Hartford Insurance Co. v. Commerce & Industry Insurance Co.

864 S.W.2d 648, 1993 Tex. App. LEXIS 2407, 1993 WL 331083
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedAugust 31, 1993
Docket01-92-01166-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 864 S.W.2d 648 (Hartford Insurance Co. v. Commerce & Industry 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
Hartford Insurance Co. v. Commerce & Industry Insurance Co., 864 S.W.2d 648, 1993 Tex. App. LEXIS 2407, 1993 WL 331083 (Tex. Ct. App. 1993).

Opinion

OPINION

OLIVER-PARROTT, Chief Justice.

This is an appeal from the granting of a take-nothing summary judgment in favor of Commerce & Industry Insurance Company (C & I) against The Hartford Insurance Company (Hartford).

C & I issued three insurance policies insuring Roll Form Products, Inc. These policies will be referred to as 1) the business auto policy, 2) the general Lability policy, and 3) the Texas comprehensive auto policy. Hartford issued an umbrella policy that insured Roll Form up to five million dollars in excess of the limits of the C & I policies.

The primary question before the Court is whether the coverage afforded by the form Texas comprehensive auto policy can be limited by the manner in which the form is completed, or whether the “any auto” paragraph prohibits any attempted limitation. We find that the “any auto” paragraph extends coverage to any auto operated by the named insured, but does not prohibit the limitation of coverage to only those vehicles specifically designated on the form when not operated by a named insured.

On December 13, 1985, an accident occurred. The plaintiff, an employee of a trucking company, trucked a load of steel from Roll Form’s plant in Texas to New Orleans. As the steel was being unloaded, it fell on the plaintiff, rendering him a quadriplegic.

The driver sued Roll Form, alleging negligence and strict liability. C & I paid one million dollars under the general liability policy to settle the claim. Hartford contributed $2,897,036 under the umbrella policy. Pursuant to the terms of the umbrella policy, Hartford became subrogated to Roll Form’s rights under the C & I policies. Hartford then filed suit against C & I, claiming that C & I should have paid an additional $1,000,000 under the comprehensive auto policy.

C & I filed a motion asserting two grounds for summary judgment. First, it asserted that its three policies did not provide overlapping coverage and that a single payment of its limits under any of the policies satisfied its obligation. Second, it asserted that the comprehensive auto policy covered only autos owned by Roll Form and did not cover “hired” or “non-owned” autos such as the one involved in the accident. The trial court granted C & I’s motion.

Appellant argues that the trial court erred in granting the summary judgment because 1) the Texas comprehensive auto policy covers any auto, 2) the summary judgment evidence establishes that C & I collected a premium under the Texas auto policy for hired and non-owned auto coverage, and 3) payment by C & I under one policy does not preclude payment under another. The trial court granted C & I’s motion for summary judgment without specifying the ground upon which it relied.

The standard of appellate review for a summary judgment is whether the summary judgment proof establishes that the movant is entitled to summary judgment as a matter of law. Nixon v. Mr. Property Management Co., 690 S.W.2d 546, 548 (Tex.1985).

The defendant-movant has the burden to show that there is no genuine issue of *650 material fact regarding one or more elements of the plaintiffs cause of action and that it is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Nixon, 690 S.W.2d at 548-49; Interstate Fire Ins. Co. v. First Tape, Inc., 817 S.W.2d 142, 144 (Tex.App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 1991, writ denied). Evidence favorable to the nonmov-ant will be taken as true in determining whether there exists a disputed material fact issue that precludes summary judgment. Id. Every reasonable inference must be given in favor of the nonmovant and any doubt resolved in its favor. Nixon, 690 S.W.2d at 548-49. Where a summary judgment does not state the grounds on which it was granted, as in this case, the appellant must show that each of the grounds alleged in the motion was insufficient to support the judgment. Woomer v. City of Galveston, 765 S.W.2d 836, 837-38 (Tex.App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 1988, writ denied). Thus, appellant must show that the policies issued by C & I provided overlapping coverage, and obligated C & I to pay its limits under more than one policy, and that the Texas comprehensive auto policy covered “hired” and “non-owned” automobiles.

In the first point of error, appellant asserts that the trial court erred in granting the summary judgment because the Texas comprehensive auto policy covers “any auto” and thus included “hired,” “owned,” and “non-owned” autos. It relies on the following clause:

The company will pay on behalf of the insured all sums which the insured shall become legally obligated to pay as damages because of (c) bodily injury or (d) property damage to which this insurance applies, caused by an occurrence and arising out of the ownership, maintenance or use, including loading and unloading of any automobile.

C & I argues that another clause limits the coverage afforded and states as follows:

The insurance afforded is only with respect to such of the following coverages as are indicated by specific premium charge or charges. The limit of the company’s liability against each such coverage shall be as stated herein subject to all the terms of this policy having reference thereto.

C & I concludes that the policy provides that only those autos for which the insured has paid a specific premium are covered, and that premiums were not paid for “hired” or “non-owned” autos. Thus, the parties dispute how the policy should be interpreted.

In analyzing a contract, the court’s primary concern is to determine the true intentions of the parties as expressed in the writing. Coker v. Coker, 650 S.W.2d 391, 393 (Tex.1983). To do this, courts have a duty to interpret the contract as a whole, and consider each part so as to give them effect and meaning, rendering no part meaningless. Id. In the absence of any ambiguity, accident, mistake, or fraud shown in connection with the contract, the parol evidence rule “renders inadmissible any testimony to vary the legal effect of a writing[J” Huddleston v. Fergeson, 564 S.W.2d 448, 452 (Tex.Civ.App.—Amarillo 1978, no writ). The inadmissible testimony, objected to or not, is “without probative force and will not support any finding.” Id.; see Texarkana & Ft. S. Ry. Co. v. Brass, 260 S.W. 828, 830 (Tex.Comm’n App. 1924, judgm’t adopted).

In Foremost County Mutual Ins. Co. v. Home Indemnity Co., 897 F.2d 754 (5th Cir. 1990), the Fifth Circuit interpreted an insurance policy containing the clause “any auto” and discussed the impact of that clause. Id. at 756.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
864 S.W.2d 648, 1993 Tex. App. LEXIS 2407, 1993 WL 331083, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hartford-insurance-co-v-commerce-industry-insurance-co-texapp-1993.