Coastal Transport Co. v. Crown Central Petroleum Corp.

20 S.W.3d 119, 2000 WL 330062
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJune 8, 2000
Docket14-99-00135-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by29 cases

This text of 20 S.W.3d 119 (Coastal Transport Co. v. Crown Central Petroleum Corp.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Coastal Transport Co. v. Crown Central Petroleum Corp., 20 S.W.3d 119, 2000 WL 330062 (Tex. Ct. App. 2000).

Opinion

OPINION

NORMAN LEE, Justice (Assigned).

This is a double appeal. In the first appeal, Crown Central Petroleum Corp. (“Crown”) appeals the summary judgment entered in favor of Transport Insurance Co. (“Transport”) and the denial of its own motion for summary judgment on Crown’s claims that it was an additional insured under a policy issued by Transport to Coastal Transport Co. (“Coastal”), and, therefore, Transport owed Crown a defense in an underlying lawsuit. In the second appeal, Coastal appeals the summary judgments entered in favor of Crown and intervenor, Liberty Mutual Insurance Co. (“Liberty Mutual”), and the denial of *122 its own motion for summary judgment on Crown’s claim that Coastal owed it indemnification for negligence claims asserted against Crown in the same underlying lawsuit. We affirm.

I.Background

Crown, a refiner and marketer of petroleum products, owns and operates a loading terminal. Coastal is a trucking company. On September 28, 1993, a Coastal employee, Drexel Stewart, was loading gasoline into a trailer owned and operated by Coastal at Crown’s loading terminal. The gasoline overflowed from the trailer and caught fire. The accident resulted in the subsequent filing of personal injury suits by Stewart and two others against Crown, Coastal, and others (the “Stewart lawsuits”). As to Crown, the Stewart plaintiffs alleged that Crown was negligent in the maintenance and repair of its equipment at its loading terminal. Crown eventually settled with the Stewart plaintiffs.

Crown sued Coastal’s insurer, Transport, for failing to tender a defense in the Stewart lawsuits under an insurance policy issued to Coastal by Transport. Crown and Transport filed cross-motions for summary judgment on whether Crown was an insured under Coastal’s policy and, if so, whether Transport owed Crown a defense in the Stewart lawsuits. The trial court granted Transport’s motion for summary judgment, while denying Crown’s motion for summary judgment, and entered judgment that Crown take nothing on its claims against Transport.

Crown also sued Coastal for failing to indemnify it against the claims asserted against Crown in the Stewart lawsuits and for failing to name it as an additional insured in the policy issued by Transport. Crown, Liberty Mutual, 1 and Coastal filed cross-motions for summary judgment on whether the indemnification provision contained in the Terminal Loading Agreement (the “Agreement”) entered into between Crown and Coastal was enforceable, and whether Coastal breached the insurance provision of the Agreement by failing to name Crown as an additional insured. The trial court granted Crown’s and Liberty Mutual’s motions for summary judgment, while denying Coastal’s motion for summary judgment. The trial court entered judgment that Crown recover from Coastal $4,816,549.28 and that Liberty Mutual is subrogated to Crown’s recovery in the amount of $1,924,416.43.

II.Summary Judgment Standard of Review

To prevail on a motion for summary judgment, the defendant must establish that no material fact issue exists and it is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. See Rhone-Poulenc, Inc. v. Steel, 997 S.W.2d 217, 222 (Tex.1999). Once the defendant establishes that no genuine issue of material fact exists regarding an element of the plaintiffs claim, the plaintiff must present competent summary judgment evidence raising a fact issue on that element. See Guest v. Cochran, 993 S.W.2d 397, 401 (Tex.App.-Houston [14 th Dist.] 1999, no pet.). In conducting this review, we take as true all evidence favorable to the nonmovant, and we make all reasonable inferences in the nonmovant’s favor. See KPMG Peat Marwick v. Harrison County Hous. Fin. Corp., 988 S.W.2d 746, 748 (Tex.1999). When both sides move for summary judgment and the trial court grants one motion and denies the other, the reviewing court should review all summary judgment evidence, determine all questions presented, and render the judgment the trial court should have rendered. See Bradley v. State ex rel. White, 990 S.W.2d 245, 247 (Tex.1999).

III.Crown v. Transport Insurance

Crown asserts it is an additional insured under Coastal’s “Truckers Policy” issued by Transport. The interpretation of an insurance contract is governed by *123 general rules of contract interpretation. See Texas Farmers Ins. Co. v. Murphy, 996 S.W.2d 873, 879 (Tex.1999). Our primary concern is to ascertain the true intentions of the parties as expressed in the written instrument. See Lenape Resources Corp. v. Tennessee Gas Pipeline Co., 925 S.W.2d 565, 578 (Tex.1996). A written contract is not ambiguous if it is worded so that it can be given a definite or certain meaning. See National Union Fire Ins. Co. v. CBI Indus., Inc., 907 S.W.2d 517, 520 (Tex.1995). If the contract is susceptible to two or more interpretations, then the policy is ambiguous. See id. Here, neither party asserts ambiguity.

The policy issued by Transport Insurance provides:
SECTION II-LIABILITY COVERAGE
A. COVERAGE
We will pay all sums an insured legally must pay as damages because of bodily injury or property damage to which this insurance applies, caused by an accident and resulting from the ownership, maintenance or use of a covered auto.
We have the right and duty to defend any suit asking for these damages. However, we have no duty to defend suits for bodily injury or property damage not covered by this Coverage Form. We may investigate and settle any claim or suit as we consider appropriate. Our duty to defend or settle ends when the Liability Coverage Limit of Insurance has been exhausted by payment of judgments or settlements.
1. WHO IS AN INSURED
The following are insureds:
[[Image here]]
b. Anyone else while using with your permission a covered auto you own, hire or borrow except:
[[Image here]]
(3) Anyone other than your employees, partners, a lessee or borrower or any of their employees, while moving property to or from a covered auto.
[[Image here]]
e. Anyone liable for the conduct of an insured described above but only to the extent of that liability.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Untitled Case
W.D. Louisiana, 2026
Ambrose Claybar v. Samson Exploration, LLC
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2018
Wilma Reynolds v. David Reynolds
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2015
Paz v. LIFE TIME FITNESS, INC.
757 F. Supp. 2d 658 (S.D. Texas, 2010)
Enron Corp. Savings Plan v. Hewitt Associates., L.L.C.
611 F. Supp. 2d 654 (S.D. Texas, 2009)
McGinnis Ex Rel. McGinnis v. Union Pacific Railroad
612 F. Supp. 2d 776 (S.D. Texas, 2009)
RLI Insurance v. Union Pacific Railroad
463 F. Supp. 2d 646 (S.D. Texas, 2006)
American Home Shield Corp. v. Lahorgue
201 S.W.3d 181 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2006)
Sydlik v. REEIII, INC.
195 S.W.3d 329 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2006)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
20 S.W.3d 119, 2000 WL 330062, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/coastal-transport-co-v-crown-central-petroleum-corp-texapp-2000.