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

541 S.W.3d 495
Court of Appeals of Arkansas·Decided February 7, 2018·No. No. CV–17–169·Published·Cited by 1 cases

Opinions

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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.

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

541 S.W.3d 495 (Cross v. State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co.) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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