Employers Mut. Cas. Co. v. Hefner

254 S.W.2d 565, 1952 Tex. App. LEXIS 2287
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedDecember 19, 1952
DocketNo. 14552
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 254 S.W.2d 565 (Employers Mut. Cas. Co. v. Hefner) 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 Mut. Cas. Co. v. Hefner, 254 S.W.2d 565, 1952 Tex. App. LEXIS 2287 (Tex. Ct. App. 1952).

Opinion

YOUNG, Justice.

Suit herein was filed by appellee John M. Hefner, Sr., seeking recovery upon a certain contractor’s liability policy allegedly insuring the operations of Spencer Plumbing Company. The claim was in sum of $2,000, interest and costs, based upon an unpaid judgment in like amount already obtained against Spencer Plumbing Company. A trial to the court resulted in judgment for $2,000, interest and costs against appellant, as sole defendant, with timely appeal by the Casualty Company; the parties concerned being here designated as in the trial court.

Source of the litigation was a gas explosion occurring, on January 12, 1948 in a two-story building located at 419 North Ervay Street, Dallas, owned by plaintiff. Property damage sustained by the blast resulted in a suit against Spencer Plumbing Company, a partnership, under allegations that such explosion was caused by negligence of the plumbing company in installing and turning the gas into a leaky and unsealed temporary gas line in connection with the performance of an unfinished contract to eqrtip plaintiff’s building with a system of air conditioning, heating and plumbing. As already stated, the prior suit resulted in a judgment for plaintiff against the plumbing company in principal sum of $2,000; the present action seeking to collect such judgment from the Casualty Company because of insurance which such defendant had issued, under claim that the policy in question was one of contractor’s liability insurance, obligating defendant to pay all damages imposed by law from the hazards of insured’s plumbing business operations, including, as plaintiff alleged, the judgment obtained in said earlier suit.

The policy in controversy was issued by the John M. Hefner Agency (owned by plaintiff) and it developed on trial that the same had been lost or mislaid; the parties relying for evidence thereof, in material part, upon the contents of defendant’s amended original answer. Plaintiff contends, on the one hand, that these insuring provisions establish liability, defendant just as strongly arguing to the contrary; plaintiff claiming coverage under “Division 1. Premises — Operations,” quoted below, for which premium was paid; defendant classifying the explosion as within “Division 3. Products,” not covered by premium; the .provisions relied on by each being now set forth and emphasized for purpose of clarity: “II. Coverage B- — Property Damage Liability. To pay on behalf of the insured all sums which the insured shall become obligated to pay by reason of the liability imposed upon him by law for damages because of injury to or destruction of property, including the loss of use thereof, caused by accident and arising out of the hazards hereinafter defined. Definition of Hazards Division 1. Premises — Operations. The ownership, maintenance or use of the premises, and all operations during the policy period which are necessary or incidental thereto. Division 2. Elevators. The ownership, maintenance or use, for the purposes stated in the declarations, of any elevator therein designated. Division 3. Products. The handling or use of or the existence of any condition in goods or products manufactured, sold, handled or distributed by the named insured, if the accident occurs after the insured has relinquished possession thereof to others and away from premises owned, rented or controlled by the insured; and operations [567]*567covered under divisions 1 and 6 of the Definition of Hazards, other than pick-up and delivery and the existence of tools, uninstalled equipment and abandoned or unused materials, if the accident occurs after such operations have been completed or abandoned at the place of occurrence thereof and away from such premises. (Emphasis ours.) * *'* This Policy does not apply: (a) under division 1 of the Definition of Hazards, to aircraft; or to elevators at the premises owned, rented •or controlled by the insured; or to dogs, draft or saddle animals, boats, vehicles of any kind other than hand trucks, push carts, bicycles and contractors’ equipment, or the loading or unloading thereof, while azvay from the premises, unless specifically declared and described in this policy and premium charged therefor; or to liability with respect to which insurance is or can be afforded under division 6 óf the Definition of Hazards; or if the operations be rated in the Declarations on any basis other than remuneration, to structural alterations, new construction or demolition operations; * * * (c) under divisions 1 and 3 of the Definition of Hazards, to the ownership or maintenance of signs away from the premises, or to machinery, equipment or other property rented to or located for use by others, or to operations in connection therewith, away from the premises, unless such property is specifically declared and described in this policy and premium charged therefor; (d) under divisions 1 and 6 of the Definition of Plazards, to liability with respect to which insurance is or can be afforded under division 3 of the Definition of Hazards; or to operation on or from other premises which are owned, rented or controlled by the insured; (e) under divisions 1, 2, 4 and 6 of the Definition of Hazards, to liability assumed by the insured under any contract or agreement, or under division 3 to liability of others assumed by the insured under any contract or agreement; * * *. 3. Premises Defined. The unqualified word ‘premises’ wherever used in this policy shall mean (a) the premises designated in the declarations including buildings and structures thereon and the ways immediately adjoining and (b) when a territory is designated in the declarations in addition to a specific location, places within said territory while used by or on behalf of the named insured in the conduct of the operation at such specified location, except public ways used in common with others.” (Emphasis ours.)

Appellant’s points of error may be stated, viz.: (1) “There being no- evidence in the record that. the explosion which damaged plaintiff’s building was within the coverage of the policy, the judgment of the court below was, therefore, erroneous”;- and (2) in the alternative, that the evidence was insufficient to support a finding thereon. The contentions made require a rather detailed analysis of the facts surrounding the explosion of January 12, 1948 as narrated by plaintiff’s witnesses, Ray Delbert Wright and J. W. Hefner, Jr.; the controlling issue here being this: Of whether the explosion (and liability, if any) arose under Division 1 covering * * * all operations during the policy period which are necessary and incidental” to the use of the premises, or whether the occurrence and damage was referable to Division 3 — Products Liability — • (not covered) which related to accidents occurring after such operations had been completed or abandoned.

In January 1948, Wright was a partner of Henry Spencer in the Spencer Plumbing Company, which concern for six or eight months prior thereto had been installing air conditioning and heating units in a penthouse on top of the two-story Hefner Insurance Building; completion of the contract being dependent on arrival of a necessary boiler.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
254 S.W.2d 565, 1952 Tex. App. LEXIS 2287, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/employers-mut-cas-co-v-hefner-texapp-1952.