MAPFRE INSURANCE COMPANY v. Forte

District Court, E.D. Pennsylvania·Decided April 18, 2022·No. 2:21-cv-02240·Unknown

Opinion

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA

MAPFRE INSURANCE COMPANY, CIVIL ACTION

Plaintiff, NO. 21-2240-KSM v.

JOHN F. FORTE, et al.,

Defendants.

MEMORANDUM

Marston, J. April 18, 2022

Plaintiff Mapfre Insurance Company seeks a declaratory judgment that it does not owe a duty to defend or indemnify its insured, Defendant John F. Forte, in the underlying state court action. The state lawsuit was filed after a tragic motor vehicle accident involving Mr. Forte’s all- terrain vehicle (“ATV”) that resulted in the death of Mr. Forte’s son, Gianni, and caused Gianni’s passenger, Nicholas Rapino, Jr., to sustain serious and permanent injuries. (Doc. No. 1.) Presently before the Court is Mapfre’s motion for summary judgment (Doc. No. 18). For the reasons that follow, the Court grants Mapfre’s motion. I. Background Taking the facts in the light most favorable to Mr. Forte, the relevant facts are as follows. A. The Underlying State Court Action On June 17, 2020, Nicholas Rapino, Jr. (“Nicholas”), by and through and his parents Laurie and Nicholas Rapino, (collectively, “the Rapinos”), sued Mr. Forte and Mr. Forte’s deceased son, Gianni, in the Bucks County Court of Common Pleas, following a tragic accident involving Gianni and Nicholas. (See Doc. No. 1-3.) The Rapinos pleaded the following facts in the complaint in that case: On January 27, 2017, Gianni and Nicholas, both aged thirteen, met at Daulton Potter’s1 house in Bensalem, Bucks County around 4:30 p.m. (Id. at ¶¶ 19–21.) An hour later, around

5:40 p.m., Gianni and Nicholas left Potter’s house on Mr. Forte’s ATV.2 (See id. at ¶¶ 22–23; see also id. at ¶ 6 (“At a time prior to January 27, 2017, [Mr. Forte] purchased and gave to his son [Gianni] a high-powered, all-terrain vehicle (ATV), Honda TRX-250X.”).) Gianni drove the ATV. (Id. at ¶ 23.) Gianni was seated in the driver’s seat and not wearing a helmet, and Nicholas sat behind him and was wearing a helmet. (Id. at ¶¶ 22–23.) Gianni drove down Ogden Avenue, made a right turn onto Woodbine Avenue, then made a left turn onto Bristol Pike, followed by a left turn onto Bensalem Boulevard, traveling toward the intersection of Bensalem Boulevard and Jason Drive. (Id. at ¶¶ 23–26, 32.) Bensalem Boulevard is a “two (2) lane public street”; as Gianni drove the ATV north down the street

toward Jason Drive, Joseph Archut, Jr. drove his 2016 Lexus south down the street, also toward Jason Drive. (Id. at ¶¶ 32–33.) Gianni was driving the ATV “at a high rate of speed, approximately 35 mph,” when Mr. Archut made a left turn in front of the ATV onto Jason Drive. (Id. at ¶¶ 35–37.) The ATV “crash[ed] into and impacted the side of” Mr. Archut’s Lexus. (Id. at ¶ 39.) At the time of the accident, around 5:49 p.m., it was dark outside, as the sun had already set, yet the ATV headlight was off. (Id. at ¶¶ 27, 41.)

1 Potter is a third party and not a named defendant in the state court complaint. (See generally id.) 2 Mr. Forte was not present. (See generally id.) Tragically, Gianni was killed at the scene of the accident3 and Nicholas was unconscious and critically injured. (Id. at ¶¶ 42–43.) As a result of the accident, Nicholas suffered “serious and permanent injuries to his brain and other parts of his body.” (Id. at ¶ 44.) In the state court complaint, the Rapinos asserted claims for negligence and negligent entrustment against Mr. Forte (Count II) and for negligence against Gianni (Count I).4 (See id. at

13–15.) The Rapinos claim that Mr. Forte was “negligent, careless and reckless” in: a. Permitting his then minor son [Gianni] to leave his home with the ATV knowing that he was going to engage in driving on public roadways and, with the knowledge that his minor son was, in so doing, likely to use the ATV so as to create the unreasonable risk of harm to others. b. Permitting [his] then minor son [Gianni] . . . to leave his home to engage in the use of the ATV with unsupervised possession of the dangerous instrumentality/ATV; c. Failing to supervise his minor son[’s] . . . conduct in relation to the use of the ATV under the circumstances; . . . f. Failing to instruct his minor son [Gianni] . . . in the proper use of the ATV; g. Failing to properly train and inform his minor son [Gianni] . . . of proper safety techniques and methods in the use of the ATV; and h. Permitting his minor son [Gianni] . . . to leave his home with the ATV when he knew or should have known that the probable result would be his engaging in driving the ATV in an unsafe and dangerous manner. (Id. at ¶ 59(a)–(h); see also id. at ¶¶ 10–11.)

3 The Police Crash Report filed in connection with the accident lists the location of the accident as “Bensalem Boulevard.” (Doc. No. 18-4 at 2.) 4 The Rapinos also asserted a negligence claim against Mr. Archut (Count III). (Id. at 15–16.) B. The Policy At the time of the accident, Mr. Forte had a Homeowners Insurance Policy with Mapfre, which covered his property at 5421 Flushing Road, Bensalem, PA 19020. (Doc. No. 1-4 at 3.) The Homeowners Policy included coverage for personal liability claims brought against the insured. (Id. at 30 (“Coverage E – Personal Liability. If a claim is made or a suit is brought

against an ‘insured’ for damages because of ‘bodily injury’ or ‘property damage’ caused by an ‘occurrence’ to which this coverage applies, we will . . . provide a defense.”).) However, the Policy also excluded certain motor vehicle liability claims from coverage: SECTION II – EXCLUSIONS A. ‘Motor Vehicle Liability’ . . . 2. If Exclusion A.1. does not apply, there is still no coverage for ‘motor vehicle liability’, unless the ‘motor vehicle’5 is: . . . d. Designed for recreational use off public roads and: (1) Not owned by an ‘insured’; or (2) Owned by an ‘insured’ provided the ‘occurrence’ takes place: (a) On an ‘insured location’ as defined in Definition B.6.a., b., d., e. or h.; or (b) Off an ‘insured location’ and the ‘motor vehicle’ is: (I) Designed as a toy vehicle for use by children under seven

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