Hartford Casualty Insurance v. Easley

4 Ohio App. Unrep. 424
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedJune 26, 1990
DocketCase No. 89AP-288
StatusPublished

This text of 4 Ohio App. Unrep. 424 (Hartford Casualty Insurance v. Easley) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hartford Casualty Insurance v. Easley, 4 Ohio App. Unrep. 424 (Ohio Ct. App. 1990).

Opinion

BOWMAN, J.

On January 21, 1986, appellant, Naomi R. Easley, was operating a vehicle owned by Joseph and Elmira Jackson, when she was involved in a collision with a vehicle owned and operated by Ruth Jarvis. At the time of the accident, the vehicle appellant was driving was insured by appellee, Hartford Casualty Insurance Company ("Hartford"), with an underinsured, motorist provision with a limit of $100,000. Ruth Jarvis was insured by Motorists Mutual Insurance Company ("Motorists") was liability coverage up to $50,000.

Appellant presented a claim for injuries under Ruth Jarvis's liability policy with Motorist^ and Motorists responded with a letter dated May 19, 1987, informing appellant's attorney that their limit of liability was $50,000.

Appellant's attorney then sent a letter dated June 23,1987, to Elmira Jackson stating that the appellant was trying to settle her claim with Motorists and inquired whether the Jackson's automobile, which appellant was driving at the time of the accident, was covered under under-insured motorist insurance. By a letter dated July 13,1987, Motorists notified appellant's attorney that the company was in a position to offer the policy limits of $50,000 in exchange for a full and final release of liability. Motorists further noted that appellant's attorney may not yet be able reply, as he may need to investigate a possible underinsured motorists claim.

On July 24,1987, appellant's attorney wrote another letter to Elmira Jackson, notifying her to make an underinsuied motorist claim with Hartford. A letter dated August 7,1987, documents a prior oral agreement entered into August 4, 1987, between appellant and Motorists for a settlement of $50,000. Enclosed was a check in the amount of $50,000, along with a full and final release. On August 20, 1987, appellant accepted Motorists' offer and executed a release of all claims against Motorists' insured.

On August 21, 1987, Hartford responded to appellant's attorney's inquiries confirming under-insured motorist coverage of $100,000. Hartford also requested further documentation relating to the claim so that appellant's claim could "be given the necessary attention."

On May 18, 1988, Hartford filed a complaint for declaratory judgment, seeking a declaration that appellant breached the underinsured motorist contract with Hartford, that Hartford was therefore not obligated to make any payments under said policy, and that Hartford be discharged from its obligation to provide underinsured motorist coverage.

Hartford filed a motion for summary judgment, pursuant to Civ. R. 56(C), which sustained, the trial court finding no genuine issue as to any material fact. The court found that appellant failed to comply with the contractual requirements under the Jackson's automobile insurance policy with Hartford, that Hartford was discharged from any obligation to provide underinsured motorist coverage to appellant and that Hartford was not obligated to make any payment under that policy to appellant.

Appellant sets forth the following assignments of error:

"(1) THE TRIAL COURT ERRED IN FINDING THAT DEFENDANT-APPELLANT, AS A MATTER OF LAW, IS NOT ENTITLED TO [425]*425THE UNDERINSURED COVERAGE OFFERED BY PLAINTIFF-APPELLEE’S AUTOMOBILE LIABILITY INSURANCE POLICY.
"(2) THE TRIAL COURT ERRED IN GRANTING PLAINTIFF-APPELLEE'S MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT."

In her first assignment of error, appellant initially argues that "[t]he law will not impute any limitations or exclusions in the underinsured motorists provisions of an automobile liability insurance policy issued pursuant to R.C. 3937.18."

Specifically, appellant contends that Hartford has failed to prove the policy limitations and exclusions it relies upon to deny underinsured coverage were in effect at the time of the collision since the policy Hartford initially produced was for a period commencing after the collision. However, this is not an issue since, on April 27, 1989, by stipulation for modification of the record, Hartford supplied the correct insurance contract with a policy period of October 30, 1985 to April 30, 1986.

Furthermore, as Hartford correctly noted, this particular issue was not raised in the trial court. Hartford correctly stated the "* * * general rule that an appellate court will not consider any error which counsel for a party complaining of the trial court's judgment could have called but did not call to the trial court's attention at a time when such error could have been avoided or corrected by the trial court. * * *" State v. Glaros (1960), 170 Ohio St. 471, at 475.

Appellant next argues that Hartford's limitations and exclusions contained in the underinsured motorists provisions of its policy issued pursuant to R.C. 3937.18 should not be enforced. Appellant argues that, because she would have qualified as an .underinsured motorists and the Hartford policy contains an exhaustion by judgment or settlement clause, the trial court erred in denying her under-insured motorists coverage on the basis that she prejudiced Hartford's subrogation rights. However, appellant's review of the case law is inapposite.

Appellant apparently relies on Hines v. Grange (Sept. 20, 1984), Franklin App. No. 84AP-235, unreported (1984 Opinions 2326), in arguing that the trial court was required to determine whether the limitations and exclusions were applicable to appellant's underinsured motorist claim on Hartford's policy. However, the crux of the holding in Hines was simply that, under Grange's theory of underinsured motorist coverage, Grange was not obligated to provide under-insured coverage to plaintiffs because the tortfeasor’s automobile liability insurance company had a higher coverage limit, thereby disqualifying plaintiffs as "underinsured."

The court, limiting its finding to the specific circumstances of the case, stated that "* * * the subrogation language of Grange's policy does not * * * apply to instances of this nature." Hines, supra, at 2330. (Emphasis added.) The court did in fact state that the plaintiffs did not violate the terms of their underinsured motorist policy by giving the tortfeasor's insurer a release in exchange for its payment, but only "under the circumstances of this case." Id. at 2330. (Emphasis added.) The court's discussion of the exhaustion clause and subrogation language was not intended to serve as a blanket rule, as is apparent in the subsequent decision by the Ohio Supreme Court in Bogan v. Progressive Cas. Ins. Co. (1988), 36 Ohio St. 3d 22. As Hartford points out, even if the dicta in Hines was intended to set a precedent, the decision in Bogan supersedes Hines.

The underinsured motorists coverage provided in Hartford's policy included several common provisions designed to protect its subrogation righta Part F, Section A, of Hartford's policy provides:

"A. If we make payment under this policy and the person to or for whom payment was made has a right to recover damages from another we shall be subrogated to that right. That person shall do:
"1. Whatever is necessary to enable us to exercise our rights; and
"2. Nothing after loss to prejudice them.

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Related

Smith v. Travelers Insurance
363 N.E.2d 750 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 1976)
Smith v. Travelers Insurance
362 N.E.2d 264 (Ohio Supreme Court, 1977)
Bogan v. Progressive Casualty Insurance
521 N.E.2d 447 (Ohio Supreme Court, 1988)
Ruby v. Midwestern Indemnity Co.
532 N.E.2d 730 (Ohio Supreme Court, 1988)
McDonald v. Republic-Franklin Insurance
543 N.E.2d 456 (Ohio Supreme Court, 1989)

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Bluebook (online)
4 Ohio App. Unrep. 424, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hartford-casualty-insurance-v-easley-ohioctapp-1990.