Michelle Latray as Receiver of the Assets of Clifton Boatright for the Benefit of Judgment Creditors W.L. Roberts, Dana Roberts, Erin Leigh Roberts, and Katelyn Robert Gonzales v. Colony Insurance Company D/B/A Colony Specialty Insurance Co.

Court of Appeals of Texas·Decided November 4, 2021·No. 07-19-00350-CV·Published

Opinion

In The

Court of Appeals

Seventh District of Texas at Amarillo

No. 07-19-00350-CV

MICHELLE LATRAY AS RECEIVER OF THE ASSETS OF CLIFTON BOATRIGHT FOR THE BENEFIT OF JUDGMENT CREDITORS W.L. ROBERTS, DANA ROBERTS, ERIN LEIGH ROBERTS, AND KATELYN ROBERTS GONZALES, APPELLANT

V.

COLONY INSURANCE COMPANY

D/B/A COLONY SPECIALTY INSURANCE CO., APPELLEE

On Appeal from the 77th District Court Limestone County, Texas

Trial Court No. 31,528-A; Honorable Patrick Simmons, Presiding

November 4, 2021

MEMORANDUM OPINION ON MOTION FOR REHEARING Before PIRTLE and PARKER and DOSS, JJ.

By her appeal, Appellant, Michelle Latray, acting as a receiver on behalf of certain judgment creditors, argued the trial court erred in its summary judgment rulings because Appellee, Colony Insurance Company, had both the duty to defend and the duty to indemnify her judgment debtor, Clifton Boatright, and that none of the policy

exclusions asserted by Colony were applicable. By opinion dated January 11, 2021, this court affirmed the judgment of the trial court. 1

Pending before this court is Appellant’s Motion for Rehearing by which Latray brings three issues. First, she argues that both this court’s and the trial court’s interpretation of the facts deprived her of the right to a jury trial regarding the conduct of Clifton Boatright. She asserts also that this court “ignored other acts other than dumping.” Second, Latray contends this court should rehear this matter to allow her to assert reasons for remand to the trial court for a jury determination as to whether Boatright’s actions were intentional or negligent. Third, Latray complains that this court failed to follow precedent regarding determination of the duty to defend relying on facts of the case rather than pleading allegations. While we will deny Appellant’s Motion for Rehearing, we will withdraw our opinion and judgment dated January 11, 2021, and in lieu thereof, substitute the following opinion and judgment. 2

BACKGROUND This appeal arose from an insurance coverage dispute stemming from Boatright’s dumping of debris onto property owned by W.L. Roberts and others (hereafter “the Roberts”). The City of Kosse hired Boatright to demolish the town’s old high school. Their agreement included Boatright’s removal and disposal of the debris resulting from the demolition. Their agreement also required Boatright to obtain a policy

1 Latray v. Colony Ins. Co., No. 07-19-00350-CV, 2021 Tex. App. LEXIS 168 (Tex. App.—

Amarillo Jan. 11, 2021, no pet. h.) (mem. op.).

2 Originally appealed to the Tenth Court of Appeals, sitting in Waco, this appeal was transferred

to this court by the Texas Supreme Court pursuant to its docket equalization efforts. TEX. GOV’T CODE ANN. § 73.001 (West 2013). Should a conflict exist between precedent of the Tenth Court of Appeals and this court on any relevant issue, this appeal will be decided in accordance with the precedent of the transferor court. TEX. R. APP. P. 41.3.

of liability insurance prior to the commencement of demolition. An agent for Colony issued a policy covering the planned operations.

David Garrett, a friend of Boatright’s and a long-time tenant 3 on the Roberts’

property, asked Boatright if he could take some of the debris to use for purposes of erosion control. According to Boatright, he mistakenly believed the property on which Garrett wished to place the debris belonged to Garrett when, in fact, the property belonged to the Roberts. Boatright did not inquire of Garrett whether he owned that property. Neither Garrett nor Boatright sought the Roberts’ permission before placing the debris on the property. Further, neither sought a permit to dump the debris nor did either man consult an expert regarding erosion control.

