Commercial Standard Insurance Company v. Ford

400 S.W.2d 934, 1966 Tex. App. LEXIS 2872
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMarch 7, 1966
Docket7599
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 400 S.W.2d 934 (Commercial Standard Insurance Company v. Ford) 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
Commercial Standard Insurance Company v. Ford, 400 S.W.2d 934, 1966 Tex. App. LEXIS 2872 (Tex. Ct. App. 1966).

Opinion

CHAPMAN, Justice.

This suit was instituted by appellant, Commercial Standard Insurance Company, against John T. Ford, insured, seeking a declaratory judgment as to what was meant in an automobile public liability insurance policy, in reference to a non-owned automobile, by the term, “an automobile or trailer not used by or furnished for the regular use of either the named insured or any relative.” Appellant contended the construction was a question of law for the court and objected to a jury submission.

The record shows that the father, John T. Ford, while driving his son Burl’s 1960 one-half ton Chevrolet pickup, had a collision on July 11, 1964, with Harold Young’s automobile and as a result thereof Mr. Young was killed. Appellee, John T. Ford, was sued by the surviving widow and children. Appellant insurance company was asked to defend the suit under the terms of the mentioned policy, refused, and then filed this suit seeking a construction of the above clause. The trial court disagreed with appellant’s contention that the construction of the clause was a law question and submitted the case to the jury upon two issues in exact language as follows:

1.
“Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that at the time of the collision of July 11, 1964, the 1960 one-half ton Chevrolet Pickup Truck was an auto *936 mobile furnished for the regular use of John T. Ford?
2.
“Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that at the time of the collision on July 11, 1964, the 1960 one-half ton Chevrolet Pickup being driven by John T. Ford, was an automobile used by John T. Ford intermittently and incidentally ?”

To the first issue the jury answered, “No,” and to the second issue, “Yes.” Though appellant has brought forward thirteen points of alleged error, those it briefs are all argued together.

All points except those which have reference to the failure of the court to define terms or which object in some manner to the submission of Special Issue No. 2, ap-pellee’s affirmative defensive issue, contend in some manner that the court erred either in not holding as a matter of law, or in not holding in the light of the evidence as a matter of law, that the controversial clause must be interpreted as saying Burl Ford’s 1960 one-half ton pickup was furnished to his father for his regular use.

The points go to the failure of the court to grant appellant’s Motion for Peremptory Instruction; the failure to grant its Motion for Judgment Non Obstante Veredicto; its Motion for Summary Judgment; and its objection to the submission to the jury of what we believe to be a vital fact issue.

The record shows a motion for summary judgment had been overruled prior to the trial on the merits of the case. No such motion having been filed by appellee, the only order in the trial court in that connection was the one overruling a motion for summary judgment of appellant. Therefore, that order was interlocutory and no appeal would lie therefrom. Tobin v. Garcia, 159 Tex. 58, 316 S.W.2d 396; Craig v. Rio Grande Electric Co-operative, Tex.Civ. App., 345 S.W.2d 460 (writ ref.). This being true, if the point of asserted error for previously overruling appellant’s motion for summary judgment could be considered a point at all in appeal from a trial on the merits it would be no more than a “no evidence” point.

Appellant has cited four cases in its index of cases for its contention that the court, under the deposition and trial evidence, committed reversible error in not holding as a matter of law that the controversial clause absolved appellants from any obligation to defend the Young law suit and be obligated for any adverse judgment against John T. Ford. We have studied those cases carefully and have to say candidly that they just have so many material distinguishing features from our case that we do not consider they furnish any authority for appellant’s contention that the case should not have been submitted to a jury. In a diligent search we have found no other cases that would so indicate. We hold the court was correct in Submitting the case to a jury.

It has been textually stated and held in effect by case law in Texas that the purpose of an insurance contract being to furnish indemnity against loss, the contract should be constructed in such way as to effectuate this purpose, rather than a way which will defeat it. Blashfield Cyclopedia of Automobile Law and Practice, Vol. 6, Par. 3521, p. 139; Home Ins. Co., New York v. Springer, Tex.Civ.App., 131 S.W.2d 412 (N.W.H.). The Galveston Court of Civil Appeals in Texas Lloyds v. Laird, Tex.Civ.App., 209 S.W.2d 937 (writ dismissed) has said: “It is a settled principle of insurance law that ‘language of a policy which is susceptible of more than one construction should be interpreted strictly against the insurer and liberally in favor of the insured.’ ”

It is obvious from our statement of the nature of appellant’s points heretofore *937 mentioned that they are “no evidence” points. In considering them, we must therefore view the evidence in the most favorable light to John T. Ford, and must indulge against the motion for peremptory instruction, motion for judgment n. o. v., etc., every inference that may be properly drawn from the evidence. Dunagan v. Bushey, 152 Tex. 630, 263 S.W.2d 148; Adams v. Slattery, 156 Tex. 433, 295 S.W.2d 859; Triangle Motors of Dallas v. Richmond, 152 Tex. 354, 258 S.W.2d 60; Fitz-Gerald v. Hull, 150 Tex. 39, 237 S.W.2d 256.

Both appellee, John T. Ford, and his son, Burl, lived in the town of Farwell, Texas. They were farming adjoining land a short distance outside the town. In addition, ap-pellee farmed several other places, including some in New Mexico. Burl had suffered a nervous breakdown in 1962 and had been told by his doctor for a period of months not to drive a motor vehicle. His wife and father drove for him during that period but for several months before the accident between John T. Ford and the Young car, Burl’s doctor had permitted him to start driving again.

He and his father worked together as a father and son normally would who worked adjoining farms. His son farmed one rented place but also worked on his father’s farms for a salary. Burl had a wife and three children and the only means of conveyance he had was the 1960 pickup. In addition to using it in his farming operations, it was used as their family car. His father owned a 1962 Mercury Monterrey 4-door sedan; a 1964 one-half ton Ford pickup and a G.M.C. truck. On the very day of the collision between Mr. Ford and Mr. Young, Burl was enroute to Colorado on a fishing trip in his father’s 1964 one-half ton Ford pickup because it was a better vehicle for such a trip.

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Bluebook (online)
400 S.W.2d 934, 1966 Tex. App. LEXIS 2872, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/commercial-standard-insurance-company-v-ford-texapp-1966.