Hiscock v. Kuinlan

62 Misc. 2d 842, 310 N.Y.S.2d 331, 1970 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1741
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedApril 6, 1970
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 62 Misc. 2d 842 (Hiscock v. Kuinlan) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hiscock v. Kuinlan, 62 Misc. 2d 842, 310 N.Y.S.2d 331, 1970 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1741 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1970).

Opinion

Mario Pittoni, J.

This is a controversy submitted on an agreed statement of facts pursuant to CPLR 3222 (subd. [b], par. 3).

An accident occurred on August 23,1965, between a passenger vehicle owned and operated by Harry Hiscock, and a tractor-trailer, on the Long Island Expressway Service Boad at or near its intersection with Veterans Highway, Islip, New York.

The tractor, owned and operated by Henry Kuinlan, was insured under a comprehensive liability policy issued by General Mutual Insurance Co. (Public Service Mutual Insurance Co. [hereinafter called ‘‘ Public Service ’ ’] is the successor by merger to the General Mutual Insurance Co.). The limits of liability for bodily injury on the liability policy issued to Henry Kuinlan were $10,000/$20,000.

The trailer, which was attached to the tractor, was owned by Bargel Truck Leasing Co. Inc. (hereinafter called ‘ Bar-gel ”) and had been leased to Cober Transfer Corp. (hereinafter called “Cober”). The Fireman’s Fund American Insurance Co. (hereinafter called “Fund”) issued its comprehensive liability policy to Cober and Bargel with limits of liability for bodily injury of $500,000/$!,000,000.

Bargel had agreed with the Ideal Toy Co. to supply a tractor and trailer to haul a shipment of toys to a certain destination, with Bargel supplying the tractor and trailer. Bargel leased its trailer to Cober and at the same time Cober contracted with Kuinlan, an independent hauler, to supply his personal services as a chauffeur and his own tractor to haul the trailer. While the tractor-trailer was en route to Patchogue, New York, the accident occurred.

Thereafter, Harry Hiscock sued Kuinlan, Cober and Bargel to recover damages for his personal injuries sustained in the accident. That action was settled before this court for $25,000, pursuant to a stipulation placed upon the record. During the settlement discussions in that action, this controversy arose [844]*844between Public Service and the Fund as to which policy or policies afforded coverage in connection with the accident of August 23, 1965. Also if it were determined that both policies applied, the respective amounts to be paid by each carrier had to be decided.

The Fund contends that Kuinlan, the owner-operator of the tractor, is not an additional insured under the policy of insurance issued by the Fund to Bargel and Cober, owner and lessee of the trailer. The owners of the tractor and of the trailer, according to the Fund, are jointly liable and each carrier must, therefore, pay 50% of the total settlement on behalf of their respective insureds.

Public Service contends that the policies issued by the Fund to Bargel and Cober afford coverage to Kuinlan as an additional insured; that both the Fund and the Public Service policies cover Kuinlan, Cober and Bargel with relation to this loss; and that both carriers must, therefore, pay the loss in proportion to their respective limits of liability.

Public Service argues that subdivisions 1, 2 and 4 of section 388 of the Vehicle and Traffic Law and subdivision 2 of section 167 of the Insurance Law mandate coverage by the Fund for Kuinlan, the person using the vehicle with permission of the named insured, as an additional insured. This argument is rejected.

Section 388 of the Vehicle and Traffic Law provides in part as follows:

“ 1. Every owner of a vehicle used or operated in this state shall be liable and responsible for death or injuries to person or property resulting from negligence in the use or operation of such vehicle, in the business of such owner or otherwise, by any person using or operating the same with the permission, express or implied, of such owner ’ ’

“2. As used in this section, ‘vehicle’ * * * shall also include ‘ semitrailer ’ and ‘ trailer ’ * * *

“4. All * * * policies of insurance issued to the owner of any vehicle * * * shall contain a provision for indemnity or security against the liability and responsibility provided in this section ’ ’.

This section mandates coverage for the owner of a vehicle for his vicarious liability created by the section. It does not, however, require that every person using or operating such vehicle with permission of the owner be covered under such policy as an additional insured (General Acc. Fire & Life Assur. Corp. v. Piazza, 4 N Y 2d 659, 665; Kuhn v. Auto Cab Mut. Ind. Co., 244 App. Div. 272, 273).

[845]*845Subdivision 2 of section 167 of the Insurance Law provides in part as follows: “ 2. No policy or contract of personal injury liability insurance * * * covering liability arising from the ownership, maintenance or operation of any motor vehicle * * * .shall be issued * * * to the owner thereof * * * unless it contains a provision insuring the named insured against liability for death or injury sustained * * * as a result of negligence in the operation or use of .such vehicle by any person operating o.r using the same with the permission, expressed or implied, of the named insured”.

The coverage required under this section is similar to the coverage required under section 388 of the Vehicle and Traffic Law. Under the cases above cited, both statutes require coverage of the owner only, and not of the user with permission of the named insured. Neither statute mandates or projects coverage of users with permission into policies issued to owners.

Therefore, the policy issued by the Fund covering the trailer was required by section 388 of the Vehicle and Traffic Law and section 167 of the Insurance Law to provide coverage to the owner, Bargel, for liability arising from the negligent operation of its trailer when driven with permission in combination with the tractor. The policies issued by the Fund were not required to provide extended coverage to Kuinlan as an additional insured.

The mandate contained in article 6 of the Vehicle and Traffic Law, entitled “ Motor Vehicle Financial Security Act ” (§ 311, subd. 4, par. [a]) provides that every owner’s policy of liability insurance shall comply with certain ‘‘ minimum provisions prescribed in a regulation which shall be promulgated by the superintendent ”. Pursuant to this section, the Superintendent of Insurance promulgated regulation 11 NYCRR 60.1 which provides in part as follows:

Section 60.1 [Mandatory provisions.] An owner’s policy of liability insurance ’ shall contain in substance the following minimum provisions * * *
“ (c) A provision insuring as ‘ insured ’ (1) the named insured * * * (2) any other person using the motor vehicle with the permission of the named insured * * * provided his actual operation or (if he is not operating) his other actual use thereof is within the scope of .such permission ”.

This section of the .regulations requires that all policies of insurance issued to owners contain an omnibus clause insuring any user with permission of the named insured as an “ insured.” [846]*846The policies issued by the Fund contained such an omnibus clause.

11 NYCRR 60.2, however, sets forth certain exclusions, authorized by the ¡Superintendent of Insurance, which may be included in an owner’s policy of insurance, as follows:

“ Section 60.2 [Exclusions.] Such an 1

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Bluebook (online)
62 Misc. 2d 842, 310 N.Y.S.2d 331, 1970 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1741, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hiscock-v-kuinlan-nysupct-1970.