Fidelity & Casualty Co. v. Secured Casualty Co.

180 N.E.2d 297, 87 Ohio Law. Abs. 459, 1961 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 307
CourtSummit County Court of Common Pleas
DecidedAugust 7, 1961
DocketNo. 209615
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 180 N.E.2d 297 (Fidelity & Casualty Co. v. Secured Casualty Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Summit County Court of Common Pleas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Fidelity & Casualty Co. v. Secured Casualty Co., 180 N.E.2d 297, 87 Ohio Law. Abs. 459, 1961 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 307 (Ohio Super. Ct. 1961).

Opinion

Colopy, J.

This action concerns the scope of coverage provided by separate insurance policies containing conflicting clauses that apply to the accident. More specifically, the plaintiff, The Fidelity & Casualty Company (hereafter called Fidelity) seeks a judgment from Secured Casualty Company '(hereafter called Secured) for $10,093.05, with interest and costs. The aforesaid amount represents the sum of various items that appear in the following admitted facts:

A collision occurred upon the highway between a Chevrolet automobile owned and operated by Gilbert Russell Forrer (hereafter called Forrer) and another vehicle operated by John Cavender resulting in injuries to his wife, Iris Cavender, a passenger. Forrer, an employee of Babcock & Wilcox Company (hereafter called B & W) was driving his aforesaid Chevrolet in the course and scope of his employment. Under an agreement in effect, B & W paid Forrer mileage for use of his car in its behalf. Iris Cavender brought an action in this court against B & W for damages for her bodily injuries in the amount of $75,000. John Cavender filed a separate action against B & W for damages in the amount of $5,000.

[461]*461In force at the time of the accident was a certain indemnity policy issued by Secured to Forrer on his said Chevrolet. It provided “limits of liability” for bodily injury to each person in the amount of $5,000, and $10,000 for each accident. This policy’s provisions in part are:

INSURING AGREEMENTS

I. Coverage A — Bodily Injury Liability: To pay on behalf of the insured all sums which the insured shall become legally obligated to pay as damages because of bodily injury, sickness or disease, including death at any time resulting therefrom, sustained by any person, caused by accident and arising out of the ownership, maintenance or use of the automobile.

II. Defense, Settlement, Supplementary Payments: As respects the insurance afforded by the other terms of this policy under coverages A and B the company shall:

(a) defend any suit against the insured alleging such injury, sickness, disease or destruction and seeking damages on account thereof, even if such suit is groundless, false or fraudulent; but the company may make such investigation, negotiation and settlement of any claim or suit as it deems expedient;

(b) pay all premiums on bonds to release attachments for an amount not in excess of the applicable limit of liability of this policy, all premiums on appeal bonds required in any such defended suit, the cost of bail bonds required of the insured in the event of accident or traffic law violation during the policy period, not to exceed the usual charges of surety companies nor $100 per bail bond, but without any obligation to apply for or furnish any such bonds;

(c) pay all expenses incurred by the company, all costs taxed against the insured in any such suit and all interest accruing after entry of judgment until the company has paid, tendered or deposited in court such part of such judgment as does not exceed the limit of the company’s liability thereon;

(d) pay expenses incurred by the insured for such immediate medical and surgical relief to others as shall be imperative at the time of the accident;

(e) reimburse the insured for all reasonable expenses, other than loss of earnings, incurred at the company’s request.

The amounts incurred under this insuring agreement, ex[462]*462cept settlements of claims and suits, are payable by tbe company in addition to the applicable limit of liability of tbis policy.

III. Definition of Insured: With respect to tbe insurance for bodily injury liability and for property damage liability tbe unqualified word “insured” includes tbe named insured and also includós any person while using tbe automobile and any person or organization legally responsible for tbe use thereof, provided tbe actual use of tbe automobile is by tbe named insured or with bis permission. Tbe insurance with respect to any person or organization other than tbe named insured does not apply:

(a) to any person or organization, or to any agent or employee thereof, operating an automobile repair shop, public garage, sales agency, service station or public parking place, with respect to any accident arising out of tbe operation thereof;

(b) to any employee with respect to injury to or sickness, disease or death of another employee of tbe same employer injured in tbe course of such employment in an accident out of tbe maintenance or use of tbe automobile in tbe business of such employer.

CONDITIONS

17. Subrogation — Coverages A, B, D, E, E, G, E, I and J: In tbe event of any payment under tbis policy, the company shall be subrogated to all tbe insured’s rights of recovery therefor against any person or organization and tbe insured shall execute and deliver instruments and papers and do whatever else is necessary to secure such rights. Tbe insured shall do nothing after loss to prejudice such rights.

18. Other Insurance — Coverages A, B, D, E, F, G, E, I and J: If tbe insured has other insurance against a loss covered by tbis policy the company shall not be liable under tbis policy for a greater proportion of such loss than tbe applicable limit of liability stated in tbe declarations bears to tbe total applicable limit of liability of all valid and collectible insurance against such loss; provided, however, tbe insurance with respect to temporary substitute automobiles under Insuring Agreement IV or other automobiles under Insuring Agreement V shall be excess insurance over any other valid and collectible insurance [463]*463available to tbe insured, either as an insured under a policy-applicable with respect to said automobiles or otherwise.

Also in force at the time of the accident was the policy that Fidelity had issued to B & W covering damages for bodily injuries to one person in the maximum amount of $200,000 and $500,00 for all persons injured in the one accident. Parts of this policy are:

I. Coverage A — Bodily Injury Liability. To pay on behalf of the insured all sums which the insured shall become legally obligated to pay as damages' because of bodily injury, sickness or disease, including death at any time resulting therefrom, sustained by any person, caused by accident and arising out of the ownership, maintenance or use of any automobile.

II. Defense, Settlement, Supplementary Payments. As respects the insurance afforded by the other terms of this policy the company shall:

(a) defend any suit against the insured alleging such injury, sickness, disease or destruction and seeking damages on account thereof, even if such suit is groundless, false or fraudulent, but the company may make such investigation, negotiation and settlement of any claim or suit as it deems expedient;

(b) pay all premiums on. bonds to release attachments for an amount not in excess of the applicable limit of liability of this policy, all premiums on appeal bonds required in any such defended suit, the cost of bail bonds required of the insured in the event of accident or traffic law violation during the policy period, not to exceed the usual charges of surety companies nor $100 per bail bond, but without any obligation to apply for or furnish any such bonds;

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
180 N.E.2d 297, 87 Ohio Law. Abs. 459, 1961 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 307, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/fidelity-casualty-co-v-secured-casualty-co-ohctcomplsummit-1961.