Cross v. State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co.

541 S.W.3d 495
CourtCourt of Appeals of Arkansas
DecidedFebruary 7, 2018
DocketNo. CV–17–169
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 541 S.W.3d 495 (Cross v. State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Arkansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Cross v. State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co., 541 S.W.3d 495 (Ark. Ct. App. 2018).

Opinions

....
2. a "hit-and-run" land motor vehicle whose owner or driver remains unknown and which strikes:
a. the insured ; or
b. the vehicle the insured is occupying
and is the proximate cause of bodily injury to the insured.

(Emphasis in policy.)

Cross argues on appeal that she was entitled to UM coverage because she presented a question of fact on the issue of whether she was legally entitled to collect from the owner or driver of an uninsured vehicle. This language is consistent with the language of section 23-89-403, which states that its purpose is to protect those who are legally entitled to recover damages from owners or operators of uninsured *500motor vehicles. Ark. Code Ann. § 23-89-403(a)(1) (Repl. 2014). Our supreme court has held that the policy requirement that an insured must be "legally entitled to recover from an uninsured motorist is intended only to require a showing of fault on the part of the uninsured motorist." Elam v. Hartford Fire Ins. Co. , 344 Ark. 555, 570-71, 42 S.W.3d 443, 463 (2001) (citing Hettel v. Rye , 251 Ark. 868, 870, 475 S.W.2d 536, 538 (1972) ).

Arkansas case law has further interpreted the phrase "legally entitled to recover from an uninsured motorist" as requiring the plaintiff to prove that the other vehicle is uninsured. State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co. v. Henderson , 356 Ark. 335, 341, 150 S.W.3d 276, 279 (2004) ; Home Ins. Co. v. Harwell , 263 Ark. 884, 885, 568 S.W.2d 17, 18 (1978) ; Ward v. Consol. Underwriters , 259 Ark. 696, 698, 535 S.W.2d 830, 832 (1976) ; Sw. Underwriters Ins. Co. v. Miller , 254 Ark. 387, 391-92, 493 S.W.2d 432, 434 (1973). This interpretation is consistent with the language of the policy, which puts the focus on whether the motor vehicle is uninsured.2 Therefore, to survive summary judgment, Cross had to present a question of fact showing that AHTD dump trucks were at fault and that AHTD dump trucks were uninsured.

We hold that Cross met her burden of presenting evidence to create a question of fact and survive summary judgment on this issue. First, State Farm admitted in its responses to requests for admission that AHTD was not covered by liability insurance at the time of the collision in this case. Further, AHTD's attorney stated in his affidavit that there was no insurance on the AHTD trucks that were used to transport and place materials on Highway 108. Second, Cross presented evidence of AHTD's fault. Her deposition testimony, along with that of Ricky Carter and Raymond Smith, was sufficient evidence to present a question of fact on the issue of AHTD's fault. Furthermore, the circuit court, in its order, expressly found that there were material questions of fact on the issue of negligence of AHTD's dump truck and/or drivers. Therefore, we hold that Cross presented sufficient evidence to create a question of fact on the issue of her entitlement to UM coverage.

We acknowledge the supreme court's holding in Gailey v. Allstate Insurance Co. , 362 Ark. 568, 210 S.W.3d 40 (2005), which appears to be contrary to our holding. In Gailey , the appellant was struck by a vehicle driven by Bianca Sills and owned by Jerry Woods. The appellant made a claim with her UM carrier, the appellee. After a trial, the jury found that Sills and the vehicle she was driving were uninsured. Gailey , 362 Ark. at 572, 210 S.W.3d at 43. The UM carrier cross-appealed, contending that while the insured presented sufficient evidence to prove that Sills was uninsured, the insured failed to present sufficient evidence that the vehicle was uninsured. Id. at 577, 210 S.W.3d at 45-46. Citing Home Insurance Co. v. Harwell , the supreme court stated that "[i]n order to recover uninsured-motorist benefits under Arkansas law, a plaintiff must prove that both the driver of the vehicle and the vehicle itself were uninsured." Id. at 577, 210 S.W.3d at 46. The court went on to find that substantial evidence supported the jury's finding that the vehicle was uninsured. Id. at 578-79, 210 S.W.3d at 47-48.

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541 S.W.3d 495, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/cross-v-state-farm-mut-auto-ins-co-arkctapp-2018.