Livingston Parish School Board v. Fireman's Fund American Insurance

263 So. 2d 356, 83 A.L.R. 3d 532, 1972 La. App. LEXIS 6307
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedMay 29, 1972
DocketNo. 8869
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 263 So. 2d 356 (Livingston Parish School Board v. Fireman's Fund American Insurance) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Livingston Parish School Board v. Fireman's Fund American Insurance, 263 So. 2d 356, 83 A.L.R. 3d 532, 1972 La. App. LEXIS 6307 (La. Ct. App. 1972).

Opinion

SARTAIN, Judge.

Before us is an appeal by J. C. Kerstens, d/b/a J. C. Kerstens & Associates (Ker-stens), whose third party demand against Continental Casualty Company (Continental), was dismissed by the district court on exceptions of no cause and no right of action and a motion for summary judgment.

This litigation was initiated as the result of the collapse of a part of the roof of the Livingston Parish School Board office and media center located in Livingston, Louisiana, on July 14, 1969. Kerstens, a civil engineer, and his firm were employed by the school board as design and building engineers on the project. He, his company, Continental Casualty Company, as his errors and omissions or professional liability insurer, and various other contractors, suppliers, and their insurance companies have been sued for damages by the school board as a result of this collapse.

[357]*357Continental subsequently filed a motion for summary judgment as to themselves in the suit initially filed herein which was sustained on the ground that the professional liability policy issued to Kerstens by that company had expired prior to the occurrence in question. That judgment was not appealed and is now final.

Shortly thereafter, Kerstens filed a third party action with which we are now concerned against Continental and certain other defendants, alleging, inter alia, that Continental’s policy was still in full force and effect as to this loss. To that petition Continental interposed exceptions of res judicata, no right and no cause of action, and a motion for summary judgment.

Again,- judgment was rendered for Continental as the motion for summary judgment and the exceptions of no right and no cause of action were sustained. Kerstens has appealed that action; we affirm the judgment of the district court and find that we are required to look no further than the motion for summary judgment in so doing.

In support of summary judgment, the moving party filed a certified copy of the Kerstens’ policy, an affidavit by an assistant vice-president of Continental Underwriters of Architects and Engineers Professional Liability Insurance, which included considerable correspondence from the insurer to the insured’s local broker concerning the expiration of Kerstens’ policy. Also filed in support thereof was an affidavit of the local agent who handled Kerstens’ policy and dealt directly with him along with copies of the various correspondence from the broker’s office to Kerstens concerning renewal and expiration of the policy. Additionally, a deposition of Kerstens was also incorporated as supportive of the motion. No counter affidavits were submitted on the part of the third party plaintiff.

Those documents reveal that the policy in question was written for a term of one year, commencing on July 11, 1968, and runing through July 11, 1969. Under Part I, Section IV, captioned “Policy Period, Territory” the contract includes these terms:

“(a) During the Policy Period
The insurance afforded by this policy applies to errors, omissions or negligent acts which occur within the United States of America, its territories or possessions, or Canada during this policy period if claim therefor is first made against the insured during this policy period.
(b) Prior to the policy period
The insurance afforded by this policy also applies to errors, omissions or negligent acts which occur within the United States of America, its territories or possessions, or Canada prior to the effective date of this policy if claim therefor is first made against the insured during this policy period and if all of the following requirements are present:
(1) the error, omission, or negligent act was also insured by this Company under the prior policy (as defined below) except that the period for making a claim against the insured under the prior policy (as defined below) has expired and
(2) no insured, at the effective date of the prior policy (as defined below), had any knowledge of a pending claim against any insured, had any knowledge of any claim which might be made against any insured or had any knowledge of any circumstance which may reasonably be expected to create a claim against any insured. . . . ”

(Emphasis ours)

The affidavits also establish that Continental originally insured Kerstens com[358]*358mencing on July 11, 1966, and during each year following through the term of the litigated policy. They show that considerable effort was expended prior to the expiration date of the policy in question to make Kerstens aware of the impending lapse of coverage and that the appropriate applications for renewal were never forwarded by the insured, nor was the required advance premium tendered or paid by him. In Kerstens’ deposition we note the following colloquy between the third party plaintiff and counsel for Continental:

“Q. Now, you stated, Mr. Kerstens, that you made application for insurance— for renewal of the insurance to be renewed each year, is that not correct?
A. Yes, sir. .
Q. Now, when you submitted this application to Allen — Hickman—Jones, which would then go to the company, now, you understood, did you not, that that was simply an application for insurance, similar to making application for life insurance?
A. That’s right.
Q. And until the company acted upon that application and either issued a policy to you or gave you written evidence that there was insurance in force, that your insurance was not renewed, isn’t that correct?
A. I imagine so. I—
* * . * * * *
Q. O.K. now, did you ever pay the premium for that renewal policy, that is, covering the period 7/11/69 to 7/11/70?
A. No.
% ‡ ‡ s)c ‡
Q. Let me ask you the question again, Mr. Kerstens, you said that you did not pay the premium for this period that I talked about; did you tender —I’ll ask you the question again— did you tender payment of the premium for Continental Casualty Company’s policy for the period 7/11/69 to 7/11/70?
A. No.
Q. As a matter of fact, besides the. fact that Mr. Allen sent you these three letters which we’ve marked for identification, he also called you on the telephone about the renewal of this policy, did he not?
A. I’m sure he did.
Q.

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Related

Spiers v. Lane
278 So. 2d 549 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1973)
Livingston Par. Sch. Bd. v. Fireman's Fund Am. Ins. Co.
282 So. 2d 478 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1973)
Oceanonics, Inc. v. Petroleum Distributing Company
280 So. 2d 874 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1973)

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Bluebook (online)
263 So. 2d 356, 83 A.L.R. 3d 532, 1972 La. App. LEXIS 6307, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/livingston-parish-school-board-v-firemans-fund-american-insurance-lactapp-1972.