Employers Liability Assurance Corp. v. Pacific Employers Insurance

227 P.2d 53, 102 Cal. App. 2d 188
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedFebruary 8, 1951
DocketCiv. 17671
StatusPublished
Cited by27 cases

This text of 227 P.2d 53 (Employers Liability Assurance Corp. v. Pacific Employers Insurance) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Employers Liability Assurance Corp. v. Pacific Employers Insurance, 227 P.2d 53, 102 Cal. App. 2d 188 (Cal. Ct. App. 1951).

Opinion

WILSON, J.

Employers Liability Assurance Corporation of London, hereinafter referred to as Employers, brought this action for declaratory relief to determine its liability and that of defendant Pacific Employers Insurance Company, hereinafter referred to as Pacific, under policies of insurance written by each company providing public liability insurance for defendant Salvation Army. From a judgment construing the policies and determining the liability of each of the respective insurance companies, defendant has appealed.

The Pacific policy, which is designated a “Comprehensive Liability” policy of insurance, provides damage indemnity for (1) automobile bodily injury, (2) automobile property damage, (3) bodily injury other than automobile, and (4) product and products liability. By an endorsement attached to the policy, coverage for items (1) and (2) was excluded as to automobiles owned or hired by the Salvation Army. Notwithstanding these exclusions, however, Salvation Army had coverage under the policy for automobile bodily injury and automobile property damage arising out of and caused by any automobile not owned or hired by it and while being driven by an employee in the course of his employment. The limit of liability of the policy is $100,000 for one injured person.

The Employers policy is designated as a “Standard Automobile Combination Policy,” and covers damages from bodily injuries from owned cars, hired cars, loaned cars, and, by Endorsement No. 4, from injuries arising from the use of nonowned automobiles driven by employees of the Salvation *190 Army in the course of their employment. The limit of liability provided for in the policy is $25,000 for one injured person.

Defendant Eldin K. Tobin was an employee of the Salva-' tion Army. On April 15, 1947, while driving an automobile owned by him, and while acting within the scope of his employment, Tobin collided with another automobile in which defendant Margaret Jones was riding as a passenger. A separate action has been filed by Margaret Jones against Tobin and the Salvation Army in which she seeks a judgment in the amount of $109,600 for personal injuries alleged to have been sustained by her in the accident.

At the time of the accident Tobin carried liability insurance covering his automobile with the Phoenix Indemnity Company. Under the terms of the policy Tobin and the Salvation Army, if it were liable, were insured against bodily injuries caused by the ownership, use or maintenance of the specified automobile. The Phoenix Indemnity Company admits its liability up to its policy limit of $10,000 for any judgment which may be rendered in the action brought by Margaret J ones.

The controversy between Employers and Pacific, both of whose policies were in force at the date of the accident, is as to which company is required by the provisions of their respective policies of insurance to pay the excess of any judgment over $10,000 which may be rendered in favor of defendant Margaret Jones and against defendant Salvation Army.

The policies of Employers and Pacific each contain “other insurance” clauses. Condition “IT” of the Pacific policy reads as follows: Other Insurance: If other valid insurance or indemnity exists protecting the Insured or any person or organization entitled to protection hereunder, from liability for bodily injuries, sickness, disease, or death or for damage to property of others, this policy shall be null and void in respect of such specific hazard otherwise covered, whether the Insured is specifically named in said other policy or not; provided, however, that if the limits of insurance in this policy are in excess of the limits provided by said other insurance, this policy shall provide excess insurance against said hazard in an amount sufficient to give the Insured a combined amount of protection equal to the limits of this policy. ’ ’

Provision No. 4 of Endorsement No. 4 of the Employers *191 policy reads: ‘ The insurance shall be excess insurance over any other valid and collectible insurance available to the Insured, either as an insured under a policy applicable with respect to the nonowned automobile, or otherwise, against a loss covered hereunder. ’ ’

The trial court found that each of the policies provides excess insurance and that Employers and Pacific are concurrent insurers for liability which may be imposed on defendant Salvation Army in excess of $10,000; that as concurrent insurers- each is liable in the proportion which the collectible amount of each policy bears to the total collectible amount of excess insurance; that the collectible amount under Employers’ policy is $25,000 and under Pacific policy is $90,-000; that Employers is liable for 25/115ths and the liability of Pacific is 90/115ths of any judgment against defendant Salvation Army in excess of $10,000 in an action arising out of the accident, the total liabilities of Employers and Pacific not to exceed $25,000 and $90,000 respectively.

Appellant Pacific contends that the Employers policy, in addition to the Phoenix Indemnity policy, constitutes “other valid insurance or indemnity” within the meaning of that term in condition “IT” of appellant’s policy; that by reason thereof its policy is “null and void” except in the event of a judgment against defendant Salvation Army in excess of $35,000, which is the aggregate limit of the Phoenix Indemnity and the Employers policies.

Appellant’s policy stipulates that it shall be null and void if “other valid insurance or indemnity exists” but that it shall provide excess insurance over limits provided by such other insurance. Employers policy stipulates that it shall be excess over any other valid and collectible insurance.

Appellant concedes that the only other “valid and collectible insurance” in this case is the insurance provided by the Phoenix Indemnity policy. The insurance afforded by Employers policy is, therefore, excess insurance and the excess insurance provided by that policy is not “valid insurance . . . protecting the insured” under the terms of condition “H” of Pacific’s policy. (Air Transport Mfg. Co., Ltd. v. Employers’ Liab. etc. Corp., 91 Cal.App.2d 129, 133 [204 P.2d 647]; Zurich General Acc. & Liab. Ins. Co. v. Clamor, 124 F.2d 717, 720.) It follows, therefore, that both Employers and Pacific policies provide excess insurance and as such they become concurrent insurers for liability which may be imposed on defendant Salvation Army in excess of $10,000.

*192 Appellant maintains that even assuming that each of the policies constituted excess insurance, Employers’ policy is specific in nature whereas that of appellant is comprehensive or general and therefore the liability of Employers is primary and that of appellant is secondary. This contention is not supported by the cases cited by appellant, which are readily distinguishable from the instant case.

In Commercial Casualty Ins. Co. v. Hartford Accident & Indemnity Co., 190 Minn. 528 [252 N.W. 434, 253 N.W.

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Bluebook (online)
227 P.2d 53, 102 Cal. App. 2d 188, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/employers-liability-assurance-corp-v-pacific-employers-insurance-calctapp-1951.