Brossett v. Progressive Ins. Co.

801 So. 2d 668, 1 La.App. 3 Cir. 0986, 2001 La. App. LEXIS 2961, 2001 WL 1580627
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedDecember 12, 2001
Docket01-0986
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 801 So. 2d 668 (Brossett v. Progressive 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
Brossett v. Progressive Ins. Co., 801 So. 2d 668, 1 La.App. 3 Cir. 0986, 2001 La. App. LEXIS 2961, 2001 WL 1580627 (La. Ct. App. 2001).

Opinion

801 So.2d 668 (2001)

Amy BROSSETT, et al.
v.
PROGRESSIVE INSURANCE CO., et al.

No. 01-0986.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Third Circuit.

December 12, 2001.

*669 Nan Maria Landry, Attorney at Law, Lafayette, LA, Counsel for Hotel Bentley, LLC.

John Wyeth Scott, Attorney at Law, Alexandria, LA, Counsel for Amy Brossett, et al.

Michael Thomas Johnson, Attorney at Law, Alexandria, LA, Counsel for Progressive Insurance Co. and Melody Howard.

Julie Rene Wilkerson, Gravel, Cespive, & Wilkerson, Alexandria, LA, Counsel for Donna Turner.

Bonita K. Preuett-Armour, Reichman & Lowrey, Alexandria, LA, Counsel for State Farm Insurance Co.

Court composed of NED E. DOUCET, Jr., Chief Judge, JIMMIE C. PETERS and MARC T. AMY, Judges.

AMY, Judge.

The plaintiff appeals a summary judgment entered in favor of the defendant automobile insurer. The plaintiff contends that, although the insurer argues that uninsured/underinsured motorist's coverage was rejected on her vehicle, the vehicle in which she and her husband sustained injury, her husband's vehicle provided UM coverage. Therefore, the plaintiff argues UM recovery should be available through her late husband's policy. For the following reasons, we affirm.

Factual and Procedural Background

This appeal stems from a March 7, 1998 automobile accident, involving vehicles driven by Melody Howard and Amy Brossett. Mrs. Brossett, who was driving a 1995 Pontiac, was accompanied by her husband, Craig Brossett. As a result of the collision, Mr. Brossett was killed and Mrs. Brossett suffered physical injuries.

Mrs. Brossett filed suit, individually and on behalf of her husband, on October 23, 1998, alleging that Ms. Howard was intoxicated and at fault in the accident. In addition to Ms. Howard, Progressive Insurance Company, Ms. Howard's automobile insurer, was named as a defendant. State Farm was also named as the Brossetts' uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage provider on the 1995 Pontiac.

Following the filing of the petition, State Farm filed a motion for summary judgment on October 28, 1999, alleging that UM coverage on the 1995 Pontiac, which was allegedly Ms. Brossett's separate property prior to the couple's marriage, had been rejected. Thereafter, the plaintiff filed a "supplemental and amended" petition, naming State Farm as a defendant as an insurance provider for Ms. Howard's vehicle and also contending that it issued two policies to the Brossetts, one for Mrs. Brossett's car involved in the accident and one for medical pay protection. This amended petition was also met with a July 19, 2000 motion for summary judgment from State Farm, which contended that the policy issued for Ms. Howard's vehicle was cancelled prior to the accident.

Following a hearing, the trial court entered summary judgment in favor of State Farm on the motion for summary judgment filed regarding UM coverage for the 1995 Pontiac. Judgment on the motion, which was rendered on October 16, 2000 *670 and filed on November 9, 2000, states, in part:

ORDERED, ADJUDGED, AND DECREED that there is no uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage under the policy of insurance issued by State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company in favor of Amy Brossett on the 1995 Pontiac Grand Am vehicle, policy number U044091-B07-18B, as Amy Brossett had effectively rejected uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage, and that the Motion for Summary Judgment filed on behalf of defendant, STATE FARM MUTUAL AUTOMOBILE INSURANCE COMPANY, is hereby granted, dismissing State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company from these proceedings, in its capacity as the alleged uninsured/underinsured motorist carrier on the 1995 Pontiac Grand Am vehicle being driven by Amy Brossett on March 7, 1998, only, with prejudice, at the cost of plaintiff....[1]

Pursuant to La.Code Civ.P. art. 1915(B)(1),[2] the court found the granting of this summary judgment to be a final judgment with no just reason existing for delaying finality of the judgment.

On the same dates as above, the trial court heard and granted the motion for summary judgment, filed by State Farm regarding coverage of the Howard vehicle. It too was designated a final judgment with no just reason for delay of the finality of the judgment.

These two summary judgments, one issued finding no UM coverage under the policy issued for the 1995 Grand Am, policy number U044091-B07-18B, and one regarding coverage of the Howard vehicle, were the subject of a Motion for Devolutive Appeal filed by the plaintiff in November 2000. The determination as to State Farm's coverage, or lack thereof, of the Howard vehicle has recently been affirmed by a panel of this court and is not at issue in this case. See Brossett v. Progressive Ins. Co., 01-441 (La.App. 3 Cir. 10/24/01), 800 So.2d 452. We reference the case here as background information necessitated by the plaintiffs argument before this court.

*671 The plaintiff apparently again amended her petition,[3] contending that State Farm provided UM coverage for Craig Brossett's 1994 Mitsubishi, a vehicle the plaintiff contends was owned by Mr. Brossett prior to marriage. The policy on the 1994 Mitsubishi demonstrates that UM coverage, with limits lower than those of the general policy, was selected by Mr. Brossett. On January 25, 2001, well after the order of appeal was entered for the earlier summary judgment, State Farm filed a motion for summary judgment alleging that the rejection of UM benefits on the 1995 Pontiac prevented recovery under the UM coverage on the vehicle not involved in the accident due to the anti-stacking provisions of La.R.S. 22:1406(D)(1)(e). The trial court agreed, granting summary judgment. The judgment, filed on April 11, 2001, contains the following language:

ORDERED, ADJUDGED, AND DECREED that there is no uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage available under the policy of insurance issued by State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company in favor of Craig Brossett on the 1994 Mitsubishi Eclipse vehicle, policy number T00 8696-A14-18, in accordance with the anti-sta[c]king provisions of LSA-R.S. 22:1406(D)(1)(e), and in accordance with the language contained in the policy issued by State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company, and that the Motion for Summary Judgment filed on behalf of defendant, STATE FARM MUTUAL AUTOMOBILE INSURANCE COMPANY, is hereby granted, dismissing State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company from these proceedings, in its capacity as the alleged uninsured/underinsured motorist carrier on the 1994 Mitsubishi Eclipse vehicle owned by Craig Brossett on March 7, 1998, with prejudice, at the cost of plaintiff....

The court additionally found the matter appropriate for treatment as a final judgment pursuant to La.Code Civ.P. art. 1915(B)(1).

The plaintiff appeals the summary judgment, making arguments related to both State Farm policies issued on the Brossett vehicles, contending that the trial court erred in finding that UM coverage did not exist. She also contends that genuine issues of material fact exist.

Discussion

As is apparent from our discussion of its procedural history, litigation of the insurance coverage issues in this case has been piecemeal. The plaintiff, in her brief to this court makes arguments regarding whether UM coverage exists under either State Farm policy issued to the Brossetts.

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Bluebook (online)
801 So. 2d 668, 1 La.App. 3 Cir. 0986, 2001 La. App. LEXIS 2961, 2001 WL 1580627, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/brossett-v-progressive-ins-co-lactapp-2001.