Hahn v. Erie Insurance Exchange

1 Pa. D. & C.3d 635, 1976 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 139
CourtPennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Northampton County
DecidedDecember 22, 1976
Docketno. 438
StatusPublished

This text of 1 Pa. D. & C.3d 635 (Hahn v. Erie Insurance Exchange) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Northampton County primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hahn v. Erie Insurance Exchange, 1 Pa. D. & C.3d 635, 1976 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 139 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1976).

Opinion

WILLIAMS, J.,

This matter comes before the court on defendants’ preliminary objections in the form of a motion for a more specific pleading, a demurrer, and various motions to strike. Plaintiffs filed the original complaint in trespass and assumpsit, to which defendants filed preliminary objections. Thereafter, an amended complaint was filed containing nearly identical averments. Defendants renewed their objections bringing the matter before this court. We note that the court has been aided in the resolution of this matter by the well prepared briefs of both parties.

Plaintiffs’ complaint alleges that defendant-insurer failed to indemnify plaintiffs for the loss of their modular home pursuant to a “Home Protector Policy” issued by defendant. According to the complaint, plaintiffs notified defendant’s agent, Harold Heberling, on or about August 19, 1975, that their home had collapsed. Heberling informed them that the policy did not cover the risk. Plaintiffs relied on this representation and did not file proofs of loss. Subsequently they learned that the [637]*637denial of liability may have been in error and suit was initiated in assumpsit under the policy and in trespass based upon the alleged misrepresentation.

The ciritical issue in defendants’ preliminary objections is whether plaintiff has stated a cause of action in trespass. Accordingly, we will address ourselves to defendants’ demurrer to count two of the complaint, the action in trespass. For purposes of a demurrer, all well-pleaded facts are deemed admitted: Lynch v. Gates, 433 Pa. 531, 252 A.2d 633 (1969); Madara v. Commonwealth, 13 Pa. Commonwealth Ct. 433, 323 A.2d 401 (1974).

The underlying action here is an insurance claim premised on an insurance contract. It is possible, of course, to have a tort claim arise out of a contractual relationship: the negligent performance of a duty created by a contract gives rise to a cause of action in trespass: Henry Bower Chemical Mfg. Co. v. Selas Corp. of America, 85 Montg. 217 (1965); fraudulent performance of a contract is grounds for a tort action: Universal Film Exchanges, Inc. v. Hirsch, 21 D. & C. 2d 154 (1960); bad faith on the part of one party to the contract may give rise to an action in negligence: Epstein v. Erie Indemnity, 39 D. & C. 117, aff’d per curiam 340 Pa. 417, 16 A.2d 47 (1940). A landlord’s promise to repair leased premises may give rise to an action in trespass.or assumpsit: Reitmeyer v. Sprecher, 431 Pa. 284, 243 A.2d 395 (1968). The contract may be such that the public welfare imposes on it such controls that the duties created go beyond contractual rights and create rights actionable in trespass: Behrend v. Bell Telephone Co., 53 D. & C. 2d 421 (1971).

While the above is not exhaustive, it is illustra[638]*638tive. It is not an answer to the case at bar, however. To determine if an action in trespass lies, it is necessary to review the elements of such a claim.

“The essential elements of a prima facie case based on negligence are (1) the act or omission to act where there is an affirmative duty to do so (Ebbert v. Philadelphia Elec. Co., 330 Pa. 257 (1937)); (2) the establishing of some duty owed by defendant to plaintiff; (Stevens v. Reading St. Ry. Co., 384 Pa. 390 (1956)); (3) the breach of that duty by defendant’s act or omission to act (i.e., defendant’s conduct has in some manner fallen short of the duty of care owed to plaintiff) (Stevens v. Reading Ry. Co., supra); (4) proof that defendants’ acts are the actual cause of harm to plaintiff (Whitner v. Lojeski, 437 Pa. 448 (1970)); and (5) a legal demonstration that the policy of the law extends the responsibility for the conduct to the consequences which have, in fact, occurred, i.e., whether in law defendants’ actions are the proximate cause of plaintiff’s injuries; whether the duty owed extends to the particular plaintiff.” Behrend v. Bell Telephone Co., 53 D. & C. 2d 421, at 425 (1971).

