Farm Bureau Insurance v. Lubin

580 S.W.2d 447, 265 Ark. 536, 1979 Ark. LEXIS 1378
CourtSupreme Court of Arkansas
DecidedApril 23, 1979
Docket78-201
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 580 S.W.2d 447 (Farm Bureau Insurance v. Lubin) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Arkansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Farm Bureau Insurance v. Lubin, 580 S.W.2d 447, 265 Ark. 536, 1979 Ark. LEXIS 1378 (Ark. 1979).

Opinions

Conley Byrd, Justice.

Appellant Farm Bureau Insurance Company issued a comprehensive automobile insurance policy to Milton Lubin, M.D., providing automobile liability and collision coverage to Milton Lubin and the members of his household. Milton Lubin is the father of Avery Lubin and Nathan Lubin. Nathan Lubin lived approximately 200 to 300 yards from Milton Lubin. A limited partnership between Nathan Lubin and Zusman Bensky had purchased a jeep but had neglected to acquire insurance on the jeep. On July 22, 1973, Avery Lubin borrowed the jeep to go frog gigging. While the jeep was thus borrowed, Avery Lubin ran the jeep into a ditch, causing extensive damage. When Farm Bureau failed to pay for the damages, Nathan Lubin filed suit against Avery Lubin and recovered a judgment for $1600 damages to the jeep. Thereafter, Avery Lubin filed this action against Farm Bureau to recover a judgment for the $1600 plus an attorney’s fee of $500 for defending Nathan’s action against him and also for a 12% penalty and an attorney’s fee in this action. Farm Bureau defended on the basis that its liability under Coverage “B” was excluded by Exclusion “K” since Avery Lubin was in charge of the jeep at the time of the accident. The trial court held Farm Bureau liable for the $1600 judgment, for $500 attorney’s fee in defending Nathan’s action against Avery, for the statutory 12% penalty in the amount of $192.00 and for an additional attorney’s fee of $700 in this action. For reversal Farm Bureau contends:

“I. The trial court erred in failing to rule that Exclusion K was applicable to exclude liability coverage for property damage under Coverage “B” since Avery Lubin was in charge of or transporting the vehicle at the time the collision causing the damage occurred; and
II. The trial court erred in ruling that appellant had a duty to defend appellee and pay any judgment rendered therein.”

The policy issued by Farm Bureau, in so far as here applicable, provides:

“INSURING AGREEMENTS:
1. LIABILITY
COVERAGES A, BODILY INJURY AND B, PROPERTY DAMAGE.
1. To pay on behalf of the insured all sums except punitive damages, which the insured shall become legally obligated to pay as damages:
COVERAGE A — Because of bodily injury sustained by any person, and
COVERAGE B — Because of injury to or destruction of property, caused by accident and arising out of ownership, maintenance or use of any automobile, including loading and unloading thereof;
2. To defend any suit against the insured for such damages even if groundless, or fraudulent; * * * *
III. DAMAGE TO OWNED AUTOMOBILES
COVERAGE D, COMPREHENSIVE: E, COLLISION: AND F, FIRE THEFT AND C.A.C.
1. To pay for direct and accidental loss of or damage to the automobile, including its equipment and other equipment permanently attached thereto and described in the Declarations and indicated by a specific premium charge or charges and including reasonable expenses to protect it from further loss, all of which shall hereinafter be called loss.
COVERAGE E — COLLISION: By collision with another object or by upset of the automobile but only for the amount of each such loss in excess of the applicable deductible indicated in the Declarations. * * * *
IV. DEFINITION OF INSURED
The unqualified word “INSURED” includes the named insured and if the named insured is an individual, his spouse and dependent children residing in the household and also includes: * * * *
V. OTHER DEFINITIONS
(1) “OWNED AUTOMOBILE” — an automobile owned by the named insured.
(2) ‘HIRED AUTOMOBILE’ — means an automobile used under contract in behalf of, or loaned to the named insured provided such automobile is not owned by or registered in the name of (a) the Named Insured, (b) a partner or executive officer thereof, (c) * * * * *
(3) ‘NON-OWNED AUTOMOBILE’ means any automobile other than an owned automobile or hired automobile.
VI. USE OF OTHER AUTOMOBILES — COVERAGES D, E AND F.
A. If during the policy period this policy provides coverage D, E, or F to a private passenger or a noncommercial vehicle, such insurance applies to the use of any non-commercial vehicle used by the insured.
EXCLUSIONS
THIS POLICY DOES NOT APPLY:
* * *
(k) under Coverage B, to injury to or destruction of property (1) owned or transported by the insured; (2) rented to or in charge of the insured other than a residence or private garage damage or destroyed by a private passenger automobile covered by this policy; * * *>>

The front page of the policy shows that there is a $100 deductible on the 73 Ford “2DHDT” owned by Avery Lubin.

POINT I. When we zero in on this policy we find that Farm Bureau agrees:

“INSURING AGREEMENTS:
COVERAGES A, BODILY INJURY AND B, PROPERTY DAMAGE.
1. To pay on behalf of the insured all sums except punitive damages, which the insured shall become legally obligated to pay as damages:
COVERAGE B — because of injury to or destruction of property, caused by accident and arising out of ownership, maintenance or use of any automobile, including loading and unloading thereof;
2. To defend any suit against the insured for such damages even if groundless, or fraudulent; ...”
EXCLUSIONS
THIS POLICY DOES NOT APPLY:
(k) under Coverage B, to injury to or destruction of property (1) owned or transported by the insured; (2) rented to or in charge of the insured other than a residence or private garage damaged or destroyed by a private passenger automobile covered by this policy; . .

In contending that it had no liability under Coverage “B”, Farm Bureau relies upon Northwestern Mutual Insurance Company v. Haglund, (1965 Mo. App.) 387 S.W. 2d 230; Middlesex Mutual Fire Insurance Co. v. Ballard, (La. App. 1963) 148 So. 2d 865; and Wyatt v. Wyatt, 239 Minn. 434, 58 N.W. 2d 873 (1953). On page 8 of appellee’s brief we find the following statement:

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Bluebook (online)
580 S.W.2d 447, 265 Ark. 536, 1979 Ark. LEXIS 1378, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/farm-bureau-insurance-v-lubin-ark-1979.