Buckley v. Orem

730 P.2d 1037, 112 Idaho 117, 1986 Ida. App. LEXIS 492
CourtIdaho Court of Appeals
DecidedDecember 19, 1986
Docket15862
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 730 P.2d 1037 (Buckley v. Orem) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Idaho Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Buckley v. Orem, 730 P.2d 1037, 112 Idaho 117, 1986 Ida. App. LEXIS 492 (Idaho Ct. App. 1986).

Opinion

SWANSTROM, Judge.

In this appeal we are asked to determine how much an insurance company must pay under its liability policy where its insured caused bodily injuries to both a husband and his wife, but the “lump sum” verdict in *119 favor of the couple did not specify the amount of damages awarded for each spouse and the husband’s damages alone could have exceeded the $100,000 “per person” limit of the policy. The district court held that an insurance company must intervene in the action against its insured to timely seek apportionment of damages for each spouse if the company desires apportionment. The court ruled Nationwide liable for the entire judgment. We vacate the order and we remand.

Nationwide Mutual Fire Insurance Company issued an automobile insurance policy to Charles and Donna Orem. Also insured was the Orems’ minor son. During the policy period the son was involved in an accident with the plaintiffs, Kelly and Betsy Buckley. Kelly’s injuries were extensive. His medical expenses alone amounted to nearly $31,000. Betsy’s injuries were relatively minor. The Orems admitted liability and a jury trial was held solely on the issue of damages. The jury returned a special verdict awarding a lump sum of $115,000 for the “total amount of damages ... sustained by Kelly and Betsy Buckley” and $10,000 to Betsy Buckley for loss of consortium due to her husband’s injuries. A judgment for $125,000 was entered against the Orems. 1

The Orems’ post-trial motions, including a request that the district judge allocate the verdict since the jury did not, were denied on July 25, 1983. The Orems attempted to appeal these rulings, but their appeal was untimely and they later stipulated to dismissal of the appeal with prejudice. In the meantime, before the Orems filed their appeal, Nationwide moved to intervene. After allowing intervention, the district court, on cross-motions for summary judgment, ruled that Nationwide was liable for the full $125,000 judgment plus costs, interest and attorney fees. Nationwide appeals contending: (1) that its liability is limited to the per person liability coverage of the policy; (2) that it is not liable for interest on the judgment; and (3) that the court erred in awarding attorney fees under I.C. § 41-1839.

It has been argued to us that Nationwide is now precluded from contesting full liability on the judgment. The Buckleys contend that Nationwide is simply attempting to relitigate the trial court’s failure to apportion the verdict. Because the Orems’ appeal should have addressed this issue and because that appeal has been dismissed, the Buckleys argue that finality of the rulings should not be circumvented through this appeal by Nationwide. The argument misses the mark. Nationwide does not seek to clarify or alter the final judgment against the Orems, but rather to have its own contract liability on the judgment, as it stands, determined. The precise issue is the extent of Nationwide’s liability under its insurance contract to pay the final judgment against the Orems for unapportioned damages. This issue was not decided in the damages trial and Nationwide is not precluded from raising it first in intervention, and now on appeal from the adverse summary judgment. We now turn to that question.

I

Nationwide’s liability is controlled by the policy issued to the Orems. The policy “LIMITS OF PAYMENT” section stated in part: “Our obligation to pay property damage or bodily injury liability losses is limited to the amounts per person and per occurrence in the attached Declarations.” (Emphasis original.) The limits stated for bodily injury liability are $100,000 per person and $300,000 per occurrence. Nationwide’s liability for bodily injuries to any one person is plainly limited to $100,000 *120 even though two persons were injured in one occurrence. An insurer is free to limit its contractual liability as long as the limitation is clear and precise and does not contravene public policy. Meckert v. Transamerica Ins. Co., 108 Idaho 597, 701 P.2d 217 (1985). The provision in the Nationwide policy, common in automobile insurance policies, does not offend public policy, and is unambiguous.

Unfortunately, that portion of the verdict awarding $115,000 damages for bodily injuries combines the awards for Kelly and Betsy Buckley. Before the jury retired to commence its deliberations counsel had two opportunities to discuss the form of the verdict with the court. The Buckleys’ counsel was willing to have the verdict contain a separate blank for the wife’s damages for loss of consortium but he “strenuously” objected to the court giving the jury a verdict form which otherwise segregated the husband’s damages from those of the wife. The Orems’ counsel, on the other hand, had requested a verdict form which contained blanks for each category of possible damages and separated the husband’s damages from those of the wife. However, when the court showed counsel the form of the verdict it had prepared — along the lines requested by the Buckleys — the Orems made only a general objection. In response to the court’s inquiry about the reason for the objection, counsel said only that “the issues are such that they should be divisible as far as Kelly and Betsy’s injuries on the first [verdict] question.”

The following day just before the jury returned to the courtroom to announce its verdict, the Orems requested that, if the verdict was over $100,000, the court instruct the jury “to then allocate between damages for Kelly Buckley and damages for Betsy Buckley.” Counsel pointed to I.R.C.P. 49(a) 2 and to the need for the Orems to preserve their rights concerning an offer of judgment previously made by them. The court responded that the Orems should have made their objection to the verdict form more clear and should have made their request for special findings under Rule 49 before the jury retired. The court suggested that the Orems still had the opportunity, under Rule 49, to ask the court to allocate the verdict later, if necessary. When the request was made later, by a post-trial motion, it was opposed by the Buckleys and the court declined to allocate the $115,000 part of the verdict between Kelly and Betsy.

The court may require a jury to return only a special verdict in the form of a special written finding upon each issue of fact. In that event the court may submit to the jury written questions susceptible of categorical or other brief answer or may submit written forms of the several special findings which might properly be made under the pleadings and evidence; or it may use such other method of submitting the issues and requiring the written findings thereon as it deems most appropriate. The court shall give to the jury such explanation and instruction concerning the matter thus submitted as may be necessary to enable the jury to make its findings upon each issue. If in so doing the court omits any issue of fact raised by the pleadings or by the evidence, each party waives his right to a trial by jury of the issue so omitted unless before the jury retires he demands its submission to the jury.

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Bluebook (online)
730 P.2d 1037, 112 Idaho 117, 1986 Ida. App. LEXIS 492, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/buckley-v-orem-idahoctapp-1986.