Fisher v. Morrison

519 So. 2d 805, 1987 WL 3144
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedDecember 22, 1987
DocketCA 86 1542
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 519 So. 2d 805 (Fisher v. Morrison) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Fisher v. Morrison, 519 So. 2d 805, 1987 WL 3144 (La. Ct. App. 1987).

Opinion

519 So.2d 805 (1987)

Maurice FISHER
v.
Chester F. MORRISON, Delta Services Industries and Northwest Insurance Company.

No. CA 86 1542.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, First Circuit.

December 22, 1987.
Rehearing Denied February 24, 1988.

Thomas L. Mahfouz, Morgan City, for plaintiff and appellant, Maurice Fisher.

George Ann Hayne Graugnard and Mr. Richard L. Edrington, Laplace, for defendant and appellee, Aetna Cas. & Sur. Co.

Peter J. Giarrusso, Houma, for defendant and appellee, Chester F. Morrison.

Before SHORTESS, LANIER and CRAIN, JJ.

LANIER, Judge.

This action commenced as a suit for damages in tort by the driver of a preceding automobile against the driver of a following *806 automobile which struck the preceding automobile in the rear, the following driver's employer and the insurer of the following driver and his employer. When the case was under advisement by the trial court, proceedings were stayed against the following driver's employer because the employer filed for reorganization under the bankruptcy law. Subsequently, the employer's trustee in bankruptcy was substituted as a party defendant, the stay was lifted and the trial court proceeded to render judgment in favor of the preceding driver and against the following driver, the trustee, and the insurer of the following driver and employer for $90,494.26, with legal interest thereon from date of judicial demand until paid and all costs. The trial court judge found, in pertinent part, the following facts in his reasons for judgment:

On or about July 2, 1982, within the Parish of Terrebonne, State of Louisiana, the plaintiff, Maurice Fisher, was driving his 1980 Ford vehicle West on United States Highway No. 90, at or near Gibson, Louisiana and was approaching the bridge which crosses Bayou Black. There was a curve in the road as it approached the bridge. Defendant, Chester F. Morrison, an employee of defendant, Delta Services Industries, acting within the course and scope of his employment with such defendant, was driving a 1982 Regal Buick automobile belonging to Porche Motor Company, West on United States Highway No. 90. The vehicle was leased to Delta Services Industries by Porche Motor Company and Chester F. Morrison was driving such with the knowledge, permission and consent of Delta Services Industries. At the time public liability and property damage insurance was provided by Western Perferred (sic) Casualty Company to the following defendants, Chester F. Morrison, Delta Services Industries and now, because of such bankruptcy proceedings, such coverage inures to the benefit of W. Simmons Sandoz, as Trustee of Delta Services Industries in bankruptcy.
The Court finds that said Chester F. Morrison drove his vehicle into the rear end of the plaintiff's vehicle, causing damage thereto and personal injury to the plaintiff, hereafter described.

Subsequently, Western Preferred Casualty Company (Western) was placed under an order of liquidation in the State of Alabama for insolvency. The preceding (Fisher) and following (Morrison) drivers filed applications for a new trial so Aetna Casualty and Surety Company (Aetna) could be made a party defendant as the liability insurer of Morrison and the uninsured motorist carrier of Fisher. The trial court set aside its prior judgment and granted a new trial on all issues. Fisher filed a supplemental and amending petition making Aetna a party defendant as the liability insurer of Morrison and the uninsured motorist carrier for himself.[1] Aetna, in its capacity as the liability insurer of Morrison, filed a motion for summary judgment contending Morrison's policy excluded coverage when he operated a non-owned vehicle furnished to him for his regular use in the scope of his employment. The trial court granted a consent summary judgment dismissing Fisher's claim against Aetna in its capacity as liability insurer of Morrison. No appeal has been taken from this judgment.

Aetna then filed a motion for summary judgment contending it did not provide uninsured motorist insurance coverage to Fisher because of the public conveyance exclusion in Fisher's policy. The trial court granted summary judgment dismissing Fisher's claim against Aetna in its capacity as his uninsured motorist carrier. This devolutive appeal followed.

FACTS

On July 2, 1982, Fisher was the named insured in an Aetna policy of insurance which provided liability and uninsured motorist coverages. However, the policy contained *807 public or livery conveyance exclusions for the liability and uninsured motorist coverages. Specifically, the policy provided, in pertinent part, as follows:

EXCLUSIONS A. We do not provide Liability Coverage for any person:

. . . .
5. For liability arising out of the ownership or operation of a vehicle while it is being used to carry persons or property for a fee. This exclusion does not apply to a share-the-expense car pool.
. . . .

EXCLUSIONS A. We do not provide Uninsured Motorists Coverage for bodily injury sustained by any person:

. . . .
3. While occupying your covered auto when it is being used to carry persons or property for a fee. This exclusion does not apply to a share-the-expense car pool.

In his discovery deposition, Fisher gave the following testimony:

Q Where were you going?
A I was coming into Morgan City.
Q Where were you coming from?
A Cutoff.
Q What time did you leave Cutoff?
A Pardon?
Q What time did you leave Cutoff?

A Probably an hour or so before I got there. Probably an hour and fifteen minutes before that happened.

Q What had you been doing in Cutoff?

A I took one or two men down to go on a boat. I don't remember if it was one or two.

Q Was that part of your work?
A Yes.
Q And you were paid for taking them down there?
A Yes.
Q Do you recall who paid you?
A The people did.

Q How much would you make for taking somebody, say, from Morgan City to Cutoff?

A $70.00.
Q $70.00 a head?
A No. $70.00.
Q All total for the load?
A Yes.
Q Would you make $70.00 if you had a whole car load of people?
A Yes, if I went to Cutoff.
Q Where did you pick those folks up?
A I don't remember. Here in town.
Q Here in Morgan City?
A Yeah.
Q So you had driven down to Cutoff that morning?
A Yes.
Q And dropped them off?
A And then come back.

Fisher testified as follows at the trial:

QUESTION:
You were not employed by for somebody as an employee; is that correct?
ANSWER:
No.
QUESTION:
You are independently employed?
ANSWER:
Yes.
QUESTION:
What is your job; what were you doing at that time?

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

Related

Hoagboon v. Cannon
54 So. 3d 802 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2010)
Chesser v. Royal & Sunalliance Ins. Co.
926 So. 2d 612 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2006)
DeHerrera Ex Rel. DeHerrera v. Sentry Insurance Co.
30 P.3d 167 (Supreme Court of Colorado, 2001)
Sanner v. Zurich-American Ins. Co.
657 So. 2d 252 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1995)
Fortier v. Hamblin
610 So. 2d 897 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1992)
Tugwell v. State Farm Ins. Co.
597 So. 2d 1039 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1992)
Porche v. Waldrip
597 So. 2d 536 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1992)
Williams v. Diggs
593 So. 2d 385 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1991)
Howell v. Balboa Ins. Co.
564 So. 2d 298 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1990)
Sharp v. Daigre
545 So. 2d 1063 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1989)
River Road Const., Inc. v. Canal Indem. Co.
538 So. 2d 625 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1988)
Bauer v. White
532 So. 2d 506 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1988)
Harris v. First Assurance Life of America
526 So. 2d 245 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1988)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
519 So. 2d 805, 1987 WL 3144, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/fisher-v-morrison-lactapp-1987.