Great American Insurance v. Triplett

139 So. 2d 357, 243 Miss. 815, 1962 Miss. LEXIS 409
CourtMississippi Supreme Court
DecidedMarch 12, 1962
Docket42224
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 139 So. 2d 357 (Great American Insurance v. Triplett) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Mississippi Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Great American Insurance v. Triplett, 139 So. 2d 357, 243 Miss. 815, 1962 Miss. LEXIS 409 (Mich. 1962).

Opinion

Jones, J.

Diane Triplett, a minor, sued Fernandez, Inc., and alleged that a twelve year old child went to a service station operated by Fernandez, Inc., to purchase a quart of kerosene and that said child stated to the attendant at said service station that she wanted to purchase some kerosene; that an attendant took the container and filled it with gasoline. It is further alleged that the child took the gasoline home and the mother of the child, believing the contents of the container to be kerosene, poured it into the lamp which immediately exploded, setting fire to the plaintiff, Diane Triplett, causing personal injuries. The child who purchased the gasoline was the sister of Diane Triplett, the plaintiff in said cause. Fernandez, Inc., defaulted in said suit and upon writ of inquiry a judgment was entered in favor of Diane Triplett against Fernandez, Inc., for $10,000 and costs. Thereupon Diane Triplett filed a suggestion that Great American Insurance Company, appellant, was indebted to Fernandez, Inc., and a writ of garnishment was served upon appellant, herein called Insurer. Insurer answered that it was not indebted. Diane Trip *819 lett, the judgment holder, traversed the answer of the Insurer and attached thereto a copy of a garage liability policy issued by Insurer to Fernandez, Inc., hereinafter called Insured. This policy is called a “Garage Liability Policy”. The name of the Insured is Fernandez, Inc. The pertinent provisions of the policy are as follows:

“Coverage A- — Bodily Injury Liability
To pay on behalf of the insured all sums which the insured shall become legally obligated to pay as damages because of bodily injury, sickness' or disease, including death at any time resulting therefrom, sustained by any person, caused by accident and arising out of the hazards hereinafter defined.”
“Coverage B — Property Damage Liability
To pay on behalf of the insured all sums which the insured shall become legally obligated to pay as damages because of injury to or destruction of property, including the loss of use thereof, caused by accident and arising out of the hazards hereinafter defined.”

DEFINITION OF HAZARDS

“Division 1. Premises — Operations—Automobiles
“The ownership, maintenance or use of the premises for the purpose of an automobile sales agency, repair shop, service station, storage garage or public parking place, and all operations necessary or incidental thereto ; and the ownership, maintenance or use of any automobile in connection with the above defined operations, and the occasional use for other business purposes and the use for non-business purposes of (1) any automobile owned by or in charge of the named insured and used principally in the above defined operations, and (2) any automobile owned by the named insured in connection with the above defined operations for the use of *820 the named insured, a partner therein, an executive officer thereof, or a member of the household of any such person.”

Division 3 is not pertinent and covers elevators.

Coverage C has reference to medical payments and Coverage D to property of others in charge of the named insured. There are no other coverag-es contained in the policy.

The pertinent provisions of the exclusions are as follows :

“This policy does not apply:
"* * *
“(f) under coverage B, to injury to or destruction of * * * (3) any goods or products manufactured, sold, handled or distributed or premises alienated by the named insured, or work completed by or for the named insured, out of which the accident arises; . * * *.”

The insurer filed a reply to the traverse and denied coverage under the policy.

Jury trial was waived and the cause was submitted on the pleadings, and judgment was entered in favor of Diane Triplett against insurer for $10,000 and costs. The insurer appealed to this Court with supersedeas.

The appellant argues that the policy did not afford products liability coverage and that the liability of insured was not based upon an accident within the meaning of said policy, citing Womack v. Employers Mutual Liability Ins. Co., 233 Miss. 110, 101 So. 2d 107. There are no other cases cited which, in our opinion, are pertinent to the inquiry.

We are of the opinion that there is no merit to the contention that the injuries to Diane Triplett were not due to an accident within the meaning of said policy.

The sole question is whether the liability imposed upon insured was within the coverage of the policy.

*821 In Insurance Law and Practice, Appleman, Vol. 7A, Sec. 4508, products liability is discussed. The author says: “It may be difficult for-an untrained layman to understand the nature of coverages written, but that, alone, does not warrant distorting the risks undertaken. Such a layman might not even be aware of the fact that such various coverages are available unless he seeks out the information, even as he might be ignorant of the fact that there are such things as fidelity bonds or contractors’ completion bonds. But people in the insurance business, and practitioners of law, ought to be aware of such coverages, their purposes, and their construction. It is scarcely just either to deprive a purchaser of the protection he is entitled to receive or to extend one type of coverage to fit a completely different situation from that contemplated.

“It is apparent that liability under what we ordinarily term ‘public liability’ coverages can arise fundamentally in three distinct ways. An injury or a loss may result while an activity is in progress, and prior to the completion thereof, either as the result of an act of negligence or an omission. That is what is embraced within the ordinary liability aspect of a public liability policy. But if the operation has been completed, and liability results thereafter either by reason of a defect in merchandise or improper workmanship, that is called ‘products liability’ or ‘completed operations’, the protection of which can be purchased for a premium. Neither type of coverage is intended to supplant the other, nor would the premiums charged be adequate for that purpose.

“Then there is a third possible type of loss — and that is damage to the product itself, whether it be a shipment of benzene, a job of plumbing, or a carload of eggs. If the risk which the parties have contemplated is the possibility of personal injury or property damage to others caused from work or materials, the phase of *822 loss to the customer by reason of breach of warranty or negligence giving the customer less than what he expected to receive may not have occurred to the customer. But usually it does to the insurer, and such a risk ordinarily is specifically excepted from products liability coverage.”

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
139 So. 2d 357, 243 Miss. 815, 1962 Miss. LEXIS 409, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/great-american-insurance-v-triplett-miss-1962.