Gunderson v. Fire Insurance Exchange

37 Cal. App. 4th 1106, 44 Cal. Rptr. 272, 44 Cal. Rptr. 2d 272, 95 Daily Journal DAR 11067, 95 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 6495, 1995 Cal. App. LEXIS 792
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedAugust 16, 1995
DocketA066101
StatusPublished
Cited by117 cases

This text of 37 Cal. App. 4th 1106 (Gunderson v. Fire Insurance Exchange) 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
Gunderson v. Fire Insurance Exchange, 37 Cal. App. 4th 1106, 44 Cal. Rptr. 272, 44 Cal. Rptr. 2d 272, 95 Daily Journal DAR 11067, 95 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 6495, 1995 Cal. App. LEXIS 792 (Cal. Ct. App. 1995).

Opinion

Opinion

MERRILL, J.

Gordon and Vera Gunderson appeal from a grant of summary judgment in their action against respondent Fire Insurance Exchange *1109 for breach of their insurance contract and tortious bad faith, arising out of respondent’s denial of appellants’ tender of the defense of a third party lawsuit. Appellants contend that the trial court erred in granting summary judgment in respondent’s favor because there were triable issues of material fact concerning respondent’s duty to defend appellants in the underlying lawsuit on the basis of a potential for coverage under the policy. For the reasons which follow we affirm the judgment. 1

I

Factual and Procedural Background

Appellants purchased property in Sonoma in 1986. At the time, they believed on the basis of the grant deed and the assurances of the previous owner that they had the use of an easement for ingress and egress, consisting of a gravel driveway approximately 10 by 200 feet running the entire length of appellants’ property and which was located on the adjoining property owned by Mildred R. Ferrando. The easement gave appellants access to the rear portion of their property. For three years after their purchase of the property, the appellants used the easement without incident. From 1963 to 1989, a fence stood along the back end of the Ferrando property, crossing a portion of the easement. In February 1989, appellants removed the portion of the fence crossing the easement.

On March 20, 1989, Ferrando’s attorney wrote a letter to appellants, stating that appellants’ claim of an easement of right-of-way “came as a complete surprise” to Ferrando; that “[a]t no time” during Ferrando’s ownership of their property had appellants’ “predecessors in title ever claimed to have a right-of-way” across the property; that Ferrando was “very upset” about appellants’ “recent conduct in tearing down the fence” and parking cars on her property; that even if appellants had an easement of right-of-way, “neither of these actions would be permitted under the easement”; and that the act of “tearing down the fence constitute[d] trespass” for which appellants “could be legally liable” to Ferrando. Aside from telling appellants not to park cars on the easement or remove any more fencing or other improvements, Ferrando’s attorney asked appellants to “refrain” from using the right-of-way altogether pending the completion of his investigation of the status of the easement.

By letter dated March 23, 1989, Ferrando’s attorney memorialized an agreement with appellants that, pending completion of investigation of the *1110 matter, neither appellants nor Ferrando would park on the right-of-way; appellants could continue to use the roadway for access to and from the back of their property, but “in a way to minimize the inconvenience” to Ferrando; and appellants would not remove any other fence posts, fencing material or other improvements located near the boundary line. The letter stated that the agreement was without prejudice to either party’s position with regard to the easement.

Almost a year later, on March 9, 1990, Ferrando filed a complaint against appellants, entitled a “complaint to quiet title to real property, for declaratory relief, and for injunctive relief.” The complaint denied appellants’ claim to an easement of right-of-way on Ferrando’s property; claimed that Ferrando had exercised “exclusive, complete, actual, open, notorious, hostile and continuous” adverse possession of the right-of-way for more than five years; asserted that any former easement of right-of-way “had previously been extinguished by abandonment"; and asked for declaratory relief quieting Ferrando’s title to the right-of-way in fee simple, together with an injunction permanently enjoining appellants from asserting or exercising any claim to the easement. The complaint did not pray for damages. It specifically alleged that Ferrando “has no adequate remedy at law, or otherwise, for the harm and damage threatened to be done by the adverse claims of [appellants], for the reason that [Ferrando] cannot be adequately compensated for her injuries in an action at law, for the amount of damages [she] will sustain as a result of the wrongful acts of [appellants] is not susceptible of accurate computation.”

Appellants tendered the Ferrando complaint to their insurance agent, asking that respondent defend and indemnify them in connection with the lawsuit under their homeowners liability policy (the Policy). Respondent’s claims office in Santa Rosa received the complaint on March 22, 1990. On March 27, 1990, Robert G. Benson, respondent’s branch claims manager, sent appellants a letter denying appellants’ claim for a defense of the Ferrando complaint. Benson’s letter stated that under appellants’ Policy, respondent provided “liability coverage and agree[d] to pay all damage from an occurrence which an insured is legally liable to pay because of bodily injury or property damage covered” by the Policy, and that respondent would defend an insured against any such covered claim or suit. Pointing out that the Ferrando complaint “reflects three causes of action for quiet title, injunctive relief and declaratory relief,” and contained “no reference to a claim for bodily injury or property damage,” the letter declared that “[i]n view of this fact, Fire Insurance Exchange has no obligation to provide a defense for this Action.”

Appellants engaged counsel, who again tendered the Ferrando complaint to respondent for defense and indemnification, by letter dated April 2,1990. *1111 Benson replied 10 days later with a letter again declining to defend or indemnify appellants under the Policy, on the ground that the Ferrando complaint contained no claims for bodily injury or property damage. 2

On June 6, 1990, Ferrando filed a verified first amended complaint naming an additional defendant, but otherwise making the same claims for quiet title, declaratory relief and injunctive relief against appellants as before. On August 15, 1990, appellants filed their verified answer and affirmative defenses to Ferrando’s first amended complaint. Neither the answer nor the affirmative defenses made any reference or allegation with respect to any bodily injury or property damage.

On February 13, 1991, Ferrando’s attorney sent appellants’ attorney a letter complaining that appellants had been cutting down trees on Ferrando’s property that day, and stating that his office would hold appellants “responsible for any damage to our clients’ property, as well as punative [sic] damages for his actions.” Later, on April 30, 1991, Ferrando’s attorney wrote appellants’ attorney to complain that appellants’ son was “riding his go cart” on the disputed easement and driveway, was “tearing up” Ferrando’s property arid disturbing her, and that appellants “have apparently resumed their efforts to destroy” Ferrando’s fence. The letter requested written confirmation within 10 days “that this conduct will stop so that it will not be necessary ... to seek injunctive relief.” Appellants did not submit these letters or claims to respondent for any response.

On August 1,1991, appellants filed a motion for summary judgment in the Ferrando action.

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Bluebook (online)
37 Cal. App. 4th 1106, 44 Cal. Rptr. 272, 44 Cal. Rptr. 2d 272, 95 Daily Journal DAR 11067, 95 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 6495, 1995 Cal. App. LEXIS 792, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gunderson-v-fire-insurance-exchange-calctapp-1995.