Thereafter, Garrett and Boatright took debris 4 from the demolition site and placed it on the Roberts’ property. At times, Boatright borrowed his mother’s dump truck to move larger loads of the debris to the property. By the end of the project, Garrett and Boatright had placed forty tons of debris on the Roberts’ property. The two also damaged fencing as they entered and exited the property, causing over $8,000 in property damages. When W.L. Roberts discovered the debris on his property, he filed suit against Boatright and others for illegal dumping and damage to his land. 5 Roberts subsequently obtained a judgment against Boatright for $50,000, plus $309 in court costs. After the judgment became final, the court also issued a Turnover Order

Boatright testified Garrett had lived at that home where the debris was deposited for “nearly 3

twenty years.”

4 The debris included brick and metal rebar.

5 W.L. Roberts alleged damages including property damage, cleanup costs, debris removal costs, soil testing, soil analysis, environmental studies, and attorney’s fees.

pursuant to section 31.002 of the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code, appointing Latray as a receiver, to take possession of non-exempt property for the purpose of liquidating that property for the benefit of Boatright’s judgment creditors. See TEX. CIV. PRAC. & REM. CODE ANN. § 31.002 (West 2020).

As required by his demolition contract, prior to the commencement of demolition, Boatright obtained a liability insurance policy issued by Colony. After the judgment against Boatright was returned and the Turnover Order was issued, Latray sought relief under the insurance policy issued to Boatright by Colony. When Colony denied that coverage, Latray filed this suit against Colony for breach of contract, violation of the Deceptive Trade Practices Act (“DTPA”), 6 violation of section 541 of the Texas Insurance Code, 7 and breach of the common law duty of good faith and fair dealing. Colony argued that because Boatright’s actions were intentional, the policy did not cover Boatright’s acts and thus, it had no duty to defend nor indemnify. Colony filed an amended traditional motion for summary judgment on that basis. Latray also filed a motion for partial summary judgment arguing Colony owed Boatright a duty to defend as a matter of law because, although the conduct was intentional, the alleged negligence was “accidental” because Boatright was operating under the misconception that he had authority to dump the debris on the Roberts’ property. She asserted that other acts committed by Boatright were negligent acts and as such, Colony had both a duty to defend and indemnify. The trial court granted Colony’s motion for summary judgment and denied Latray’s motion for partial summary judgment.

6 TEX. BUS. & COM. CODE ANN. § 17.46 (West 2020).

7 TEX. INS. CODE ANN. §§ 541.051-541.061 (West 2009).

ANALYSIS STANDARD OF REVIEW We review a trial court’s ruling on a summary judgment motion under a de novo standard of review. Valence Operating Co. v. Dorsett, 164 S.W.3d 656, 661 (Tex. 2005); Provident Life & Accident Ins. Co. v. Knott, 128 S.W.3d 211, 215 (Tex. 2003). In conducting our review, we take as true all evidence favorable to the nonmovant, and we indulge every reasonable inference and resolve any doubts in the nonmovant’s favor. Valence Operating Co., 164 S.W.3d at 661; Knott, 128 S.W.3d at 215.

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Michelle Latray as Receiver of the Assets of Clifton Boatright for the Benefit of Judgment Creditors W.L. Roberts, Dana Roberts, Erin Leigh Roberts, and Katelyn Robert Gonzales v. Colony Insurance Company D/B/A Colony Specialty Insurance Co., (Tex. Ct. App. 2021).

Michelle Latray as Receiver of the Assets of Clifton Boatright for the Benefit of Judgment Creditors W.L. Roberts, Dana Roberts, Erin Leigh Roberts, and Katelyn Robert Gonzales v. Colony Insurance Company D/B/A Colony Specialty Insurance Co. (Michelle Latray as Receiver of the Assets of Clifton Boatright for the Benefit of Judgment Creditors W.L. Roberts, Dana Roberts, Erin Leigh Roberts, and Katelyn Robert Gonzales v. Colony Insurance Company D/B/A Colony Specialty Insurance Co.) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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