Grainger v. Western Casualty Life Insurance Co.

930 S.W.2d 609, 1996 WL 15585
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedSeptember 12, 1996
Docket01-93-00407-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by17 cases

This text of 930 S.W.2d 609 (Grainger v. Western Casualty Life Insurance Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Grainger v. Western Casualty Life Insurance Co., 930 S.W.2d 609, 1996 WL 15585 (Tex. Ct. App. 1996).

Opinions

OPINION

WILSON, Justice.

Robert Grainger, representing the estate of his brother, Bruce Grainger, and Arlene Grainger (the Graingers), appeal from the trial court’s order granting summary judgment for Western Casualty Life Insurance Co. (Western). The trial court found the insurance policy in this case was part of an “employee welfare benefit plan” governed by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). The court further found all causes of action asserted by the Graingers were therefore preempted as a matter of law.

The primary issues in this case are: (1) whether the Graingers waived error, if any, regarding Western’s notice of intent to use unfiled discovery products; and (2) whether the summary judgment evidence established as a matter of law that the medical insurance policy purchased is governed by ERISA, thus preempting the Graingers’ state law claims. We affirm.

Background to Lawsuit

Bruce Grainger was employed by Grainger, Inc. (the company), a small family-run business. In 1986, the company bought medical insurance policies from Western for each of its three full-time employees: Bruce, his brother Robert, and their father. The company paid all of the premiums on these policies through automatic bank drafts. The amount of available benefits under each policy was $100,000.

Beginning in December 1986 and continuing through July 1987, Bruce was hospitalized on numerous occasions, incurring bills in excess of $100,000. Bruce submitted these medical bills to Western for payment. Western refused payment, explaining the information it obtained from Bruce’s physician showed he was suffering from a pre-existing condition as defined by the policy. Under the terms of the policy, Western was under no duty to pay for medical care resulting from such a pre-existing condition. Bruce’s physician later informed Western, in August 1987, that his medical records were incorrect and Bruce’s chest pains had begun just two or three weeks before his hospitalization. After receiving this information, Western paid the policy limit of $100,000, on November 10,1987.

Bruce filed suit against Western on May 13, 1988, alleging violations of articles 3.62 and 21.21 of the Texas Insurance Code, section 17.50(a)(3) of the Deceptive Trade Practices-Consumer Protection Act (DTPA), ordinary and gross negligence, and breach of the duty of good faith and fair dealing. A derivative wrongful death claim brought by Arlene Grainger was added after Bruce died on August 26, 1992, while this action was still pending.

Background to the Summary Judgment

Western moved for summary judgment claiming the state causes of action asserted [613]*613by the Graingers were preempted by ERISA. In its motion, Western argued the insurance arrangement constituted an ERISA plan because Bruce Granger’s employer, the company, established and maintained the plan for the purpose of providing specific benefits to its employees.

With its motion for summary judgment, Western filed a notice of intent to rely upon answers to unfiled interrogatories and portions of unfiled deposition testimony. Without any discussion of the contents of the discovery, Western identified depositions (by deponent, volume, and page number) and plaintiffs’ (Graingers’) answers to interrogatories (by set and number of the interrogatory). The actual answers to the interrogatories and the excerpts of the deposition testimony were not included as part of the notice. At the end of the list of unfiled discovery, Western included the statement: “Any other discovery products not on file with the Clerk [are] specifically referred to in Memorandum In Support of Defendants’ Motion for Partial Summary Judgment.”

In the notice of intent, Western only listed the evidence on which it relied. In the memorandum in support of the motion, Western included a six-page summary of the evidence to the trial court with specific references to the page numbers of certain depositions. The Graingers did not challenge any of the statements in Western’s narrative.

The Graingers filed two responses in opposition to Western’s motion for summary judgment, as well as their own motion for summary judgment. In none of the documents filed by the Graingers did they object to Western’s notice to rely on the unfiled discovery.

In their response and motion, the Graing-ers claim the policy was not part of an employee welfare benefit plan subject to ERISA regulations. They provided affidavits from Bruce and Robert Grainger, excerpts from depositions of Western employees and interrogatories answered by Western. According to the Graingers’ evidence, Western issued individual health and life policies to each of the company’s three employees to replace a group policy previously issued by Prudential. Bruce and Robert claimed the company neither owned nor controlled or administered the replacement policies, and there was no intent for the company to establish a welfare benefit plan governed by ERISA. Admitting that all premiums for the three policies were paid by check written on the company’s bank account, Bruce and Robert stated in their affidavits that all such premiums had to be repaid to the company from earned commissions. Because the company fell on hard times, Bruce was unable to repay the company. Three years after suit was filed and after the ERISA claim became known, Bruce executed a promissory note to the company for the past unpaid premiums. The note bore no interest rate and contained no terms for payment.

Unfiled Discovery Products

In a supplemental brief filed after oral argument, the Graingers contend for the first time that Western did not properly submit its summary judgment evidence. On appeal, the Graingers now argue that the deposition testimony relied on by the trial court was not properly submitted because copies of the excerpts were not filed with the court.1 The Graingers contend the trial court had no evidence before it to consider in support of the defendant’s motion for summary judgment.

The Graingers did not object in the trial court to the method or procedures by which the Western submitted its summary judgment evidence. Furthermore, none of the Graingers’ responses to the motion for summary judgment filed in the court below brought this issue to the trial court’s attention. Finally, no one argues, even now, that the judge did not base his ruling on the body of evidence the Graingers belatedly challenge as not filed. We find the Graingers’ complaint has been waived because of the lack of [614]*614any objection in the trial court. Tex. RApp.P. 52(a).

We overrule the Graingers’ supplemental point of error.

ERISA

In points of error one and two, the Graingers contend the trial court erred in granting Western’s motion for summary judgment, and erred in denying their motion for summary judgment. Western argued in its motion for summary judgment that the company established a medical insurance plan governed by ERISA, therefore preempting the Graingers’ state law claims. The Graingers argued in their motion for summary judgment that the medical insurance arrangement covering Bruce Grainger was not part of an ERISA plan as a matter of law.

To sustain a summary judgment, the movant must establish that no genuine issue of material fact exists, and he is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. McFadden v. American United Life Ins. Co.,

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Grainger v. Western Casualty Life Insurance Co.
930 S.W.2d 609 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1996)

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Bluebook (online)
930 S.W.2d 609, 1996 WL 15585, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/grainger-v-western-casualty-life-insurance-co-texapp-1996.