Francois v. Ybarzabal

483 So. 2d 602
Supreme Court of Louisiana·Decided February 25, 1986·No. 85-C-1435·Published·Cited by 46 cases

Opinion

483 So.2d 602 (1986)

Mary FRANCOIS, et al.,
v.
Gary E. YBARZABAL, et al.

No. 85-C-1435.

Supreme Court of Louisiana.

February 24, 1986.
Dissenting Opinion February 25, 1986.
Rehearings Denied March 20, 1986.

Wayne H. Carlton, Jr., Orlando G. Bendana, Bendana & Carlton, New Orleans, for plaintiff-applicant.

*603 Regel L. Bisso, Hulse, Nelson & Wanek, James Ryan, III, Peter S. Title, Sessions, Fishman, Rosenson, Boisfontaine & Nathan, Brian D. Zeringer, Henican, James & Cleveland, Robert Angelle, William Argeros, Porteous, Hainkel, Johnson & Sarpy, New Orleans, for respondent.

WATSON, Justice.

This case concerns: (1) whether use of an automobile was permissive within the terms of an insurance policy; and (2) rights of a party answering an appeal against non-appealing parties.

Earl A. Pradat, Jr., a fifteen year old minor, was driving an automobile registered to Gary E. Ybarzabal on May 28, 1982, when he struck another car, injuring its driver, Ms. Mary Francois, and her mother/guest passenger, Ms. Ruby Brooks. The Francois vehicle was traveling in the right lane of Veterans Highway going west toward the airport. Pradat, either traveling east on Veterans or making a left turn off Tupelo Street, veered into Ms. Francois' lane of traffic, resulting in a virtual head-on collision. The Francois vehicle was pushed onto the right shoulder and Pradat sped away from the scene.

PROCEDURAL HISTORY

Ms. Francois and her husband, Harry Francois, III, together with Ms. Brooks and her husband, Clarence Brooks, filed suit in Jefferson Parish asking for medical expenses and other damages. Among the defendants were: Ybarzabal and his insurer, Sentry Insurance, A Mutual Company; Earl A. Pradat, Sr., father of the minor driver, and his insurer, State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company; and the uninsured/underinsured carrier of the automobile owned by Ms. Francois' husband, Protective Casualty Insurance Company.[1]

The trial court granted directed verdicts as to the negligence of Earl Pradat, Jr., and the lack of contributory negligence by Ms. Francois.

Over the objection of counsel for Ybarzabal and Sentry, the trial judge instructed the jury that a "reasonable belief by Pradat that he had permission to use the vehicle would afford coverage under the owner's policy. The jury found that Pradat "reasonably believed" he had such permission and awarded $6,685 to Ms. Francois and $20,195.57 to Ms. Brooks.

Since Sentry's policy had $25,000 limits, judgment was entered in favor of Ms. Francois against Pradat, Sr., and Sentry for $6,685 and in favor of Ms. Brooks against Pradat, Sr., and Sentry for $18,315. Judgment was also rendered in favor of Ms. Brooks against Pradat, Sr., and State Farm, for $1,880.57 (the excess portion of the judgment). Because this award did not exhaust State Farm's limits of $25,000/$50,000, the judgment was silent as to Protective, the Francois' uninsured/underinsured carrier, effectively dismissing Protective from the suit.

Only Sentry appealed. Plaintiffs answered Sentry's appeal, requesting an increase in quantum against all defendants, and, alternatively, entry of judgment against Protective. The Court of Appeal reversed as to Sentry and concluded that plaintiffs' answer to the appeal did not permit a review of the judgment as to the other insurers who did not appeal. Francois v. Ybarzabal, 469 So.2d 1001 (La.App. 5th Cir.,1985). Plaintiffs' writ application was granted. 476 So.2d 337 (La.,1985).

ISSUES

Two issues are presented:

(1) Whether or not Pradat, Jr., had express or implied permission to borrow the automobile from its owner, which *604 would trigger the liability of the owner's insurer, Sentry; and
(2) If not, whether the judgment may be reformed to cast in liability State Farm and/or Protective, where only Sentry appealed and where plaintiffs attempted to assert the alternative liability of the other insurers only by answer.

FACTS

Kim Ybarzabal, aged seventeen, lives with her older brother and guardian, Gary Ybarzabal, his wife, and Gary's twelve year old son, Steven. Gary is the named insured under the Sentry policy. However, the automobile, registered in Gary's name because Kim was a minor, was being paid for by Kim and was used exclusively by her. Gary had given explicit instructions to Kim never to let another person drive her car; and, to his knowledge, she had not. Kim had loaned her car on two prior occasions.

Earl Pradat, Jr., and Chris Maffe lived in the same neighborhood as the Ybarzabals and visited frequently in their home. Earl had occasionally ridden in Kim's car as a passenger. Kim did not know whether or not Earl possessed a driver's license; he did not. Although he had received a few lessons from his father in the family car, he had been explicitly instructed not to drive outside his father's presence.

On the day of the accident, Kim had left her keys on the living room sofa next to her purse. After answering the door to admit Earl and Chris, she returned to her room. A short time later, Earl picked up the keys, and went for a joy ride, allegedly on a "dare" from either Chris or Steven. There are four different versions of the subsequent events:

Earl's version: He drove around the block, came back in front of Kim's house, saw Chris coming down the steps, did not stop, but opened the door to admit Chris. Chris told Earl that Kim said he could continue driving if he put some gas in the car. Kim was standing in the doorway.

Since she did not protest and had previously loaned the car, he thought he had permission to drive. The accident happened a few blocks away.

Chris's version: Kim was standing by him when they saw Earl drive off; Kim did not do or say anything; Chris thought it was all right to go for a spin. However, Kim did not tell Chris that Earl could take the car. Chris did not tell Earl that he had permission to drive if he put gas in the car.

Steven's version: When he left the room after Earl picked up the car keys, everyone was laughing—it was more of a joke than a dare. Earl drove off in the car. Steven told Kim; she panicked and asked both Chris and Steven to stop Earl.

Kim's version: When she passed back through the living room, Earl and Chris were gone, and her car was gone. After she went outside, she saw the car coming down the street, but she could not tell who was driving. She ran back into the house and screamed at Steven to stop the car.

PERMISSION ISSUE

Louisiana has two jurisprudential standards for permission, depending on whether coverage of car or driver is involved, i.e., coverage which follows the car versus coverage which follows the driver. They are correctly distinguished in Johnson v. Aetna Casualty and Surety Co., 274 So.2d 769 (La.App. 3 Cir.,1973), which was followed by Employers Commercial Union Insurance Company v. Bertrand, 306 So.2d 426 (La.App. 3 Cir.1975).

In Johnson, the defendant driver was operating a non-owned automobile, insured by Aetna. The defendant driver was insured by State Farm. The Aetna coverage, which followed the car, depended upon the wording of the omnibus clause, which required actual permission, express or implied, from the named insured. The State Farm coverage, which followed the driver, depended upon the "nonowned" automobile clause of his own policy. The driver had to "reasonably believe" that he had the permission of the owner. Actual permission was not required.

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Francois v. Ybarzabal, 483 So. 2d 602 (La. 1986).

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