Mohr v. Lloyds of London

503 So. 2d 557, 1987 La. App. LEXIS 8676
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedFebruary 12, 1987
DocketNo. CA-6057
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 503 So. 2d 557 (Mohr v. Lloyds of London) 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
Mohr v. Lloyds of London, 503 So. 2d 557, 1987 La. App. LEXIS 8676 (La. Ct. App. 1987).

Opinion

SCHOTT, Judge.

This is a suit by Elizabeth Mohr, plaintiff, for underinsured motorist (UM) benefits against two insurers, State Farm Automobile Insurance Company (State Farm) and Underwriters at Lloyd’s and Companies (Underwriters). The trial court dismissed plaintiff’s suit on exceptions of prescription, no cause of action, and no right of action filed by Underwriters; and exceptions of res judicata, no cause of action, and no right of action filed by State Farm. From these judgments plaintiff has appealed. The only issue is whether the trial court properly sustained the exceptions.

Plaintiff was driving an automobile owned by her employer, Sims Welding, Inc., when the accident occurred. Sims was primarily insured for liability by Belle-fonte Insurance Company with limits of liability for bodily injury in the amount of $500,000. However, the policy provided only $10,000 of UM coverage. Sims was also insured by Underwriters against liabilities in excess of $500,000. Plaintiff’s personal automobile insurer was State Farm which afforded $50,000 of UM coverage.

The accident which spawned the litigation occurred on February 26, 1981. Plaintiff originally filed suit in July 1981, against Jerry Stelly, Keith Trahan, and Edmond Broussard, alleging that they were liable to her as joint tortfeasors. Also joined as defendants were the alleged employer of the three, Acme Truck Line, Inc., its insurer Fidelity and Casualty Company of New York, the owner of the trucks being driven by the three, H & H Rentals, Inc., and its insurer American Mutual Insurance Company. Before this case came to trial plaintiff settled her claim against H & H, its insurer, American Mutual, and Broussard, for $300,000 reserving her rights against all others. The case against the remaining defendants was tried to a jury and was concluded on April 26, 1984. In response to interrogatories the jury made these findings: 1) Stelly and Trahan were free of negligence; 2) Broussard and plaintiff were negligent and were 60% and 40% at fault respectively; 3) although Broussard was an employee of Acme he was not in the course and scope of his employment at the time of the accident and the truck he was driving had no connection with Acme; and 4) the total amount of damages to which plaintiff was entitled was $500,000. Plaintiff has appealed to this court from this judgment, but the case has not yet been submitted to the court.

[559]*559In the meantime, on February 25, 1983 plaintiff filed a second suit against State Farm and Bellefonte alleging that the $300,000 she collected from American Mutual constituted its policy limits and that Broussard was underinsured considering the magnitude of plaintiffs damages. At this point Bellefonte paid its limits of $10,-000 and was released. In the release document plaintiff reserved her rights against all other parties. An order of dismissal was signed in October, 1983. The case against State Farm was consolidated for trial with the first case but was tried to the judge while the other case was tried to the jury. On July 31, 1984 the court dismissed plaintiff’s suit against State Farm. Plaintiff has also taken an appeal to this court from that judgment, but this appeal like the first has not yet been submitted to the court.

During the trial, testimony revealed the existence of the umbrella policy issued by Underwriters to Sims which led plaintiff to file the present suit on April 23, 1984. Underwriters responded with an exception of prescription because the suit was not filed within two years of the accident as required by R.S. 9:5629; and exceptions of no cause of action and no right of action because 1) Sims' election or selection of only $10,000 of UM limits in the Bellefonte policy had direct application to the Underwriters excess policy; 2) the Underwriters policy provided UM coverage only in excess of $500,000 well above the amount of her damages; and 3) plaintiff’s damages had been set by the jury at $500,000, her degree of fault was set at 40%, and she received $310,000 in settlement from American Mutual and Bellefonte, so that she has been fully compensated at this point.

State Farm excepted to this new petition on grounds of 1) res judicata since the issue of its liability had been tried in the second suit; and 2) no cause or right of action because plaintiff had a viable claim against Underwriters and R.S. 22:1406(D)(l)(c) permits her to recover from only two UM insurers. (Bellefonte being the first and Underwriters the other).

On June 13, 1986 the trial judge sustained all exceptions urged by Underwriters and State Farm and dismissed plaintiff’s suit. She has taken the present appeal from this judgment.

In this court plaintiff argues that her damages far exceed the $500,000 awarded by the jury and that the jury’s apportionment of any fault to her was erroneous. Thus, she says the $300,000 she collected from American Mutual leaves her grossly underinsured so that either State Farm or Underwriters must pay the deficiency. She recognizes that she is limited by R.S. 22:1406(D)(1)(c) to recovery against only two UM insurers. However, while insisting that one or the other must cover her she directed all of her arguments in this court against Underwriters with its potential $1,000,000 of coverage rather than State Farm with its limits of $50,000.

EXCEPTION OF PRESCRIPTION BY UNDERWRITERS

The accident occurred on February 26,1981. Plaintiff filed suit against Underwriters on April 23, 1984. Thus, Underwriters argues the claim against it was barred by the two years prescription established by R.S. 9:5629. Recognizing that plaintiff filed a timely suit against Brous-sard and that this suit interrupted prescription as to the UM carrier pursuant to Hoefly v. Government Employees Ins. Co., 418 So.2d 575 (La.1982), Underwriters argues that plaintiff’s voluntary dismissal of her suit against Broussard resulted in the reim-position of prescription as to her claim. Similarly, plaintiff filed a timely suit against Bellefonte, but this suit was also dismissed before suit was filed against Underwriters.

However, this argument overlooks the fact that plaintiff’s suit against Stelly and Trahan was still pending when suit was filed against Underwriters so that there remained an interruption of prescription. Therefore, we have resolved to reverse the trial court’s judgment sustaining Underwriters exception of prescription.

[560]*560UNDERWRITERS EXCEPTION OF NO CAUSE OF ACTION

In deciding an exception of no cause of action, the court accepts the facts alleged in the petition and determines whether the law affords any relief to plaintiff if those facts are proved at trial. Robinson v. North American Royalties, Inc., 470 So.2d 112 (La.1985). In her petition plaintiff alleged that her damages exceeded $3,000,000, the tort feasor’s policy limits were $300,000, and that she was the beneficiary of UM coverage provided by Underwriters to Sims in a “commercial umbrella excess” policy. In this petition nothing is alleged concerning the Bellefonte policy with its election of UM coverage below the limits of its liability coverage; and nothing is alleged about the jury verdict in the first suit. Consequently these facts may not be considered in determining the merits of Underwriters’ exception.

While plaintiff alleged that Underwriters provided to Sims an excess liability or umbrella policy which in turn provided her with UM coverage she did not attach a copy of the policy to her petition. Thus, the terms of the policy should not be considered on an exception of no cause of action.

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515 So. 2d 840 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1987)

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Bluebook (online)
503 So. 2d 557, 1987 La. App. LEXIS 8676, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mohr-v-lloyds-of-london-lactapp-1987.