LaCoe v. Valley Forge Insurance

31 Pa. D. & C.3d 156, 1984 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 349
CourtPennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Lackawanna County
DecidedAugust 7, 1984
Docketno. 83 CIV 1739
StatusPublished

This text of 31 Pa. D. & C.3d 156 (LaCoe v. Valley Forge Insurance) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Lackawanna County primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
LaCoe v. Valley Forge Insurance, 31 Pa. D. & C.3d 156, 1984 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 349 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1984).

Opinion

COTTONE, J.,

This matter is before the court by way of plaintiff’s motion for declaratory judgment against defendant, Valley Forge Insurance Company. Plaintiff, Jeffrey LaCoe, seeks to have defendant-insurance company represent his interest in a lawsuit filed against him by one George Martin Walsh and Karen Lee Walsh, his wife. An evidentiary hearing was held before this court on May 21, 1984, and the following facts were established.

Plaintiff in the instant action is a full-time employee at a local manufacturing plant. Prior to the below-described accident which gave rise to this litigation, LaCoe had cut tree tops for individuals. The arrangement on each occasion was that plaintiff would cut the individuals’ trees for free, but would be allowed to keep the resulting wood. After the trees were cut, plaintiff would load the wood onto his truck and take it to his property where he would age it in preparation for using it for firewood. Plaintiff testified on re-direct examination that he sold this wood on four occasions. However, the more common practice was for plaintiff to use this wood for his own heating purposes. Plaintiff also testified that he did not sell any wood after the below-described accident. On the. four occasions plaintiff would sell the wood, he would deliver it to the customers. Plaintiff grossed approximately $200 from these four sales charging $50 per cord of wood.-

Plaintiff never advertised that he had wood for sale, nor did he actively solicit customers. Plaintiff testified that the fact he had wood for sale simply spread by word of mouth and customers would call [158]*158him. He testified that he sold the wood by the cord because it was illegal to sell wood in any other way.

On October 22, 1981, plaintiff, Jeffrey LaCoe, was on the property of Kevin Walsh at 1821 McDonough Avenue, Scranton, Lackawanna County, Pa. Plaintiff was on said property for the purpose of cutting trees having agreed with Kevin Walsh to do so. Plaintiff was to cut the trees at no charge, but would be allowed to keep the wood. Plaintiff testified he intended to use this wood for his personal use, rather than selling it. As plaintiff was working, one tree became “caught up” in the branches of other trees. In an effort to separate the tree from these branches and pull it to the ground, plaintiff attached one end of a chain to the severed tree and the other end to his truck. Plaintiff slowly moved the truck forward and the tree fell to the ground. During this process, the falling tree allegedly struck and injured the aforesaid George Martin Walsh, a plaintiff in the action against Mr. LaCoe. Mr. Walsh was apparently standing on the property of Mr. James Davis at 1825 McDonough Avenue, the adjacent property, at the time of this incident.

The insurance policy issued by defendant excluded coverage for personal liability “arising out of business pursuits of any insured or the rental or holding for rental of any part of any premises by any insured.” The initial question to be answered is whether plaintiff’s activity of cutting tree tops and then using the wood for his own purposes and occasionally selling such wood may properly be characterized as a “business pursuit.”

When the insurer seeks to disclaim coverage under an insurance policy by invoking an exclusionary provision it bears the burden of proving that the exclusion is applicable to the particular case. Weissman v. Prashker, 405 Pa. 226, 175 A.2d 63 [159]*159(1961); Myrtil v. Hartford Fire Insurance Company, 510 F. Supp. 1199 (E.D. Pa. 1981). Also, exceptions to the coverage provided to the insured are to be strictly construed against the insurer. Frisch v. State Farm Fire & Casualty Co., 218 Pa. Super. 211, 275 A.2d 849 (1975).

Our research reveals that there are no Pennsylvania cases discussing the “business pursuit” exception. However, it appears that a majority of the jurisdictions which have addressed this issue have employed a two-prong test.

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Bluebook (online)
31 Pa. D. & C.3d 156, 1984 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 349, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lacoe-v-valley-forge-insurance-pactcompllackaw-1984.