Lanners v. National Family Insurance Co.

424 N.W.2d 95, 1988 Minn. App. LEXIS 533, 1988 WL 55805
CourtCourt of Appeals of Minnesota
DecidedJune 7, 1988
DocketC7-87-2173
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 424 N.W.2d 95 (Lanners v. National Family Insurance Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Minnesota primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Lanners v. National Family Insurance Co., 424 N.W.2d 95, 1988 Minn. App. LEXIS 533, 1988 WL 55805 (Mich. Ct. App. 1988).

Opinion

OPINION

NIERENGARTEN, Judge.

This is an appeal from a judgment declaring two insurance companies liable for payment of no-fault benefits. The insurance companies contend the insured was operating a business vehicle at the time of the *96 accident and is not entitled to recover benefits under his personal automobile insurance policy. We reverse.

PACTS

Respondent James H. Lanners was the sole proprietor of Lanners Construction, an unincorporated construction business. Lanners owned six vehicles and insured the vehicles under two separate policies. A 1978 Ford pickup, a 1969 Ford pickup and a trailer were insured by appellant Continental Western Insurance Company (Continental); the named insured on the Continental policy was “JAMES H. LANNERS DBA LANNERS CONSTRUCTION.” A van and two passenger cars owned by Lanners were insured by appellant National Family Insurance Company (National Family); the named insured on the National Family policy was “JAMES HENRY LANNERS.”

Lanners was injured in two accidents while driving the 1978 Ford pickup. The first accident occurred in July 1981 while Lanners was driving to a farm to make an estimate on a shingling job; the second accident occurred in June 1982 while Lan-ners was driving to a job site to assist his employees with a construction job. Lan-ners sought no-fault benefits under his personal auto policy with National Family and filed a claim under his general liability and automobile policy with Continental. National Family claimed the 1978 Ford pickup was not an insured vehicle described in its policy and asserted it was not responsible for payment of policy benefits under the no-fault insurance act because the pickup was being used for business purposes at the time of both accidents.

Lanners filed a declaratory judgment action against the insurance companies in November 1985. The parties subsequently moved for partial summary judgment on whether Lanners’ policy coverages with National Family and Continental could be “stacked” under the no-fault insurance act. The district court concluded Lanners was entitled to stack the benefits of his policies to the coverage limits for each vehicle. The court noted Lanners was using the pickup to drive himself to a job site at the time of the accidents in furtherance of his business, but concluded Lanners “was not transporting any persons or property” at the time of the accident and was not engaged in the transportation business.

The court also noted that Lanners was the sole owner of the business and was the named insured on both policies, and that he used the 1978 Ford pickup for both business and nonbusiness purposes. The court concluded there was no priority between the two policies and ruled Lanners could stack the benefit coverage of the two policies.

ISSUE

Did the district court err by concluding respondent was entitled to stack coverage benefits of his two insurance policies and by granting summary judgment for respondent?

ANALYSIS

On appeal from a summary judgment, appellate courts only determine “(1) whether there are any genuine issues of material fact and (2) whether the trial court erred in its application of the law.” See Betlach v. Wayzata Condominium, 281 N.W.2d 328, 330 (Minn.1979). A conclusion based on the application of a statute to a set of undisputed facts is a conclusion of law which does not bind an appellate court. See A.J. Chromy Construction Co. v. Commercial Mechanical Services, Inc., 260 N.W.2d 579, 582 (Minn.1977). Since the facts are not disputed in this case, the district court’s conclusions about the application of the no-fault insurance statute are not binding on this court. See Madden v. Home Insurance Co., 367 N.W.2d 676 (Minn.Ct.App.1985).

No-Fault Coverage

The Minnesota No-Fault Automobile Insurance Act establishes priorities for payment of basic economic loss benefits when automobile accident injuries are covered by two or more insurance policies. .

Subdivision 1. In case of injury to the driver or other occupant of a motor vehicle other than a commuter van, or oth *97 er than a vehicle being used to transport children to school or to a school sponsored activity, if the accident causing the injury occurs while the vehicle is being used in the business of transporting persons or property, the security for payment of basic economic loss benefits is the security covering the vehicle or, if none, the security under which the injured person is an insured.
Subd. 2. In case of injury to an employee, or to his spouse or other relative residing in the same household, if the accident causing the injury occurs while the injured person is driving or occupying a motor vehicle other than a commuter van furnished by the employer, the security for payment of basic economic loss benefits is the security covering the vehicle or, if none, the security under which the injured person is an insured.
* * * * * *
Subd. 4. In all other cases, the following priorities apply:
(a) The security for payment of basic economic loss benefits applicable to injury to an insured is the security under which the injured person is an insured.

Minn.Stat. § 65B.47 (1980).

An injured person may “recover basic economic loss benefits under each no-fault coverage applicable to him as an insured to the extent of actual losses up to the stacked policy limits of all policies applicable on a single priority level.” Wasche v. Milbank Mutual Insurance Co., 268 N.W.2d 913, 919 (Minn.1978) (emphases added). “Stacking” is allowed only if (1) the basic loss benefits are applicable to the injured person “as an insured,” and (2) the “benefits are provided by policies applicable on a single priority level.” Koons v. National Family Insurance Co., 301 N.W. 2d 550, 553 (Minn.1981).

In Murphy v. Milbank Mutual Insurance Co., 320 N.W.2d 423 (Minn.1982), the supreme court concluded personal automobile insurance coverage and coverage available under an employer’s business policy could not be stacked because the benefits were provided by policies applicable on different priority levels.

The priorities set forth in section 65B.47 are intended to assign liability for basic economic loss benefits to the coverage that most closely contemplates the risk leading to the injury.

Id. at 425.

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Related

Meister v. Western National Mutual Insurance
479 N.W.2d 372 (Supreme Court of Minnesota, 1992)
Rydberg v. American Family Mutual Insurance Co.
453 N.W.2d 67 (Court of Appeals of Minnesota, 1990)
Klein v. United States Fidelity & Guaranty Co.
451 N.W.2d 901 (Court of Appeals of Minnesota, 1990)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
424 N.W.2d 95, 1988 Minn. App. LEXIS 533, 1988 WL 55805, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lanners-v-national-family-insurance-co-minnctapp-1988.