Jerel Colemon, as Administrator and Personal Representative of the Estate of William Virgil v. Westport Insurance Company, as Successor to Coregis Insurance Company

CourtKentucky Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 18, 2025
Docket2023-SC-0497
StatusPublished

This text of Jerel Colemon, as Administrator and Personal Representative of the Estate of William Virgil v. Westport Insurance Company, as Successor to Coregis Insurance Company (Jerel Colemon, as Administrator and Personal Representative of the Estate of William Virgil v. Westport Insurance Company, as Successor to Coregis Insurance Company) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Kentucky Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

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Jerel Colemon, as Administrator and Personal Representative of the Estate of William Virgil v. Westport Insurance Company, as Successor to Coregis Insurance Company, (Ky. 2025).

Opinion

RENDERED: DECEMBER 18, 2025 TO BE PUBLISHED

Supreme Court of Kentucky 2023-SC-0497-DG

JEREL COLEMON, AS APPELLANT ADMINISTRATOR AND PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE OF THE ESTATE OF WILLIAM VIRGIL

ON REVIEW FROM COURT OF APPEALS V. NO. 2022-CA-0415 CAMPBELL CIRCUIT COURT NO. 20-CI-00489

WESTPORT INSURANCE COMPANY, APPELLEE AS SUCCESSOR TO COREGIS INSURANCE COMPANY

OPINION OF THE COURT BY JUSTICE GOODWINE

AFFIRMING

William Virgil was incarcerated for twenty-eight years for a murder to

which DNA evidence proved he had no connection. After his release, Virgil filed

a lawsuit in federal court under 42 U.S.C. 1 § 1983 against the City of Newport

and past and present employees of the Newport Police Department (collectively,

“Newport”). 2 Virgil alleged personal injuries resulting from his wrongful

prosecution. Westport Insurance Company, as successor to Coregis Insurance

1 United States Code.

2 Virgil v. City of Newport, No. 16-cv-224-DLB-EBA. Company (“Westport”), insured Newport from July 1, 1998, until July 1, 2000.

Westport then sought a judicial determination of its coverage obligations in the

Campbell Circuit Court. The circuit court granted summary judgment in favor

of Westport, finding coverage was not triggered under its policies. The Court of

Appeals affirmed. Jerel Colemon, as administrator and personal representative

of the Estate of William Virgil (“Colemon”), sought discretionary review, which

we granted. After review of the record, applicable law, and the arguments of the

parties, we affirm the decision of the Court of Appeals.

BACKGROUND

In 1987, Retha Welch was murdered. Virgil was charged with and

convicted of the murder the following year. He was sentenced to seventy years

in prison. During their investigation, police officers allegedly withheld

exculpatory evidence and coerced a jailhouse snitch to make fabricated

statements implicating Virgil in the crime. He was incarcerated for twenty-eight

years before DNA testing of the victim’s rape kit excluded him as the

perpetrator. He was released from prison in 2015 and the Campbell County

Grand Jury declined to reindict.

In 2016, Virgil filed a lawsuit under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 against Newport

alleging violations of his constitutional right to a fair trial, malicious

prosecution, constitutional violations based on fabrication of false evidence,

supervisory liability and negligent supervision, failure to intervene, conspiracy

to deprive him of his constitutional rights, and intentional infliction of

2 emotional distress. 3 In his complaint, Virgil listed his damages as the pain and

suffering he endured during incarceration, the disadvantages he faced in

making a life for himself after incarceration, and damages “including but not

limited to physical harm, mental suffering, and loss of a normal life” as a result

of Newport’s misconduct.

Newport tendered the lawsuit to the insurance companies that provided

them with coverage from 1987 to 2015 for defense and indemnification.

Westport insured Newport from July 1, 1997, to July 1, 2000, through three

consecutive one-year policies. Each policy was modified by an endorsement for

law enforcement liability (“LEL”) coverage. Westport denied coverage because

“no triggering event occurred during the Westport policy period.” Ultimately,

Westport chose to defend Newport in the lawsuit but reserved the right to seek

a judicial determination of its coverage obligations.

In 2020, Westport initiated the underlying action to request the circuit

court declare it had no duty to defend or indemnify Newport because Virgil’s

lawsuit did not allege that any bodily or personal injury occurred during its

policy period. Westport named Virgil as a party to its action. The parties all

moved for summary judgment. 4 After hearing oral arguments, the court

3 In his complaint, Virgil also brought claims against the City of Cincinnati,

Ohio, and the City of Norwood, Ohio, and police officers from those municipalities. Those claims are unrelated to this matter. 4 Westport moved for a judgment on the pleadings. Kentucky Rules of Civil

Procedure (CR) 12.03. The circuit court’s consideration of documents outside the pleadings converted Westport’s motion to one for summary judgment. CR 12.02.

3 granted Westport’s motion, holding that no triggering event occurred during the

policy period.

Newport and Virgil 5 appealed as a matter of right to the Court of Appeals.

While the appeal was pending, Newport and Colemon settled the federal

lawsuit. Under the terms of the settlement, Newport assigned all rights to any

insurance proceeds and all causes of action against Westport to the estate. The

Court of Appeals affirmed the circuit court judgment, holding Westport had no

duty to defend or indemnify Newport because Virgil’s alleged personal injury

did not occur during the policy period. Colemon moved for discretionary review

which we granted.

ANALYSIS

On appeal, Colemon argues: (1) under a plain reading, Westport’s LEL

coverage is triggered by hurt or loss sustained during the policy period; (2) the

Court of Appeals’ reliance on the so-called “majority rule” is inconsistent with

Kentucky jurisprudence and misplaced; and (3) the court’s application of the

majority rule is manifestly unjust because it modifies the terms of a valid

contract and inures solely to the benefit of the insurer.

This case is solely about interpretation of the terms of an insurance

contract. The law governing interpretation is well-settled. Our predecessor

court clearly set out the role of the courts as follows:

5 Virgil died prior to entry of the circuit court’s judgment. Colemon, as

administrator of his estate, was substituted as a party on April 20, 2022, after the notices of appeal were filed.

4 the terms of an insurance contract must control unless contravening public policy or a statute, and . . . the courts cannot make a new contract for the parties under the guise of interpretation or construction but must determine the rights of the parties according to the terms agreed upon by them.

Cheek v. Commonwealth Life Ins. Co., 126 S.W.2d 1084, 1089 (Ky. 1939). “The

only purpose of judicial construction is to remove ambiguity and doubt and to

make certain that which in itself is uncertain.” Lynch v. Claims Mgmt. Corp.,

306 S.W.3d 93, 98 (Ky. App. 2010) (quoting Frear v. P.T.A. Indus., Inc., 103

S.W.3d 99, 106 (Ky. 2003). Because issues of interpretation and construction

of contracts are questions of law, we review de novo, giving no deference to the

circuit court’s interpretation. Morganfield Nat. Bank v. Damien Elder & Sons,

836 S.W.2d 893, 895 (Ky. 1992); Louisville Edible Oil Prods., Inc. v. Revenue

Cabinet Commonwealth of Ky., 957 S.W.2d 272, 274 (Ky. App. 1997) (citations

omitted).

“The terms of insurance coverage should not be extended beyond any

clear or unambiguous limit.” Masler v.

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