Employers Casualty Company v. Brown-McKee, Inc.

430 S.W.2d 21, 1968 Tex. App. LEXIS 2120
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJune 27, 1968
Docket374
StatusPublished
Cited by27 cases

This text of 430 S.W.2d 21 (Employers Casualty Company v. Brown-McKee, Inc.) 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
Employers Casualty Company v. Brown-McKee, Inc., 430 S.W.2d 21, 1968 Tex. App. LEXIS 2120 (Tex. Ct. App. 1968).

Opinion

DUNAGAN, Chief Justice.

This is a suit for declaratory judgment. Appellant, defendant below, Employers Casualty Company, hereinafter called Employers, insured appellee, plaintiff below, Brown-McKee, Inc., hereinafter called Brown-McKee, under a comprehensive general liability insurance policy. Panhandle Wheat Growers, Inc., hereinafter called Panhandle, sued Brown-McKee and Fidelity and Casualty Company of New York, surety on performance bond, for loss of storage revenue allegedly caused by improper construction and repair to a grain elevator which had been constructed by Brown-McKee for Panhandle. Panhandle is not a party to this suit. Brown-McKee called upon Employers for defense under its policy; Employers refused and Brown-McKee sought declaratory judgment. Both parties filed motions for summary judgment, and the court granted Brown-McKee’s motion and Employers’ motion was denied. Employers duly perfected its appeal.

In brief, Panhandle’s petition alleged that Brown-McKee contracted with Panhandle to build a grain elevator for Panhandle; that the elevator was completed in *23 1962; that the construction was defective and leaks developed which Brown-McKee attempted to repair; that future leaks developed and the Commodity Credit Corporation required Panhandle to move all grain out of the elevator, and that as a result thereof, Panhandle lost storage revenues for a period of 18 months in the total amount of $24,094.75. Panhandle makes no claim in its suit for damages to the grain or to any other physical property. The grain herein involved was owned by the Commodity Credit Corporation which is not a party to the suit instituted by Panhandle.

To state the facts more fully, it is shown that on or about June 14, 1966, Brown-McKee was sued by Panhandle in the 100th District Court of Carson County, Texas. In said suit, Panhandle alleged that Brown-McKee had failed to properly construct and repair a concrete grain storage elevator in Carson County, Texas, for Panhandle, and that Brown-McKee had been guilty of (1) a breach of its warranty that said elevator would be a sturdy, well-designed, well-constructed, weather-proof building, guaranteed not to leak, and (2) negligence in failing to properly construct and/or repair said building so as to prevent leaks.

Panhandle then claimed that such breach of warranty and negligence had resulted in certain leaks and defects in construction which had allowed water to enter the elevator and damage government grain stored therein and that, when the government found that the grain had been damaged, it removed the grain from the elevator, thereby causing a loss in grain storage revenue by Panhandle in the amount of $24,094.75, based upon the alleged estimated time which the grain could have been expected to remain in said elevator but for the damage to the grain.

When notice of the Carson County suit was served upon Brown-McKee, it called upon Employers to defend said suit, which Employers refused to do. Brown-McKee filed this suit in the 140th District Court of Lubbock County for declaratory judgment requiring Employers to defend it in suit brought against it by Panhandle.

Employers’ sole point of error is: “The Trial Court erred in granting BROWN-McKEE’S motion and in overruling EMPLOYERS’ motion because, as a matter of law, the insurance contract does not cover the claim alleged by PANHANDLE against BROWN-McKEE.”

Insofar as we can ascertain, the question here presented has never been passed on by the Texas appellate courts and apparently this case is one of first impression in this state.

Employers says the issue in this case at bar is whether the cause of action alleged by Panhandle against Brown-McKee is within the coverage of Employers’ liability policy.

Employers further says that under Insuring Agreement II of the policy, it agreed to defend any suit against Brown-McKee within the coverage of the policy. The pertinent coverage provision is Insuring Agreement I, Coverage B — Property Damage Liability, under which Employers agrees:

“To pay on behalf of the insured all sums which the insured shall become legally obligated to pay as damages because of injury to or destruction of property, including the loss of use thereof, caused by accident.”

This Coverage Agreement is subject to the Exclusions of the policy and the pertinent Exclusion is as follows:

“This policy does not apply:
* * * * * *
“(h) under coverage B, to injury to or destruction of * * * (4) any goods, products or containers thereof manufactured, sold, handled or distributed or premises alienated by the named insured, or work completed by or for the named insured, out of which the accident arises;”

*24 It is the position of Brown-McKee that the insurance policy issued to it by Employers clearly covers the cause of action asserted by Panhandle.

Brown-McKee says that under “Insuring .Agreements” in the policy is a section entitled “Coverage B — Property Damage Liability” in which Employers agrees to “pay on behalf of the insured all sums which the insured shall become legally obligated to pay as damages because of injury to or destruction of property, including the loss of use thereof, caused by accident.” Brown-McKee then argues that considered alone, it is evident that this insuring clause is broad enough to cover the damage asserted by Panhandle in the Carson County suit. This seems to be undisputed by Employers. Brown-McKee further argues that whether the injury is claimed to be to the elevator or to the grain in the elevator, both the grain and the elevator are property, and this clause, unless there are to be subsequent Exclusions withdrawing coverage, states quite clearly that the insurer shall be obligated to pay all sums which the insured shall become legally obligated to pay as damages because of injury to property.

We think that the injury here involved was “caused by accident” under the accepted definition of accident, namely, that an accident is an unexpected, unforeseen or undesigned happening or consequence from “either a known or unknown cause.” Bundy Tubing Company v. Royal Indemnity Company, 298 F.2d 151 (6th Cir., 1962); Bowman Steel Corporation v. Lumbermens Mutual Casualty Company, 364 F.2d 246 (3rd Cir., 1966); Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company v. Fidelity and Casualty Company of New York, 281 F.2d 538 (3rd Cir., 1960); American Indemnity Co. v. Jamison, 62 S.W.2d 197 (Tex.Civ.App., Texarkana, 1933, n. w. h.); Beaumont, S. L. & W. Ry. Co. v. Schmidt, 123 Tex. 580, 72 S.W.2d 899 (Tex.Com.App., 1934, opinion adopted); Massachusetts Bonding and Insurance Co. v. Orkin Exterminating Company, 416 S.W.2d 396, 400 (Tex.Sup., 1967).

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Bluebook (online)
430 S.W.2d 21, 1968 Tex. App. LEXIS 2120, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/employers-casualty-company-v-brown-mckee-inc-texapp-1968.