MacKinnon v. Truck Ins. Exchange

115 Cal. Rptr. 2d 369, 95 Cal. App. 4th 235
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedMay 1, 2002
DocketE028662
StatusPublished

This text of 115 Cal. Rptr. 2d 369 (MacKinnon v. Truck Ins. Exchange) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
MacKinnon v. Truck Ins. Exchange, 115 Cal. Rptr. 2d 369, 95 Cal. App. 4th 235 (Cal. Ct. App. 2002).

Opinion

115 Cal.Rptr.2d 369 (2002)
95 Cal.App.4th 235

John R. MacKINNON et al., Plaintiffs and Appellants,
v.
TRUCK INSURANCE EXCHANGE, Defendant and Respondent.

No. E028662.

Court of Appeal, Fourth District, Division Two.

January 15, 2002.
Review Granted May 1, 2002.

*370 Law Offices of Arthur W. Francis, Jr., and Arthur W. Francis, Jr., Redondo Beach, for Plaintiffs and Appellants.

Sedgwick, Detert, Moran & Arnold, Lawrence E. Picone and Christopher R. Wagner, Los Angeles, for Defendant and Respondent.

Certified for Partial Publication.[*]

OPINION

GAUT, J.

Plaintiffs John R. MacKinnon, Christel V. MacKinnon, and John and Christel *371 MacKinnon Family Trust (collectively MacKinnon) appeal summary judgment entered in favor of defendant Truck Insurance Exchange (Track Insurance).

We consider whether a commercial comprehensive general liability (CGL) insurance policy exclusion, commonly referred to as a pollution exclusion, excludes coverage for a third party personal injury claim arising from spraying an apartment building with insecticide to exterminate yellow jackets.

MacKinnon contends the trial court erred in concluding as a matter of law that there was no coverage under the pollution exclusion. The trial court concluded that since a pesticide is a chemical, it was a pollutant within the policy definition of pollutant, and thus the pollution exclusion applied and excluded coverage. Mac-Kinnon argues that the exclusion is ambiguous and the exclusion does not apply because there was no environmental pollution.

MacKinnon also argues that there are factual issues as to whether Truck Insurance waived reliance on the pollution exclusion and whether it was estopped from asserting the exclusion after initially defending MacKinnon in the matter.

We conclude the pollution exclusion is clear and unambiguous as applied in this case, the exclusion applies as a matter of law, and coverage for injuries arising from the pesticide spraying incident is thus excluded under the pollution exclusion. We further conclude there are no material triable issues of fact and therefore affirm summary judgment.

1. Factual and Procedural Background

The following facts are undisputed. Truck Insurance issued a CGL insurance policy to MacKinnon, for the period of April 1996 to April 1997. The policy provided coverage for damages MacKinnon incurred as a result of personal injuries arising out of MacKinnon's business operations conducted at an apartment building owned and operated by MacKinnon. Under the business liability section of the insurance policy, the policy contained an exclusion commonly referred to in the insurance industry and by the courts as a "pollution exclusion."

Jennifer Denzin was a tenant in Mac-Kinnon's apartment building. She requested MacKinnon to spray to eradicate yellow jackets at the apartment building. MacKinnon hired a pest control company, Antimite Associates, Inc., to exterminate the yellow jackets. Antimite treated the apartment building for yellow jackets on several occasions in 1995 and 1996. On May 19, 1996, Denzin died in MacKinnon's apartment building.

Denzin's parents filed a wrongful death lawsuit against MacKinnon, Antimite, and other defendants, alleging that Denzin died as a result of exposure to "dangerous chemicals" sprayed at MacKinnon's apartment building. MacKinnon tendered his defense to Truck Insurance under the CGL insurance policy.

On November 10, 1997, Truck Insurance retained counsel and filed a responsive pleading to the complaint on behalf of MacKinnon. On December 23, 1997, Truck Insurance sent MacKinnon a letter advising him that, because an immediate response was necessary, Truck Insurance had referred the Denzin action to defense counsel in order to protect MacKinnon's interests. Truck Insurance added that it was still investigating the matter to determine if coverage existed. Truck Insurance added that it did not intend to waive any provisions of the insurance policy, and "Truck reserves all of its rights under the terms, exclusions, and conditions of any policies issued to you."

On June 3, 1998, Truck Insurance sent MacKinnon a letter advising that Truck *372 Insurance had concluded that the pollution exclusion precluded coverage for the Denzin action and therefore Truck Insurance would be withdrawing its defense within 30 days. Truck Insurance extended the withdrawal date to July 20,1998.

In June 1998, MacKinnon retained counsel to represent him in the Denzin action. MacKinnon, through his counsel, settled the Denzin action for $10,000 and then filed the instant insurance coverage action, claiming Truck Insurance owed Mac-Kinnon a duty to defend and indemnify him in the Denzin action. MacKinnon's action asserted causes of action for declaratory relief, breach of contract, and breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing.

Truck Insurance moved for summary judgment on MacKinnon's coverage claims on the ground the pollution exclusion, contained in the insurance policy issued by Track Insurance to MacKinnon, precluded coverage for the Denzin suit. MacKinnon opposed the motion. The trial court granted summary judgment based on the following findings: (1) The Denzin action alleged the decedent died as a result of exposure to a pesticide used to eradicate yellow jackets at her apartment building; (2) the pollution exclusion in the Truck Insurance policy was clear and unambiguous; (3) there was no potential for coverage for the Denzin action because the allegations in the Denzin complaint are excluded from coverage by the pollution exclusion; and (4) because there was no potential for coverage, Mac-Kinnon's breach of the good faith covenant cause of action also fails.

2. Summary Judgment Standard of Review

On appeal from a summary judgment entered in favor of the defendant, we review the trial court's decision de novo, applying the rule that a defendant is entitled to summary judgment if the record establishes as a matter of law that either none of the plaintiffs asserted causes of action can prevail or the plaintiff cannot establish one or more elements.[1]

"The first step of the review begins with an analysis of the pleadings, because `[t]he pleadings define the issues to be considered on a motion for summary judgment.' [Citation.] We next evaluate the moving defendant's effort to meet its burden of showing that plaintiffs cause of action has no merit or that there is a complete defense to it. Once the defendant has met that burden, the burden shifts to the plaintiff to show that a triable issue of material fact exists as to its complaint. If the filings in opposition raise triable issues of material fact the motion must be denied; if they do not, the motion must be granted [citations]."[2]

3. The Pollution Exclusion

MacKinnon contends the trial court erred in granting summary judgment because the pollution exclusion is ambiguous and inapplicable to nonenvironmental pollution, such as the spraying of a pesticide.

A. Principles of Insurance Policy Interpretation

An insurance policy is interpreted to effectuate the mutual intent of the parties.[3] If possible, we look solely to the *373 terms of the policy, and the clear and explicit meaning of the policy terms will govern our interpretation.[4] If the policy is ambiguous, that is, susceptible to more than one reasonable interpretation, we construe the ambiguity in favor of coverage.

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115 Cal. Rptr. 2d 369, 95 Cal. App. 4th 235, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mackinnon-v-truck-ins-exchange-calctapp-2002.