property damage that is expected or intended by the insured, or arising out of sexual molestation, corporal punishment, or physical or mental abuse.

Farmers filed a Motion for Summary Judgment, seeking to have the third-party demand against it dismissed on the basis that the claims are specifically excluded from coverage under its policy. In support of the motion Farmers submitted a statement of material facts of which there is no genuine issue to be tried, which listed the following matters among others 1:

[25]*251. Caronna is a person of full age of majority residing in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana;

2. According to the petition for damages, on March 14, 2005, Caronna came to the Brocks’ home when their minor daughter was home alone;

|43. Caronna proceeded to forcibly rape the minor child in the bedroom of her residence through vaginal intercourse;

4. Farmers is not a named defendant in the petition for damages;

5. Caronna is the sole named defendant;

6. At all times herein, Caronna had a Special Form Homeowners-Preferred policy issued by Farmers on which Caronna is listed as the named insured;

7. The policy is the best evidence of its contents, including the terms, provisions, conditions, applications, exclusions, and limitations of liability and coverage contained therein;

8. The Farmers policy provides no coverage for “bodily injury” which is expected or intended by the “insured” or “arising out of sexual molestation, corporal punishment or physical or mental abuse.”

9. Caronna can provide no evidence that the Farmers policy provides coverage for any damages arising out of the events of March 14, 2005;

10.Caronna can provide no evidence that the Farmers policy owes any duty to defend him under the policy for the litigation arising out of the events of March 14, 2005 in St. Charles Parish, Louisiana.

In opposition Caronna argued that although intentional acts may not be covered under the policy, the plaintiffs also allege negligence. In addition, he asserted, the acts alleged in the petition have yet to be proven and, in the absence of proof of the occurrence of the acts, it is premature to speculate as to the intent or state of mind of the defendant at the time of the alleged act. Caronna asserted it is his intent to establish through discovery that the acts complained of in the petition were consensual. He asserted that under the policy, Farmers has an obligation to defend him even if the suit is groundless, false or fraudulent. He argued that he |fihas never admitted guilt, no case has been proven against him, the facts alleged have not been proven, and he rigorously denies them.

Caronna filed a Statement of Disputed Material Facts that set forth the following: (1) The acts complained of in the petition are disputed by the defendant; (2) The policy of insurance issued to defendant by Farmers provides coverage for the acts complained of in the petition; (3) Farmers owes a duty to defend and indemnify Car-onna for the plaintiffs’ claims; and (4) Caronna can provide evidence that the Farmers policy provides both coverage and a duty to defend related to the assertions in the petition for damages.

Caronna attached an affidavit, in which he stated he had entered a plea of no contest in connection with the charges arising from the alleged incident involving the Brocks’ minor daughter that allegedly occurred on March 14, 2005. He denied the facts stated in the petition for damages and in Farmers’ statement of facts filed in conjunction with the motion for summary judgment.

At the hearing on the motion for summary judgment, the court gave the following oral reasons for granting the motion: “It’s clear from the language of the policy that coverage is excluded. And plaintiffs counsel was astute in not even filing that. [26]*26Regardless of what they alleged in their petition, be it intentional or not, it’s still a sex crime. They’re still excluded. To defend such is excluded.”

In the written judgment, the court found there is no genuine issue as to any material fact as to Farmer’s motion for summary judgment that there is no coverage under the policy of insurance issued by Farmers to Caronna for his actions as set out in the original Petition for Damages and as alleged in his Third Party Demand and that no duty to defend Caronna exists under the Farmers policy at issue.

Caronna appeals.

DLAW AND ANALYSIS

Whether an insurance policy, as a matter of law, provides or precludes coverage is a dispute that can be properly resolved within the framework of a motion for summary judgment. Waguespack v. Richard Waguespack, Inc., 06-0711, p. 3 (La.App. 1 Cir. 2/14/07), 959 So.2d 982.

Appellate courts review grants of summary judgment de novo, using the same criteria that govern the trial court’s consideration of whether summary judgment is appropriate, i.e., whether there is a genuine issue of material fact and whether the mover is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. The movant bears the burden of proof.

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Related

Brock v. CARONNA
8 So. 3d 22 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2009)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
8 So. 3d 22, 8 La.App. 5 Cir. 370, 2009 La. App. LEXIS 56, 2009 WL 91731, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/brock-v-caronna-lactapp-2009.