Graham v. American Casualty Co. of Reading

244 So. 2d 372, 1970 La. App. LEXIS 5020
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedNovember 16, 1970
DocketNo. 8073
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 244 So. 2d 372 (Graham v. American Casualty Co. of Reading) 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
Graham v. American Casualty Co. of Reading, 244 So. 2d 372, 1970 La. App. LEXIS 5020 (La. Ct. App. 1970).

Opinions

SARTAIN, Judge.

Sue Nell Graham sustained injuries as a result of an automobile accident. At the time this action was instituted, she was a minor and was represented by her father, Robert C. Graham, who also appeared individually. Since that time, but prior to trial, Sue Nell Graham, having become of age, was substituted as a proper party plaintiff on February 19, 1968 in addition to Robert C. Graham.

The parties to this appeal agreed to submit to this court a narrative of facts in lieu of the transcribed testimony taken in the lower court.

The parties agree that the only question on appeal relates to the amount of coverage and limit of liability of the Southern Farm Bureau Casualty Insurance Company, a defendant (hereinafter referred to as Southern Farm Bureau). The trial judge decided that Southern Farm Bureau’s maximum exposure under the uninsured motorist provision of its three policies was the aggregate amount of $5,000.00. With this conclusion, we disagree and for reasons hereinafter stated amend the judgment rendered in the district court.

The agreed narrative of facts is as follows :

“On November 19, 1966, an accident occurred wherein Sue Nell Graham, then minor child of Robert C. Graham, received injuries.
'“Miss Graham was a passenger in an automobile driven by John R. Newkirk and owned by M. D. Collier.
“The sole cause of the accident was the negligence of Wilson D. McCahill, an uninsured motorist.
“The medical expenses incurred by Robert C. Graham for his daughter totaled $24,746.02. Sue Nell Graham’s injuries entitled her to an award of $25,000.00, as stipulated for personal damages.
“No uninsured motorist insurance coverage nor any other similar insurance was available to petitioners by virtue of John R. Newkirk, M. D. Collier or the Collier vehicle.
“Southern Farm Bureau Casualty Insurance Company provided three policies of liability insurance to petitioners which were in force:
(a) Policy Number L 684847 issued to Sue Nell Graham providing $5,000.00 uninsured motorist coverage;
(b) Policies Number L 684440 and L 865866 issued to Robert C. Graham, father of Sue Nell Graham, each providing $5,000.00 uninsured motorist coverage.
“All three policies are in evidence and form part of the appellate record.”

[374]*374The judgment of the trial court made the following awards:

“In favor of plaintiff Robert C. Graham and against defendant, Wilson D. Mc-Cahill in the sum of $24,746.02, together with legal interest thereon from date of judicial demand until paid.
“In favor of plaintiff, Sue Nell Graham and against defendant, Wilson D. Mc-Cahill in the sum of $25,000.00, together with legal interest thereon from date of judicial demand until paid.
“Defendant, Southern Farm Bureau Casualty Insurance Company is condemned to pay to plaintiffs, Robert C. Graham and Sue Nell Graham the sum of $5,000.00 together with legal interest thereon from date of judicial demand until paid in the proportion of one-half (%) to each plaintiff.
“In favor of Third Party Plaintiff, Southern Farm Bureau Casualty Insurance Company and against Wilson D. McCahill for $5,000.00, together with legal interest from date of judicial demand until paid.”

This appeal is therefore concerned with the amount for which Southern Farm Bureau is obligated to the plaintiffs and, as a result, the additional amount for which Wilson D. McCahill is obligated to Southern Farm Bureau under the latter’s third party petition.

The controversy is over the interpretation and application of clauses in the policies which restrict the coverage and liability of the insurer.

All three policies contain the same pertinent language. After defining “insured” as “the named insured and any relative”, the policy states the following restrictions based on “other insurance”.

“With respect to bodily injury to an insured while occupying an automobile not owned by the named insured, the insurance under Part IV shall apply only as excess insurance over any other similar insurance available to such insured and applicable to such automobile as primary insurance, and this insurance shall then apply only in the amount by which the limit of liability for this coverage exceeds the applicable limit of liability of such other insurance.
Except as provided in the foregoing paragraph, if the insured has other similar insurance available to him and applicable to the accident, the damages shall be deemed not to exceed the higher of the applicable limits of liability of this in- ' surance and such other insurance, and the company shall not be liable for a greater proportion of any loss to which this coverage applies than the limit of liability hereunder bears to the sum of the applicable limits of liability of this insurance and such other insurance.”

The first paragraph applies where the host vehicle, which the insured is occupying but does not own, is covered by uninsured motorist insurance. Its provisions are inapplicable to this case, since it was stipulated that no such insurance or similar insurance was available by virtue of John R. Newkirk (the driver of the host vehicle), M. D. Collier (the owner) or the Collier vehicle.

The second paragraph directly contemplates the situation herein presented. Sue Nell Graham is the named insured in one policy and a relative of the named insured in the other two policies, qualifying her for coverage under all three policies. Robert C. Graham is the named insured in two policies and a relative of the named insured in the other policy, qualifying him for coverage under all three policies. Thus, each of the two insured persons “has other similar insurance available to him and applicable to the accident.”

Therefore, the majority of the cases cited and discussed in the appellate briefs are not applicable inasmuch as they involved primary insurance on the host vehicle. LeBlanc v. Allstate Ins. Co., 194 So.2d 791 (La.App. 3d Cir. 1967); Courville v. State Farm [375]*375Mutual Automobile Ins. Co., 194 So.2d 797 (La.App. 3d Cir. 1967), cert. den. 250 La. 535, 197 So.2d 79 (1967); Lott v. Southern Farm Bureau Casualty Ins. Co., 223 So.2d 492 (La.App. 1st Cir. 1969); Jackson v. State Farm Mutual Automobile Ins. Co., 235 So.2d 621 (La.App. 2d Cir. 1970); Long v. United States Fire Ins. Co., 236 So.2d 521 (La.App. 4th Cir. 1970); Rolling v. Miller, 233 So.2d 723 (La.App. 4th Cir. 1970).

With respect to the second paragraph of the policy language quoted above, the pro-rata clause, appellants contend that an insurer should not be allowed to issue three separate policies providing uninsured motorist coverage of $5,000.00, to charge and collect three separate premiums therefor and then invoke the pro-rata clause of each policy, as against the others, to restrict total coverage and liability to $5,000.00

The applicable law requires all such policy coverage to be “in not less than the limits described in the Motor Vehicle Safety Responsibility Law of Louisiana”, those minimum limits including $5,000.00 per person per accident. L.R.S. 22:1406 D(l). In addition, L.R.S. 22:620 A reads as follows :

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Related

Robertson v. Cumis Ins. Co.
355 So. 2d 1371 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1978)
Graham v. American Casualty Co. of Reading, Pa.
259 So. 2d 22 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1972)
Deane v. McGee
253 So. 2d 655 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1971)

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Bluebook (online)
244 So. 2d 372, 1970 La. App. LEXIS 5020, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/graham-v-american-casualty-co-of-reading-lactapp-1970.