Courtney v. Allstate Insurance

174 So. 2d 296, 1965 La. App. LEXIS 4351
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedApril 12, 1965
DocketNo. 6240
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 174 So. 2d 296 (Courtney v. Allstate Insurance) 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
Courtney v. Allstate Insurance, 174 So. 2d 296, 1965 La. App. LEXIS 4351 (La. Ct. App. 1965).

Opinion

ELLIS, Judge.

On November 21, 1961, at approximately 10:00 P.M., Norma Jean Courtney, minor daughter of Leslie Courtney, was driving the latter’s 1961 Comet sedan in an easterly direction on U. S. Highway 190 near its intersection with Cedar Street in the Town of Livingston, Louisiana, when a 1953 Buiclc sedan being driven by a defendant, James W. Sullivan, and being operated in a westerly direction on U. S. Highway 190, attempted to make a left-hand turn at the Cedar Street intersection, resulting in a collision which is the subject matter ol this [297]*297suit for damages for personal injury to Norma Jean Courtney and property damage not covered by the collision insurance in the sum of $100.00, together with past and future medical expenses sought individually on behalf of Leslie E. Courtney, father of Norma Jean Courtney. A motion for summary judgment was filed on behalf of the defendant, Allstate Insurance Company, which was overruled, whereupon it filed answer in the nature of general denial and, in addition, specifically plead as follows:

"1.
“That the 19S3 Buick automobile operated by James W. Sullivan at the time of the accident on November 21, 1961, was owned by the said Sullivan, had not been reported to defendant, Allstate Insurance Company, as an additionally owned vehicle within thirty days of its acquisition, and that therefore under the terms of Allstate Insurance Company Policy No. 45-941-799, which is specially pleaded herein as if and as though copied herein in extenso, Allstate Insurance Company, was not the insurer of James W. Sullivan at the time of this accident nor owed any obligation under said policy;
“2.
“Alternatively, but only in the event this Honorable Court finds coverage in Allstate Insurance Company, in that event, defendant specially pleads the contributory negligence of Norma Jean Courtney, serving to bar her recovery herein in that she failed to keep a proper lookout, failed to keep her vehicle under proper control, and operated her motor vehicle at a high and excessive rate of speed;”

The defendant, James W. Sullivan, filed no answer but we find in this transcript the following:

“TRANSCRIPT of the notes of evidence taken on the Confirmation of Default had herein in Open Court at Livingston, Louisiana this 5th day of December, 1963 before His Honor, Warren W. Cornish.
Representing Plaintiff: Mr. Bob Mack.
* * s|: ‡ * *
“This is against the defendant William J. Sullivan.
“I offer the minute entry dated December 2, 1963 and all the testimony taken herein both on the 4th of June, 1962 and on the 2nd of December, 1963. * * *
“MRS. BEA LEA, BEING DULY SWORN:
“Q. Has any answer or other pleadings been filed in this matter?
“A. No sir.”

Neither the minute entry of December 2, 1963 nor the testimony referred to as being taken “herein both on the 4th of June, 1962 and on the 2nd of December, 1963” is contained in this record. Presumably, the minute entry of December 2, 1963, contained the entry of preliminary default and the testimony referred to is the basis of confirmation of the default. Whether this is sufficient basis for the judgment rendered herein against James W. Sullivan we at this time express no opinion.

The case was duly tried and judgment rendered in favor of the plaintiff, Norma Jean Courtney,1 and against the defendants, Allstate Insurance Company and James W. Sullivan, in solido, in the full sum of $12,500.00, together with legal

174 So.2d — 19Vz [298]*298interest thereon from judicial demand until paid; and in favor of the plaintiff, Leslie E. .Courtney, and against the defendants, Allstate Insurance Company and James W. Sullivan, in solido, in the full sum of $1829.-25, together with legal interest thereon from judicial demand until paid, and all costs of the suit. Allstate Insurance Company appealed from the above judgment. James W. Sullivan took no appeal.

Allstate Insurance Company was the insurer of James W. Sullivan under a policy of insurance covering a 1949 Dodge truck and was sued by the plaintiff herein .under the provisions of the policy providing coverage for non-owned vehicles. Allstate Insurance Company denied coverage and maintained the 1953 Buick was owned by James W. Sullivan and he had failed to comply with the provisions of the policy which required that in order for a newly acquired automobile to he covered under the policy, named insured or his spouse must notify the company within thirty days of the acquisition of said automobile. The policy was offered in evidence and contains such a provision under a clause with regard to “Newly Acquired Automobile * * * ”. Allstate alleges and the record sustains such an allegation that Sullivan had not complied with the terms of the policy by reporting the automobile within thirty days and, therefore, it was not obligated under the policy to cover the 1953 Buick automobile, unless the record sustains the contention of the plaintiff that Sullivan had borrowed the 1953 Buick from his brother-in-law and therefore was covered under the policy provisions providing coverage for non-owned vehicles. The question of coverage is the main question before the court. There is no doubt, from the record and evidence produced, in the mind of this Court that the sole proximate cause of the' accident, injury and damage to the plaintiff was the negligence of Sullivan in attempting to make a left turn in violation of the law. He testified that he put his signal light on to turn left when about 100 feet from the intersection, at which time he thought that the plaintiff’s car was a safe distance approaching in the .opposite or eastbound lane and that when he arrived at the intersection he turned left and as the front portion of his car got into the eastbound lane he then saw that the plaintiff’s car was only 25 or 30 yards away and attempted to pull back into the west lane but the vehicles collided in the eastbound lane before he could succeed in this maneuver. A further detailed discussion of the testimony on this point would be surplusage.

The facts are not seriously in dispute but there had been a change in the statements and testimony' of Sullivan and his brother-in-law, Smiley, given soon after the accident and later statements and testimony on the trial upon the fact as to whether Sullivan had borrowed the 1953 Buick just prior to the accident or whether he had bought it more than thirty days prior to the accident. There is no question but that if he owned the automobile he had not complied with the terms of the policy and there would be no coverage. On this question of fact the record shows that immediately after the collision and during the investigation by an officer of the town of Livingston, Sullivan told the latter that he owned the automobile. Within the next day or two he called the office of the Allstate Insurance Company to find out if he would be covered and was told that he would not as he had not reported a new automobile in accordance with the provisions of the policy.

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174 So. 2d 296, 1965 La. App. LEXIS 4351, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/courtney-v-allstate-insurance-lactapp-1965.