Elliott v. Behner

96 P.2d 852, 150 Kan. 876, 1939 Kan. LEXIS 222
CourtSupreme Court of Kansas
DecidedDecember 9, 1939
DocketNo. 34,468
StatusPublished
Cited by47 cases

This text of 96 P.2d 852 (Elliott v. Behner) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Kansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Elliott v. Behner, 96 P.2d 852, 150 Kan. 876, 1939 Kan. LEXIS 222 (kan 1939).

Opinions

The opinion of the court was delivered by

Smith, J.:

This was a garnishment proceeding wherein the plaintiff in an action for damages sought to collect the judgment she had obtained in her damage action from a corporation she claimed was indebted to the defendant in that action. Judgment was for the plaintiff. The garnishee appeals.

At the outset the garnishee demanded a jury trial. This was denied. The facts were found by the trial court in substance as follows: At the time the cause of action for damages arose the Employers Casualty Company had issued to Montgomery county a policy covering a Ford truck and certain other motor vehicles. This policy was introduced in evidence and is a part of the record before us. It is a construction of this policy which is involved in this proceeding. In the policy the company agreed to insure, wherever used in connection with agreements A and B in it, not only the named [878]*878insured, but any other person or organization while using the automobile, provided the actual use of it was pleasure and business or commercial, as defined in the policy, and the use was with the permission of the named insured. At the time the cause of action arose out of which this proceeding grows, this policy was in full force and effect.

On October 28, 1935, Montgomery county was using this truck in transporting men from the place of work where they had been employed to Independence. Ed Behner was driving the truck, with the consent of the county. It had been used for this purpose for several years and Behner had been driving it. Albert Elliott was riding the truck on this day. He did not pay anything or receive anything for transportation. The employees could ride in the truck if they wished, but it was not a requirement of the county that Elliott or the employees ride in this particular truck, and they had the privilege of providing their own conveyance to their work. The employees were paid on the basis of eight hours a day, and their time started at eight o’clock on the job and they quit at five on the job, and then could return to their homes any way they saw fit. Ed Behner, who was driving the truck, received twenty cents a day extra and transportation for driving.

On the day in question, about five-thirty in the evening, Ed Behner was driving the truck, and Elliott, with other employees, was riding it back to Independence. A collision occurred which resulted in the death of Elliott. Written notice of the collision was given the insurance company, as required by the terms of the policy, and the company investigated the facts pertaining to the accident. Thereafter, on August 13, 1936, Mabel Elliott filed an action for damages against Behner. On August 15, 1936, Montgomery county gave written notice to the garnishee company of the filing of the action and sent it a copy of the petition. They stated in the notice that the county and Behner expected to defend the action. On September 22,1936, the company denied liability under the terms of the policy and advised the county that any assistance in the defense of the action must not be construed as an admission of liability on the part of the insurance company. Thereafter the garnishee refused to defend Ed Behner and he conducted the defense through his own attorney. The lawyers for the garnishee were notified by counsel for the plaintiff of the various steps taken in the action, and one of them was present part of the time during the trial in district [879]*879court, but made no appearance, and one of them was present in the supreme court when the appeal in the damage action was presented.

The damage action resulted in a judgment for $5,000 for plaintiff against Behner. This judgment was affirmed on appeal. Montgomery county was not a party to this action.

An execution against Behner was issued and returned showing no property found. Subsequehtly Behner was adjudged a bankrupt and his estate was a non-asset estate. No part of the judgment against Behner has been paid.

The plaintiff in the damage action caused a garnishment summons to be issued against the insurance company. That compañy answered that it was not indebted to Behner. The plaintiff elected to take issue with the garnishee on that answer. The trial arose on the above pleadings.

At the time Behner was using the truck and caused the death of Elliott he was using it for purposes within the permitted uses under the policy contract, namely, that of transporting employees of Montgomery county to and from their place of employment.

The court held as a conclusion of law that at the time of the service of the garnishment summons upon the garnishee it was indebted to Behner in the amount of $5,000, the amount of the judgment, with interest and costs, and that by reason thereof Mabel Elliott was entitled to recover from the garnishee $5,000, with interest and costs. The garnishee was ordered to pay that amount to the clerk of the court to be applied on the judgment of Mabel Elliott against Behner. A motion for a new trial was filed and overruled. Judgment was rendered in accordance with the findings of fact and conclusions of law. The garnishee appeals.

On his argument in this court the garnishee presents six questions. They are as follows:

1. Did the garnishee waive any of its rights under the policy, and is it estopped from asserting its non-liability under the policy in the garnishment proceedings?
2. Is it entitled to judgment because the liability of or the death of Elliott was excluded under the provision that the company will not be liable for loss or damage: . . . because of bodily injury to any employee of the assured, except household servants other than chauffeurs, while engaged in any business or occupation of the assured?
3. If this court should hold that Elliott was not an employee of the assured, does the garnishee have a further defense under the terms of the policy which arises out of the fact that Elliott was a passenger in the truck of the assured on the occasion of the accident?
[880]*8804. Must the liability of the garnishee be determined in accordance with all of the provisions of the policy?
5. Did the trial court err when it denied the request of garnishee for a jury trial?
6. Did the trial court disregard the express terms and conditions of the policy and thereby nullify the contract between the parties, in violation of section 10 of article 1 of the constitution of the United States?

As to the first question argued by the garnishee, that is, that it did not waive any of its defenses under the policy, it appears that the trial court did not place its decision on that point. While it is argued^ vigorously by the garnishee, it is not pressed by the plaintiff here, and since the conclusion we have reached upon the cause does not depend on the answer to that question, it will not be considered further.

The next question argued by the garnishee is that it is not liable under a certain clause of the policy. The policy provides, in part, as follows:

“Unless otherwise provided by agreement in writing added hereto, this company will not be liable for loss or damage: . . . because of bodily injury to any employee of the assured (except household servants other than chauffeurs) while engaged in any business or occupation of the assured . . .”

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
96 P.2d 852, 150 Kan. 876, 1939 Kan. LEXIS 222, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/elliott-v-behner-kan-1939.