Meyers v. American States Ins. Co.

914 So. 2d 669, 2005 WL 1384698
CourtMississippi Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 1, 2005
Docket2003-CA-01669-SCT
StatusPublished
Cited by22 cases

This text of 914 So. 2d 669 (Meyers v. American States Ins. Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Mississippi Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Meyers v. American States Ins. Co., 914 So. 2d 669, 2005 WL 1384698 (Mich. 2005).

Opinion

914 So.2d 669 (2005)

Daniel MEYERS
v.
AMERICAN STATES INSURANCE COMPANY, American Economy Insurance Company and Safeco Insurance Company of America.

No. 2003-CA-01669-SCT.

Supreme Court of Mississippi.

June 9, 2005.
As Modified on Denial of Rehearing December 1, 2005.

*671 Adrienne P. Parker, Wayne E. Ferrell, Jr., Jackson, attorneys for appellant.

Jan F. Gadow, W. Wright Hill, Jr., Jackson, attorneys for appellees.

EN BANC.

WALLER, Presiding Justice, for the Court:

¶ 1. Daniel Meyers sued his employer's insurer, Safeco Insurance Company of America, claiming he was entitled to stack underinsured motorist insurance benefits on his employer's fleet of vehicles to compensate him for damages resulting from an auto accident while in the course of his employment. Safeco moved for summary judgment which the trial court granted, and we affirm.

FACTS

¶ 2. Alvin Clifton, an employee of B & S Trucking, Inc. and Odyssey Services, Inc., made a left turn across a Lucedale, Mississippi highway, failing to give the right of way to Daniel Meyers, an employee of May and Co., Inc. The two vehicles slammed into one another, rendering Meyers a quadriplegic. Both men were working in the course and scope of their employment at the time of the accident and were driving company owned and/or insured vehicles.

¶ 3. Meyers originally sued Clifton, B & S, and Odyssey for $20,000,000.00 in damages. Both B & S and Odyssey insured Clifton under their policies. Meyers settled with Odyssey, receiving the $500,000.00 limit of its business automobile liability policy. The trial court incorporated the settlement in a final judgment against Odyssey, awarding judgment against the company for $20,500,000.00 pursuant to Meyers' covenant not to execute. Meyers also settled with B & S, receiving $990,000.00 of its $1,000,000.00 business automobile liability policy. Like the settlement with Odyssey, the trial court incorporated B & S's settlement in a final judgment against B & S for $20,500,000.00 pursuant to a covenant not to execute. Meyers dismissed all claims against Clifton after he sought bankruptcy protection.

¶ 4. Meyers amended his complaint, naming as defendant American States Insurance Co., the issuer of two different policies to his employer, May and Co. Meyers then amended his complaint again, naming American Economy Insurance Company and Safeco Insurance Company of America. However, because Safeco eventually purchased both American States and American Economy, we collectively refer to the defendants as Safeco.

¶ 5. Safeco issued to May and Co. a business automobile liability policy with a $1,000,000.00 limit and a commercial umbrella policy with a $5,000,000.00 limit. Meyers claimed he was an insured under May and Co.'s policies and therefore entitled to any underinsured motorist coverage available under the two policies.

*672 ¶ 6. On the designation page of May and Co.'s business automobile policy, under "Item Two—Schedule of Coverages and Covered Autos," the "Covered Auto Symbol" section indicates that autos represented by the symbols, "8" and "9" are covered under the policy. On the "Business Auto Coverage Form," under "Covered Autos" the agreement states,

ITEM TWO of the Declarations shows the `autos' that are covered `autos' for each of your coverages.[1] The following numerical symbols describe the `autos' that may be covered `autos.' The symbols entered next to a coverage on the Declarations designate the only `autos' that are covered `autos.'
A. DESCRIPTION OF COVERED AUTO DESIGNATION SYMBOLS
* * *
8 = HIRED AUTOS ONLY. Only those `autos' you lease, hire, rent or borrow. This does not include any `auto' you lease, hire, rent, or borrow from any of your employees[.]
9 = NONOWNED `AUTOS' ONLY. Only those `autos' you do not own, lease, hire, rent or borrow that are used in connection with your business. This includes `autos' owned by your employees... but only while used in your business or your personal affairs.

(emphasis added).[2]

¶ 7. The business automobile policy's "Commercial Auto Worksheet" provides non-owned liability coverage for May and Co.'s employees' fifty-seven vehicles and hired auto liability coverage for twenty-three of May and Co.'s hired vehicles. Additionally, in the "Liability Coverage" section, the contract contradictorily states,

The following are `insureds':

a. You for any covered `auto.'
b. Anyone else while using with your permission a covered `auto' you own, hire or borrow except: ...
(2) Your employee if the covered `auto' is owned by that employee[.]

¶ 8. Under the heading "Exclusions," the policy further states,

This insurance does not apply to any of the following: ...
4. `Bodily injury' to:
a. An employee of the `insured' arising out of and in the course of employment by the `insured' ...

¶ 9. The commercial umbrella liability policy states,

Each of the following is an insured under this policy to the extent set forth below ...
F. Any employee of an insured who is included as an insured under the provisions of any `scheduled underlying insurance' or `unscheduled underlying insurance,' but only to the extent that coverage is provided by your scheduled or unscheduled policy.[3]

¶ 10. Though Meyers makes references in his briefs to his personal uninsured motorist coverage, there is no evidence of such coverage in the record.

*673 ¶ 11. Safeco filed a Motion for Summary Judgment which the Jackson County Circuit Court granted. Although the trial court held underinsured motorists coverage was written into both policies by operation of law, citing Mascarella v. United States Fidelity & Guaranty Co., 833 So.2d 575 (Miss.2003), the trial court held Meyers could only stack the $10,000.00 of underinsured motorist coverage available under the two May and Co. policies. Finding the total of $20,000.00 was not sufficient to render the tortfeasor underinsured, the trial court granted Safeco's motion, and Meyers perfected this appeal.

ANALYSIS

¶ 12. In his appeal, Meyers raises the following issues in his argument that the trial court inappropriately granted Safeco's Motion for Summary Judgment: (1) whether our holding in Mascarella is inconsistent with legislative intent, our precedent, and public policy; (2) whether Meyers was entitled to receive additional proceeds under Safeco's commercial umbrella liability insurance policy; and (3) whether he is a Class I insured. Because the analysis of the first issue he has raised overlaps with an analysis of the two other issues, we will address all three issues collectively.

¶ 13. In determining whether the trial court properly granted or denied a motion for summary judgment, we conduct a de novo review of the record. Simpson v. Boyd, 880 So.2d 1047, 1050 (Miss.2004). A trial court may grant summary judgment "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 any material fact and that the moving party is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law." Id.

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Bluebook (online)
914 So. 2d 669, 2005 WL 1384698, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/meyers-v-american-states-ins-co-miss-2005.