Carnahan v. American Family Mutual Insurance Co.

723 S.W.2d 612, 1987 Mo. App. LEXIS 3567
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedJanuary 27, 1987
Docket51089
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 723 S.W.2d 612 (Carnahan v. American Family Mutual Insurance Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Carnahan v. American Family Mutual Insurance Co., 723 S.W.2d 612, 1987 Mo. App. LEXIS 3567 (Mo. Ct. App. 1987).

Opinions

DOWD, Judge.

Defendant insurance company, American Family Mutual Insurance Company, (hereinafter American Family) and defendant agent, Richard Blankenship, (hereinafter Blankenship) appeal from a judgment entered pursuant to a jury verdict which awarded the plaintiffs-respondents, Michael and Julia Carnahan, $45,000.00 based upon a claim of fraudulent misrepresentation by the insurer and its agent in the sale of a homeowner’s policy. We affirm.

The jury could reasonably have found the following. Respondents Michael and Julia Carnahan, upon a transfer from Rol-la, purchased a house on Afshari Circle in Florissant in December of 1982. At the time of the purchase the Carnahans were referred by their realtor to Blankenship for homeowner’s insurance. An American Family policy was subsequently issued and became effective December 15, 1982.1 The closing took place December 17, 1982 and the Carnahans made a down payment of $12,500.00 against the purchase price of [613]*613$80,500.00. The remainder was financed through Lindbergh Bank.

In the spring of 1983 the foundation of the house began to shift. As a result, cracks developed in the floor of the basement, windows were broken, the doors to the house could not be latched properly, the garage doors came off their tracks, the brick facade separated from the foundation, and the drywall cracked. Because the doors could not be latched properly, snow and cold air eventually entered the house causing the floors to warp and the pipes to freeze and burst.

In May of 1983 the Carnahans made a claim on their homeowner’s policy which was rejected. It was determined the damage was the result of an earth movement and such coverage is expressly excluded in the policy.

As the house progressively deteriorated the Carnahans were told by a county inspector they would have to eventually move due to the extent of the damage to the structural integrity of the house. They then moved to an apartment, approximately one year after the purchase of the house. Unable to meet the payments on both the apartment and the house, the Car-nahans became delinquent on their house payment. Lindbergh Bank then sold the house at a trustee’s sale in February of 1984. The house was sold for $45,000.00 and a deficiency of $30,262.54 was assessed against the Carnahans. They then brought this action in fraudulent misrepresentation claiming Blankenship represented they were insured against any loss other than earthquake or flood.2 A jury awarded the Carnahans $45,000.00 and both defendants appeal.

Appellants make the following contentions: The trial court erred in denying appellants’ motions for a directed verdict in that: (1) Respondents did not state a cause of action because the court cannot rewrite an insurance policy to provide coverage not in the contract; (2) Respondents did not state a cause of action because an agent is not liable for not obtaining coverage which is not available; and (3) Respondents failed to present sufficient evidence to support a theory of misrepresentation because two of the essential elements, reliance and materiality, were not proved.

As authority for their first point, that the court cannot rewrite the policy, appellants cite only Farm Bureau Town and Country Ins. v. Hughes, 629 S.W.2d 595 (Mo.App.1981). In Farm Bureau the plaintiff insurance company sought a declaratory judgment to determine liability under the policy. Because it was an action in contract, the cited case and the proposition therein are inapposite here where the cause of action is fraudulent misrepresentation. The Carnahans are not claiming liability based upon the contract but rather upon the collateral representations made by appellants. Point denied.

Appellants’ second point, that an agent cannot be liable for not obtaining insurance that is not available in the industry, is similarly without merit. Initially, appellants state in their brief there is uncontra-dicted evidence that no earth movement insurance is available in the insurance industry. We find no such evidence in the record. The portion of the transcript appellants refer us to contains only testimony regarding the Carnahans and potential coverage under their American Family policy. Blankenship testified the Carnahans would not have been covered for damage caused by earth movement even if they had purchased the earthquake endorsement. In another portion of the transcript Blankenship testified the basic policy sold to the Carnahans offers the broadest coverage in the industry. He did not, however, testify whether a specific earth movement endorsement was available elsewhere in the industry.

Furthermore, the cause of action in the case relied on by appellants, Russell v. Reliance Ins. Co., 672 S.W.2d 693 (Mo.App.1984), is negligence. The claim in Russell [614]*614was that the insurance broker was negligent in not obtaining the requested coverage and the claim was ultimately denied because there was no showing by the plaintiff that such insurance was available. In a negligence action the unavailability of a particular type of insurance is determinative because an agent obviously cannot be held liable for failing to obtain unavailable insurance. Respondents’ claim, however, is not predicated on the agent’s failure to act but rather on the misrepresentations regarding the scope of the coverage.3

Appellants also contend in their second point that respondents’ lack of knowledge or understanding regarding the earth movement exclusion does not render the clause unenforceable and cites Standard Venetian Blind Co. v. Am. Empire Ins., 503 Pa. 300, 469 A.2d 563 (1983), in support of their proposition. Again, the cited case is a declaratory judgment action to determine liability under a policy and is inappo-site in a fraudulent misrepresentation action.

We note also that this second contention within their second point was presented only in the argument portion of their brief and not in the point relied on and thus, is contrary to the requirements of Rule 84.04. A point made for the first time in argument is not properly presented for review. Sykes v. Stix, Baer & Fuller, 238 S.W.2d 918, 920 (Mo.App.1951). Point denied.

In appellants’ final point they contend respondent failed to prove two of the essential elements of a fraudulent misrepresentation theory.

The elements are: (1) a representation; (2) its falsity; (3) its materiality; (4) the speaker’s knowledge of the falsity or his ignorance of the truth; (5) the speaker’s intent that his statement be acted upon; (6) the hearer’s ignorance of the falsity of the statement; (7) his reliance on the truth of the statement; (8) the hearer’s right to rely on the statement; and (9) the hearer’s consequent and proximate injury.

Teal v. Lee, 506 S.W.2d 492, 496 (Mo.App.1974); Manning v. ABC Exterminators, Inc., 682 S.W.2d 3, 5-6 (Mo.App.1984).

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Carnahan v. American Family Mutual Insurance Co.
723 S.W.2d 612 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1987)

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723 S.W.2d 612, 1987 Mo. App. LEXIS 3567, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/carnahan-v-american-family-mutual-insurance-co-moctapp-1987.