Menson v. Taylor

764 So. 2d 1079, 2000 WL 489453
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedApril 17, 2000
Docket99 CA 0300
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 764 So. 2d 1079 (Menson v. Taylor) 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
Menson v. Taylor, 764 So. 2d 1079, 2000 WL 489453 (La. Ct. App. 2000).

Opinion

764 So.2d 1079 (2000)

Thomas MENSON, et al.
v.
Wendal K. and Rosie J. TAYLOR, Capital Transportation Corporation and XYZ Insurance Company.

No. 99 CA 0300.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, First Circuit.

April 17, 2000.

*1080 Donald R. Smith, Baton Rouge, for Defendant-Appellant Wendal K. Taylor and Rosie J. Taylor.

Michael P. Colvin, Baton Rouge, for Defendant-Appellee State Farm Fire & Casualty Company.

Wendall G. Lindsay, Jr., Baton Rouge, for Defendant-Appellee Capital Transportation Corporation.

Terry Bonnie, Scott Fruge, Baton Rouge, for Plaintiffs-Appellees Thomas Menson and Gloria Menson.

Before: FOIL, WHIPPLE, and GUIDRY, JJ.

FOIL, J.

This appeal challenges the action of the trial court in granting a motion for summary judgment upon finding a homeowner's insurance policy did not provide coverage for the incident sued upon. We affirm.

FACTS & PROCEDURAL HISTORY

This lawsuit stems from an incident involving two employees of Capital Transportation Corporation (CTC). The facts forming the basis for the instant appeal can be found in the deposition testimony of the employees, as well as two eyewitnesses to the incident. On March 20, 1996, plaintiff, Thomas Menson, was working as a CTC supervisor, when he saw a bus driven by CTC employee Wendal Taylor parked along the side of Nicholson Drive in Baton Rouge near the LSU golf course. Mr. Taylor explained that he arrived at the LSU campus upon completing what he thought was to be his final route for the day when he was ordered by CTC Supervisor Yvonne Prams to drive an additional route. According to Mr. Taylor, after picking up several passengers, he became so angry over having to drive the additional *1081 route he "couldn't even see the road." Fearing that he "probably would have hurt a bunch of people" if he continued on the route, Mr. Taylor pulled the bus over to the side of the road.

Shortly thereafter, Mr. Menson drove up and parked his vehicle behind the bus. Mr. Menson then went to the front of the bus where Mr. Taylor was sitting in the driver's seat and asked him why the bus was stopped. Mr. Taylor advised Mr. Menson that nothing was wrong with the bus, but he wanted to know why he had to make another trip. Mr. Menson did not give him a reason, but ordered that he complete the trip.

The parties' accounts differ as to whether Mr. Taylor was seated in the bus when Mr. Menson ordered him to make the trip, or whether he and Mr. Menson were standing just outside the doorway at that time. In any event, it is undisputed that Mr. Menson turned away from Mr. Taylor and began walking back to his vehicle parked behind the bus.

Mr. Menson and Mr. Taylor offered different accounts regarding what happened after Mr. Menson turned away from Mr. Taylor. Mr. Menson stated that Mr. Taylor grabbed his neck from behind and "flipped [him] like a baby." At the time of the incident, the 6-foot Mr. Taylor, who was in his thirties, weighed about 275 pounds, while the 55-year-old Mr. Menson weighed only about 185 pounds. Mr. Menson attested that after Mr. Taylor threw him to the ground, Mr. Taylor jumped on his leg and knee. He recounted that while Mr. Taylor was on top of him, Mr. Taylor slapped him in the face and threatened to kill him. As a result of the altercation, Mr. Menson suffered a broken ankle, as well as injuries to his knee and shoulder.

Mr. Taylor, however, stated that he grabbed Mr. Menson's arm from behind for the sole purpose of preventing Mr. Menson from walking away from him while he was trying to get Mr. Menson to explain why he had to drive the additional route. He believed that Mr. Menson must have become startled when he grabbed his arm, noting that Mr. Menson "jumped" a little. As a result, he explained, Mr. Menson slipped on the side of the road, thereby injuring himself. Mr. Taylor admitted ripping Mr. Menson's shirt when he grabbed his arm. He attested that while Mr. Menson lay on the ground, he stood over him, and cocked his fist back to hit Mr. Menson, but insisted that at no time did he lay on top of, threaten, or hit Mr. Menson.

Two students on the bus the day of the incident stated that Mr. Taylor grabbed Mr. Menson around the neck and caused him to fall to the ground. One of the students acknowledged she could not see what happened after Mr. Menson hit the ground. The other stated that she observed Mr. Taylor lying over Mr. Menson, and she observed Mr. Taylor strike Mr. Menson.

On December 27, 1996, Mr. Menson filed suit against Mr. Taylor, Mr. Taylor's wife and CTC. In a second supplemental and amended petition filed on February 27, 1997, Mr. Menson added Mr. Taylor's homeowner's insurance carrier, State Farm Fire & Casualty Company (State Farm), as a defendant in the suit. All defendants answered the original and supplemental petitions, generally denying the allegations contained therein.

On May 1, 1998, State Farm filed a motion for summary judgment. Following a hearing on the motion, a judgment rendered in favor of State Farm was signed on September 17, 1998 and was designated as final and immediately appealable. This appeal, taken by the Taylors, followed.

DISCUSSION

The sole issue to be addressed in this appeal is whether the trial court properly granted a motion for summary judgment in favor of State Farm. This court reviews summary judgments de novo under the same criteria that governs the trial court's consideration of whether a summary judgment is appropriate. Robertson v. Northshore Regional Medical Center, 97-2068, p. 5 (La.App. 1 Cir. 9/25/98), 723 *1082 So.2d 460, 463. A motion for summary judgment should be granted only if the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions on file, together with the affidavits, if any, show that there is no genuine issue as to material fact, and that mover is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. La.Code Civ. P. art. 966B. Material facts are those that potentially insure or preclude recovery, affect the litigant's ultimate success, or determine the outcome of a legal dispute. Harrison v. Shipp, 98-0021, p. 5-6 (La.App. 1 Cir. 12/28/98), 724 So.2d 864, 867.

In moving for summary judgment, State Farm averred that it was entitled to judgment based on two grounds: (1) Mr. Menson's exclusive remedy is workers' compensation; or (2) certain exclusions contained in appellant's homeowner's policy preclude coverage. The following are the two policy exclusions referred to by State Farm in its motion:

1. Coverage L [Personal Liability] and Coverage M [Medical Payments] do not apply to:
a. bodily injury or property damage:
(1) which is either expected or intended by an insured; or
(2) to any person or property which is the result of willful and malicious acts of an insured;
b. bodily injury or property damage arising out of business pursuits of any insured or the rental or holding for rental of any part of any premises by any insured. This exclusion does not apply:
(1) to activities which are ordinarily incident to non-business pursuits;
* * * * * *

Although several grounds were raised by State Farm in its motion for summary judgment, it is clear that the trial court based its judgment on only one of the grounds raised. The trial court, in the present case, stated the following in its reasons for judgment:

Mr. Colvin, it appears to this court that your motion is well-founded.

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Bluebook (online)
764 So. 2d 1079, 2000 WL 489453, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/menson-v-taylor-lactapp-2000.