A key issue for determination is whether defendant insurance company and its agent owed a duty to its insured which has been breached. An insurance agent owes certain duties to the insured. See 3 Couch on Insurance 2d, §25:37. Among these is the duty to provide correct information regarding the scope of coverage under a liability policy. This has provided a basis for liability, however, only when the information provided to the insured was that certain risks were covered by the policy when, in fact, they were not: Aresto v. Milie, 184 Pa. Superior Ct. 114, 133 A.2d 304 (1957). The question of whether false information to the effect that [639]*639the policy does not cover a given incident gives rise to a negligence action is a novel one. A denial of liability does act as a waiver of policy provisions requiring proof of loss within a specified time: Arlotte v. National Liberty Insurance Co., 312 Pa. 442, 167 Atl. 295 (1933), and we conclude that it may also be a breach of a duty owed to the insured.

Insurance policies have a deserved reputation for incomprehensibility. As the insurance policy is drawn by defendant, plaintiff-insured reasonably relies on the interpretation of that policy by the agent of insurer. Additionally, the Unfair Insurance Practices Act of July 22, 1974, P.L. 589 (No. 205), 40 P.S. §1171.1 et seq., imposes a duty on insurance carriers to not misrepresent policy coverage, to adopt reasonable standards for investigation of claims, and to provide a reasonable explanation for the denial of a claim. The mere fact that there has been a breach of duty does not establish liability, however. There must also be a showing that defendant’s acts are the actual cause of harm to plaintiff.

In those cases in which the insured is falsely informed that his policy will protect him when, in fact, it does not, the resulting loss to plaintiff is obvious. Without the protection of the insurance, the insured is forced to expend his own moneys to cover any loss suffered. In the case at bar, the loss due to the incorrect information supplied to the insured by the agent is unclear. In fact, the damage alleged in paragraphs nineteen through 23 of plaintiffs’ amended complaint does no more than restate the damage resulting from losses covered by the “Home Protector Policy”. Thus, paragraph nineteen alleges that no funds were available to rebuild as a result of the breach, but this damage is [640]*640related solely to defendants’ failure to pay, as opposed to the agent’s failure to exercise due care in investigating the claim. Paragraph 20 alleges a loss of the use and enjoyment of the home, which is the loss against which the policy protected and is unrelated to any negligence on the part of the agent. Paragraph 21 alleges an increased cost of rebuilding due to inflation. While this cost is related to the delay in payment caused by the agent’s negligence, it is recoverable in assumpsit in that interest on the amount owed is recoverable from the date of the loss: Western & A. Pipe Lines v. Home Ins. Co., 145 Pa. 346, 22 Atl. 665 (1891); Gardner v. Freystown Mutual Fire Ins. Co., 350 Pa. 1, 37 A.2d 535 (1944). Paragraph 22 alleges lost rental value, but there is no allegation that plaintiffs rented the property.

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Related

LYNCH v. Gates
252 A.2d 633 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1969)
Gedeon v. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance
188 A.2d 320 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1963)
Reitmeyer v. Sprecher
243 A.2d 395 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1968)
Whitner v. Lojeski
263 A.2d 889 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1970)
Aresto v. Milie
133 A.2d 304 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1957)
Gardner v. Freystown Mutual Fire Insurance
37 A.2d 535 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1944)
Arlotte v. National Liberty Insurance
167 A. 295 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1933)
Ebbert v. Philadelphia Electric Co.
198 A. 323 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1937)
Renn v. Provident Trust Co.
196 A. 8 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1937)
Lambert v. Durallium Products Corp.
72 A.2d 66 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1950)
Stevens v. Reading Street Railway Co.
121 A.2d 128 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1956)
DeJesus v. Liberty Mutual Insurance
223 A.2d 849 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1966)
Commonwealth v. Austin
224 Pa. Super. 232 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1973)
Madara v. Commonwealth
323 A.2d 401 (Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, 1974)
Western & A. Pipe Lines v. Home Ins.
22 A. 665 (Washington County Court of Common Pleas, 1891)

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Bluebook (online)
1 Pa. D. & C.3d 635, 1976 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 139, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hahn-v-erie-insurance-exchange-pactcomplnortha-1976.