FFB GENERAL INS. CO. v. Insurance Co. of North America

763 So. 2d 429, 2000 Fla. App. LEXIS 7031, 2000 WL 731365
CourtDistrict Court of Appeal of Florida
DecidedJune 9, 2000
Docket5D99-943
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 763 So. 2d 429 (FFB GENERAL INS. CO. v. Insurance Co. of North America) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court of Appeal of Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
FFB GENERAL INS. CO. v. Insurance Co. of North America, 763 So. 2d 429, 2000 Fla. App. LEXIS 7031, 2000 WL 731365 (Fla. Ct. App. 2000).

Opinion

763 So.2d 429 (2000)

FLORIDA FARM BUREAU GENERAL INSURANCE COMPANY, Appellant,
v.
INSURANCE COMPANY OF NORTH AMERICA, etc., Appellee.

No. 5D99-943.

District Court of Appeal of Florida, Fifth District.

June 9, 2000.
Rehearing Denied August 1, 2000.

*431 Lester A. Lewis and James R. Evans, Daytona Beach, for Appellant.

Elizabeth C. Wheeler of Wheeler & Wilkinson, LLP, Orlando, for Appellee.

SAWAYA, J.

The appellant, Florida Farm Bureau General Insurance Company ("FFB"), appeals an order dismissing with prejudice its complaint against the appellee, Insurance Company of North America ("INA"). FFB contends that the trial court erred in dismissing its complaint for failure to state a cause of action for subrogation and indemnification; in concluding that certain policy exclusions applied; and in not allowing FFB leave to amend its complaint. INA argues that the court properly dismissed the complaint and that a release provides additional grounds to support dismissal.

The underlying cause of action arose when Bradley Lamar Preston was killed as a result of an automobile accident wherein he was struck by a tractor trailer while walking along a roadway near property owned by Myron Kirton. At the time of the accident, an "open burning agricultural fire" was being conducted on the property by Myron's son, Kenneth Kirton, who was a licensed forester. The decedent's estate filed suit against the truck driver, the owner of the truck, Myron as owner of the property, and Kenneth for his alleged negligent conduct of the fire. The suit alleged that the accident was caused, at least in part, by a lack of visibility attributable to smoke and debris which emanated from the fire and engulfed the roadway.

Myron was insured by FFB, and Kenneth was insured by INA under a farm liability policy. INA initially undertook the defense of Kenneth but subsequently terminated its defense, claiming that there was no coverage for Kenneth under its policy for the incident. FFB assumed the defense of Kenneth and settled the claim of the decedent's estate at mediation for $150,000.00. FFB obtained a release as to Myron, Kenneth, FFB, and INA. Kenneth assigned his rights under his policy to FFB. In the assignment, FFB agreed not to pursue any action against Kenneth or Myron, and Kenneth agreed to "indemnify [FFB] for the amount of the settlement paid by [FFB] on behalf of Myron Kirton and Kenneth Kirton or, alternatively, to pay according to the apportionment of fault between Myron and Kenneth." FFB also agreed not to pursue Kenneth's indemnity obligation in the event FFB was unsuccessful in its suit against INA.

FFB subsequently demanded that INA indemnify it for the settlement amount. INA refused to reimburse FFB for any amount of settlement, and FFB filed suit against INA on its own behalf and as assignee of Kenneth. The complaint contained three counts which sought 1) determination of coverage for Kenneth under the INA policy and a determination that INA had a duty to indemnify FFB as assignee of Kenneth; 2) a declaratory judgment against INA to establish coverage for the negligence of Kenneth and to establish INA's duty to indemnify FFB; and 3) recovery based on equitable subrogation. Attachments to the complaint included the settlement agreement and assignment *432 of Kenneth's rights to FFB; the complaint filed by the decedent's estate; the release by the estate in favor of Myron, Kenneth, INA, and FFB; and the INA policy.

I. The Exclusion Provisions

The trial court held that dismissal with prejudice was warranted based on the "non-listed location" and "pollution" exclusion clauses contained in INA's policy. INA argues in these proceedings that the "business" exclusion also applies. Although the trial court did not rule on the applicability of this exclusion, INA contends that it provides additional grounds to support the lower court's order of dismissal with prejudice.

Policy exclusions are generally pled as affirmative defenses. See Peninsular Life Ins. Co. v. Hanratty, 281 So.2d 609 (Fla. 3d DCA 1973); cf. Fla. R. Civ. P. 1.110(d) ("In pleading to a preceding pleading a party shall set forth affirmatively... any ... matter constituting an avoidance or affirmative defense."). A defense based on a policy exclusion usually raises issues of fact that should not be decided pursuant to a motion to dismiss for failure to state a cause of action. See Cintron v. Osmose Wood Preserving, Inc., 681 So.2d 859, 860 (Fla. 5th DCA 1996) ("In reviewing a motion to dismiss a complaint, the trial court must make its decision solely upon questions of law.").

The most common and appropriate pre-trial motion to raise the issue of whether a particular exclusion clause in an insurance policy applies to prohibit recovery is a motion for summary judgment. A motion to dismiss should not be used "to determine issues of ultimate fact" and "may not act as a substitute for summary judgment." Roberts v. Children's Med. Servs., 751 So.2d 672, 673 (Fla. 2d DCA 2000); see McWhirter, Reeves, McGothlin, Davidson, Rief & Bakas, P.A. v. Weiss, 704 So.2d 214 (Fla. 2d DCA 1998); Bolz v. State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co., 679 So.2d 836 (Fla. 2d DCA 1996); see also Cintron. However, the trial court found that the complaint filed by FFB contains specific allegations that establish as a matter of law that the "pollution" and "non-listed location" exclusions apply to prohibit coverage.

We are aware of the rule that "[a]ny exhibit attached to a pleading shall be considered a part thereof for all purposes," Florida Rule of Civil Procedure 1.130(b), and that "[i]f an attached document negates the pleader's cause of action... the plain language of the document will control and may be the basis for a motion to dismiss." Health Application Sys., Inc. v. Hartford Life & Accident Ins. Co., 381 So.2d 294, 297 (Fla. 1st DCA 1980); accord Ginsberg v. Lennar Fla. Holdings, Inc., 645 So.2d 490 (Fla. 3d DCA 1994). Thus, the applicability of policy exclusions contained in a policy attached as an exhibit may be raised by a motion to dismiss when the allegations of the complaint clearly show that the exclusions do apply. See Bolz. The issue we must resolve is whether the complaint contains sufficient allegations that show as a matter of law that the particular exclusions at issue negate coverage and warrant dismissal of the action with prejudice.

A. The Non-Listed Location Exclusion

The pertinent provisions of the "non-listed location" exclusion in INA's policy state that the "insurance does not apply to ... `[b]odily injury' or `property damage' arising out of ... [a]n act or omission in connection with any location (other than an `insured location') that is rented to, or owned or controlled by, the `insured.'" The trial court based its decision to dismiss on an allegation contained in FFB's complaint that Kenneth "was solely responsible for conducting the prescribed burn on the property of Myron Kirton, was solely responsible for monitoring and controlling the burn and, when the burn was completed, was solely responsible for extinguishing it." The court then *433

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Bluebook (online)
763 So. 2d 429, 2000 Fla. App. LEXIS 7031, 2000 WL 731365, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ffb-general-ins-co-v-insurance-co-of-north-america-fladistctapp-2000.