Government Employees Insurance v. Gibraltar Casualty Co.

184 Cal. App. 3d 163, 229 Cal. Rptr. 57, 1986 Cal. App. LEXIS 1902
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedAugust 8, 1986
DocketB015332
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 184 Cal. App. 3d 163 (Government Employees Insurance v. Gibraltar Casualty Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Government Employees Insurance v. Gibraltar Casualty Co., 184 Cal. App. 3d 163, 229 Cal. Rptr. 57, 1986 Cal. App. LEXIS 1902 (Cal. Ct. App. 1986).

Opinions

Opinion

McCLOSKY, J.

The plaintiff, Government Employees Insurance Company, a corporation (GEICO), appeals from the superior court’s grant of [165]*165summary judgment in favor of defendants Rialto Unified School District (District) and Gibraltar Casualty Company, a corporation (Gibraltar), and the court’s denial of plaintiff GEICO’s motion for summary judgment or in the alternative for summary adjudication of issues determined to be without substantial controversy. We affirm.

Contentions

GEICO contends that: “I. Since [District] was not an insured under the GEICO policy; and since the policy of the law requires that the public entity (not the public employee) ultimately shoulder the burden of a loss; the burden of Gauthier’s claim should be borne entirely by [District] and/or Gibraltar; .... II. Since [District] was self-insured for the first $50,000 layer; and since [District] did not produce any evidence to show that it had filed a certificate of self-insurance with the Department of Motor Vehicles; the trial court improperly granted [Districtj/Gibraltar’s motion for summary judgment; .... III. Since [District]’s duty to defend and indemnify McClellan did not sound in tort, but is more properly analogized to a ‘contractual’ obligation; Insurance Code Sec. 11580.9 has no applicability whatsoever to this case; IV. Even if Insurance Code Sec. 11580.9 does apply to the instant situation; the public policy expressed therein should be disregarded in favor of the more important public policy expressed in Government Code Sec. 825; and V. The trial court improperly overruled GEICO’s objections to the evidence preferred by [District]/Gibraltar. ”

Facts

On May 8, 1982, Ms. McClellan, a music teacher acting within the scope of her employment by District, was driving her own private automobile when it struck a Mr. Gauthier and severely injured him. Gauthier thereafter filed a timely suit against McClellan but filed neither a government tort claim nor a lawsuit against the District.

On August 5, 1983, Ms. McClellan, through attorneys retained for her defense by GEICO, filed a demand upon District to defend and indemnify her pursuant to Government Code section 825. District did not deny that Ms. McClellan was acting within the scope of her employment at the time of the accident, but District’s attorneys contended that District’s liability was purely excess over the automobile insurance, and that it was GEICO’s duty to defend and indemnify McClellan and District to the full extent of its policy limits. GEICO eventually settled the suit with Gauthier for its $100,000 policy limit. GEICO then brought this suit against District and its insurer, Gibraltar, attempting to recoup the amount of the settlement it [166]*166had paid to Gauthier, and the amount of the attorneys fees it had expended in defending McClellan in Gauthier’s suit against her. Both sides moved for summary judgment. The motion of District and Gibraltar was granted, and the motion of GEICO was denied. GEICO appeals.

Discussion

I

GEICO’s first contention is that “[sjince [District] was not an insured under the GEICO policy; and since the policy of the law requires that the public entity (not the public employee) ultimately shoulder the burden of a loss; the burden of Gauthier’s claim should be borne entirely by [District] and/or Gibraltar.”

This contention is based on two fallacious premises. First, that District was not an insured under the GEICO policy, and second, that the result reached by the trial court required the public employee, rather than her insurance company GEICO to “shoulder the burden of the loss.” We conclude that neither of these premises is correct, and that this contention is without merit.

Since Ms. McClellan was acting within the scope of her employment at the time of the accident, District, subject to certain exceptions not applicable here, is obligated to defend her and pay any judgment against her based thereon, or any compromise or settlement of the claim or action to which the public entity has agreed. (Gov. Code, § 825.) What insurance proceeds the District has available to itself to satisfy that obligation is a different question.

In pertinent part, Government Code section 825, enacted in 1963, provides: “If an employee ... of a public entity requests] the public entity to defend him against any claim ... for an injury arising out of an act or omission occurring within the scope of his employment . . . and the employee . . . reasonably cooperates in good faith in the defense of the claim or action, the public entity shall pay any judgment based thereon or any compromise or settlement of the claim. ...”

Where the employee makes this request, this section, together with Government Code sections 996.4 and 825.4, affirmatively requires the public entity, subject to certain inapplicable exceptions, to not only pay for the defense of a lawsuit against its employee, but to also pay any judgment [167]*167against the employee or any compromise or settlement of the claim against that employee.

Although District is named as a defendant we are not concerned here with an actual dispute between the District and its employee McClellan as to whether District must defend her or pay the $100,000 settlement. That District was required to defend employee McClellan and pay the $100,000 settlement is, under the facts of this case, abundantly clear. Also abundantly clear is the fact that McClellan paid nothing and that GEICO paid the entire settlement and defense costs. She is thus clearly not, as the defense asserts she is, required to “shoulder the burden of [the] loss.”

Additionally, Education Code section 1017, subdivision (a)(2), requires a school district to insure against, among other things, the personal liability of a district for damages and injuries to person caused by the negligent act or omission of an employee when acting within the scope of his employment. (See 27 Ops.Cal.Atty.Gen. 271-272 (1956).) This statute does not specify how this obligation to so insure is to be met. (Oxnard Union High School Dist. v. Teachers Ins. Co. (1971) 20 Cal.App.3d 842 [99 Cal.Rptr. 478].)

No provision in Government Code sections 825, 825.4, 996.4, or Education Code section 1017, subdivision (a)(2), prevents the public entity from satisfying its obligation to pay any such judgment, compromise, settlement or defense costs through funds available to it through any insurance policy. That is so whether the public entity is the named insured in such policy or merely has that coverage available to it as an additional insured under such policy. (Oxnard Union High School Dist. v. Teachers Ins. Co., supra, 20 Cal.App.3d 842.)

GEICO contends that since District was supposed to be self-insured for the first $50,000 and produced no evidence that it had filed a certificate of self-insurance with the Department of Motor Vehicles, the trial court improperly granted the motion of Gibraltar and District for summary judgment. In support of this contention, it argues that Insurance Code section 11580.9 can have no application to this case since District failed to produce evidence that it had obtained such a certificate of insurance.

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

Related

Westport Ins. Corp. v. California Casualty Mgt.
916 F.3d 769 (Ninth Circuit, 2019)
American States Insurance v. Progressive Casualty Insurance
180 Cal. App. 4th 18 (California Court of Appeal, 2009)
Pelayo v. City of Downey
570 F. Supp. 2d 1183 (C.D. California, 2008)
Younker v. County of San Diego
233 Cal. App. 3d 1324 (California Court of Appeal, 1991)
Guaranty National Insurance v. State Farm Insurance
777 P.2d 353 (Montana Supreme Court, 1989)
Hartford Accident & Indemnity Co. v. Sequoia Insurance
211 Cal. App. 3d 1285 (California Court of Appeal, 1989)
Government Employees Insurance v. Gibraltar Casualty Co.
184 Cal. App. 3d 163 (California Court of Appeal, 1986)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
184 Cal. App. 3d 163, 229 Cal. Rptr. 57, 1986 Cal. App. LEXIS 1902, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/government-employees-insurance-v-gibraltar-casualty-co-calctapp-1986.