Landes v. State Farm Fire & Casualty Co.

907 S.W.2d 349, 1995 Mo. App. LEXIS 1684, 1995 WL 592706
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedOctober 10, 1995
DocketWD 50855
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 907 S.W.2d 349 (Landes v. State Farm Fire & Casualty Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Landes v. State Farm Fire & Casualty Co., 907 S.W.2d 349, 1995 Mo. App. LEXIS 1684, 1995 WL 592706 (Mo. Ct. App. 1995).

Opinion

FENNER, Chief Judge.

Kenneth Landes appeals from the Order of the Circuit Court of Jackson County granting respondent State Farm Fire & Casualty Company’s Motion for Summary Judg *352 ment. In Ms jurisdictional statement, appellant also alleges that the court demed Ms own motion for summary judgment, but the record does not reflect that such motion was ever filed by appellant. Appellant’s only mention of a motion for summary judgment on Ms own behalf is m the final sentences of Ms Suggestions in Opposition to Defendant’s Motion for Summary Judgment. Such a vague reference clearly does not satisfy the particularity requirement for summary judgment motions that is part of Rule 74.04(c)(1). 1 Further, the passing reference made by appellant to entitlement to summary judgment does not satisfy the purpose of the particularity requirement, wMch has been stated as follows:

The plain purpose of that requirement is to apprise the opposing party and the trial court (and in turn the áppellate court) of the specific basis on wMch the movant claims he is entitled to summary judgment. With the issues so focused, the opposmg party may prepare Ms defense to the motion and the trial court may make an informed ruling. If the motion is sustained and the opposing party appeals, the issues are clear-cut. The appellate court need not speculate concerning the grounds on which summary judgment was granted. All tMs serves to expedite the disposition of the case. A motion for summary judgment wMch fails to meet the requirement is defective.

Hartford Accident & Indent. Co. v. M.J. Smith Sawmill, Inc., 883 S.W.2d 91, 92 (Mo.App.1994) (quoting Johns v. Continental W. Ins. Co., 802 S.W.2d 196, 197 (Mo.App.1991)). Clearly, any motion for summary judgment appellant claims to have made is defective and must fail.

As to State Farm’s motion, the record reveals that on May 29,1991, a valid policy of insurance issued by State Farm was in effect for appellant’s property located at 24105 West 40 Highway, Blue Springs, Missouri, with policy limits of $180,000 for property damage. Appellant had leased the property to Plumbing & Electrical Supply Company (“P & E”), the terms of wMch provided for a rental rate of $6,221.27 per month. State Farm was not a party to the lease and the lease was not referenced or incorporated into the policy of insurance.

On May 29, 1991, a fire occurred at appellant’s property. On June 3,1991, appellant’s former counsel contacted State Farm and informed the company of a clause in the lease with P & E that would allow P <& E to terminate the lease upon fifteen days notice if repairs to the building were not completed within 120 days of the fire. On June 5, State Farm sent appellant a reservation of rights letter indicating that an arson investigation was underway as the fire appeared incendiary m nature. During the period of Mvesti-gation, it appears that appellant entered into a contract with Charlie Rhoades Construction Company to rebuild/repair the building for a maximum guaranteed fee of $179,-760.41. Appellant signed a sworn statement of proof of loss on June 17th and forwarded it to State farm, approximating a property loss of $170,000.00. An arson investigation test report letter to State Farm also dated June 17th indicated that four of seven samples from the fire tested positive for gasoline. A second reservation of rights letter, acknowledging receipt of the first proof of loss statement, was sent to appellant on June 19th.

On July 9, 1991, appellant contacted State Farm to remind the company of the 120 day repair provision in the lease and to inquire as to why no settlement had yet been paid (even though appellant knew of the arson investigation). On July 11th, State Farm made the first loss of business income payment to appellant in the amount of $12,442.54 for the lost rent on the building for two months. On July 29th, State Farm issued a draft in the amount of $99,939.78 to appellant. State *353 Farm labeled the draft as an actual cash value settlement with respect to the building to be used as the advance payment to the reconstruction contractor. Also on July 29th, appellant signed a second sworn statement of proof of loss, claiming a loss of $180,000, or a $10,000.00 increase from the first sworn proof of loss. State Farm continued to make monthly disbursements of $6,221.27 as loss of business income payments for August and September.

On September 10, 1991, P & E, in compliance with the lease with appellant, terminated the lease as the property had not been restored within 120 days. On September 17th, State Farm issued a draft to United Missouri Bank, appellant, and P & E in the amount of $197,463.80 under a separate policy of insurance covering P & E’s loss.

On October 24, 1991, appellant’s former counsel sent a letter to State Farm demanding payment of $6,200 per month rental until a new tenant was found for the insured property. In the letter, appellant mentions a prior policy of insurance for the building with Hawkeye Security Company. Appellant claims to have switched to the State Farm policy only after his State Farm agent for other matters had the Hawkeye policy reviewed and proposed an equal or comparable State Farm policy. After the fire loss, however, it was discovered that the two policies differed as to coverage for loss of use of the premises. The Hawkeye policy apparently provided loss of use coverage for a minimum of twelve months, while the State Farm policy provided coverage only for the “period of restoration.”

State Farm issued a draft for the loss of business use for the month of October on November 7, 1991, in the amount of $6,221.27. An additional draft in the amount of $20,000.00 was issued to the appellant on the property loss on November 16. State Farm notified appellant on November 19th that the restoration period was complete as of that date. On November 27th, the final draft on the property loss in the amount of $57,494.69 was issued to appellant. A final draft in the amount of $3,940.22 was issued to appellant on December 9th for the prorate loss of business use for the month of November.

In total, State Farm paid appellant $177,-334.46 to restore appellant’s building. An additional amount totalling $35,046.57 was paid appellant under the loss of income coverage. The property restoration was completed and paid for within six months of the fire of questionable nature.

Appellant thereafter filed his petition alleging State Farm’s delay caused the loss of the lease tenant, P & E, and that State Farm had refused to pay according to the terms of the loss of use provisions of the policy. The petition further alleged that State Farm was negligent in causing appellant to lose P & E as a tenant. The trial court granted State Farm’s motion for summary judgment on all counts. This appeal followed.

I. STANDARD OF REVIEW

The Missouri Supreme Court provided an exhaustive analysis of summary judgment practice and review in its opinion in ITT Commercial Fin. Corp. v. Mid-Am. Marine Supply Corp.,

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
907 S.W.2d 349, 1995 Mo. App. LEXIS 1684, 1995 WL 592706, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/landes-v-state-farm-fire-casualty-co-moctapp-1995.