Goodwin v. Wright

6 P.3d 1, 100 Wash. App. 631
Court of Appeals of Washington·Decided March 27, 2000·No. No. 43749-6-I·Published·Cited by 19 cases

Opinion

Ellington, J.

— Kenneth Goodwin was injured when a rebuilt hydraulic cylinder failed. Eastside Machine had made the cylinder by disassembling two others and making one. Eastside was insured by Western National Assurance Company under a commercial general liability policy. The only question on appeal is whether Western National properly denied coverage for Goodwin’s injuries based on the “products — completed operations hazard” exclusion in Eastside’s policy. We hold the products — completed operations hazard exclusion is unambiguous and bars coverage for Goodwin’s injuries. We therefore affirm.

Facts

In September 1990, while working for Fruhling, Inc., Kenneth Goodwin was injured while operating an “end dump trailer,” a dump truck designed to haul and dump heavy dirt loads. The trailer bed is raised and lowered by a hydraulic cylinder ram.

On the day of the accident, a newly-installed hydraulic cylinder ram failed on the way up — while the truck was fully loaded with wet sand weighing approximately 25 tons. From inside the cab of the truck, Goodwin was operating the levers to raise the bed of the truck. When the bed reached about a 45-degree angle, the hydraulic ram exploded, sending parts of metal and hydraulic oil onto the cab. The unsupported truck bed dropped suddenly, driving the truck into the ground. Goodwin sustained injuries when he was bounced up and down inside the cab.

The cylinder that failed came from the insured, Eastside Machine. Fruhling had sent two nonfunctioning hydraulic cylinders to Eastside with a request to “disassemble two cylinders and make one out of the two.” This process involves taking the cylinders apart, cleaning them, taking [634] out gouges, scratches and other defects, and putting on new seals, guides, and sometimes new piston rings. East-side’s owner, George Wright, described this process as “we remanufactured one rebuilt dump truck cylinder for Fruhling.”

When Eastside’s owner delivered the cylinder to Fruhling, he offered a five percent discount for payment on delivery. Fruhling paid Eastside that day.

At the time of the accident, Eastside was insured under a commercial general liability (CGL) policy issued by Western National. Eastside paid a $1,215 annual premium for this coverage. The CGL policy excludes coverage for liability arising from products — completed operations hazards. East-side’s owner deliberately did not purchase coverage for products — completed operations hazards, which was available separately for an estimated $12,000 annually.

Goodwin filed a negligence suit against Eastside and its owners.1 An order of default was entered against Eastside, and a default judgment was later entered in favor of Goodwin in the requested amount of $261,924.01. In March 1997, Goodwin served Western National with a writ of garnishment based on the default judgment.

Both parties moved for summary judgment. The trial court granted Western National’s cross motion because it was “convinced the work was completed,” and therefore not covered. The trial court awarded Western National its costs and attorney fees under the garnishment statute.

Discussion

When reviewing a summary judgment, we engage [635] in the same inquiry as the trial court.2 The interpretation of an insurance policy is an issue of law we review de novo.3 Policy language is interpreted as an average person would understand it, in a way that gives effect to each provision.4 Where the language in an insurance policy is clear, we will enforce it as written and will not modify the contract or create ambiguity where none exists.5 But where an insurance policy provision is fairly susceptible to two different reasonable interpretations, it is ambiguous.6 An ambiguity in an exclusionary clause is construed against the insurer.7

The Policy

The modern CGL policy provides basic “premises and operations” coverage. This coverage insures for damages arising out of an occurrence at the insured’s place of business as a result of the insured’s ongoing business activities.8 The risk covered by the CGL premises and operations coverage differs from the risk posed once an insured relinquishes its products to third parties or completes its work. This latter risk is insured, for an additional hefty premium, under the products-completed operations hazard coverage.9 The purpose of the products-completed operations hazard coverage is to insure against the risk that the product or work, if defective, may cause bodily injury or [636] damage to property of others after it leaves the insured’s hands.10

Eastside Machine purchased only premises and operations coverage. Western National agreed to “pay those sums that the insured becomes legally obligated to pay as damages because of ‘bodily injury’ or ‘property damage’ to which this insurance applies.” Products-completed operations hazard risks are excluded such that the policy specifically excludes:

[A]ll “bodily injury” and “property damage” occurring away from premises you own or rent and arising out of “your product” or “your work” except
(1) Products that are still in your physical possession; or
(2) Work that has not yet been completed or abandoned.
“Your work” will be deemed completed at the earliest of the following times:
(1) When all of the work called for in your contract has been completed.
(2) "When all of the work to be done at the site has been completed if your contract calls for work at more than one site.
(3) When that part of the work done at a job site has been put to its intended use by any person or organization other than another contractor or subcontractor working on the same project.
Work that may need service, maintenance, correction, repair or replacement, but which is otherwise complete will be treated as completed.

The policy defines “Your product” as:

a. Any goods or products, other than real property, manufactured, sold, handled, distributed or disposed of by:
(1) You;
[637] (2) Others trading under your name; or
(3) A person or organization whose business or assets you have acquired; and
b. Containers (other than vehicles), materials, parts or equipment furnished in connection with such goods or products.

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Goodwin v. Wright, 6 P.3d 1, 100 Wash. App. 631 (Wash. Ct. App. 2000).

6 P.3d 1 (Goodwin v. Wright) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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