Morris v. East Baton Rouge Parish School Board

826 So. 2d 46, 2001 La.App. 1 Cir. 1539, 2002 La. App. LEXIS 1163, 2002 WL 816171
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedMay 1, 2002
DocketNo. 2001 CA 1539
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 826 So. 2d 46 (Morris v. East Baton Rouge Parish School Board) 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.

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Morris v. East Baton Rouge Parish School Board, 826 So. 2d 46, 2001 La.App. 1 Cir. 1539, 2002 La. App. LEXIS 1163, 2002 WL 816171 (La. Ct. App. 2002).

Opinion

I ¿WHIPPLE, j.

Plaintiffs, Catherine Morris and Demetrius McKinney, Jr. appeal from a summary judgment rendered in favor of defendants, the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board, Mary Anne Tansil and the Louisiana Insurance Guaranty Association. For the following reasons, we reverse and remand.

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

In October of 1992, Demetrius McKinney, Jr., a fourteen year old special education student at Broadmoor Middle School in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, fell and injured his left knee while participating in a field trip practice skating event for the Louisiana Special Olympics. His mother, Catherine Morris, filed suit individually and on behalf of her minor son against Mary Anne Tansil, the field trip chaperone; the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board (“School Board”); United Community Insurance Company (“United”), the liability insurer of the School Board and Ms. Tansil; and the Special Olympics. In June 1998, Demetrius McKinney, Jr. was added as a party plaintiff in his own right, having reached the age of majority.

After suit was filed, United became insolvent and the Louisiana Insurance Guaranty Association (“LIGA”) was substituted as a party-defendant in its place. LIGA answered plaintiffs’ petition, affirmatively pleading that it was entitled to a credit and set-off to prevent duplication of recovery, pursuant to LSA-R.S. 22:1386. LIGA also asserted comparative fault on the part of plaintiffs.

At the time of the accident, Special Olympics had a policy of insurance with North American Specialty Insurance Company (“North American”) with liability limits of $1,000,000.00. On October 4, 1999, Demetrius McKinney, Jr. and his mother, Catherine Morris, settled their claims against Special Olympics and North American for a total payment of $5,000.00. On October 13, 1999, the suit against Special Olympics was dismissed with prejudice on plaintiffs’ motion. Plaintiffs | ..¡continued to pursue their claims against LIGA and its insureds, the School Board and Ms. Tansil (hereinafter collectively the “LIGA defendants”).

On March 14, 1999, the LIGA defendants filed a motion for summary judgment arguing that pursuant to LSA-R.S. 22:1386, plaintiffs’ settlement with North American for less than policy limits gave the LIGA defendants the right to be released from the litigation. Plaintiffs opposed the motion, but conceded that their damages did not exceed the $1,000,000.00 limits of the North American policy. In support of their motion, the LIGA defendants offered into evidence the petition filed by plaintiffs, the liability policy written by North American in favor of Special Olympics, and the settlement agreement entered into between plaintiffs, Special Olympics and North American, which specifically provided that the settling defendants did not admit liability. After a hearing on the motion, the trial court granted judgment dismissing plaintiffs’ suit with prejudice, concluding that the LIGA defendants were entitled to a credit in the full amount of the policy limits of the North American policy, which limits exceeded plaintiffs’ claims. From this adverse judgment, plaintiffs appeal.

On appeal, plaintiffs present two assignments of error for review. First, they contend the trial court erred in granting LIGA a credit for the full amount of the policy limits of North American in the absence of a finding that North Anerican’s insured, Special Olympics, was at fault in causing plaintiffs’ injuries. Further, they contend the trial court erred in concluding [50]*50that Demetrius McKinney was an insured under the North American policy.

STANDARD OF REVIEW

Summary judgment is proper only if the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories and admissions on file, together with any affidavits, show there is no genuine issue of material fact and that the mover is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. LSA-C.C.P. art. 966(B). A fact is material for purposes of Lsummary judgment if its existence or non-existence is essential to the plaintiffs cause of action under the applicable theory of recovery. Brown v. Manhattan Life Insurance Company, 2001-0147, p. 6 (La.6/29/01), 791 So.2d 74, 78.

Although the summary judgment procedure is now favored, the 1996 amendments to LSA-C.C.P. art. 966 have not changed the initial burden of proof, which remains with the mover. The burden does not shift to the non-moving party until the mover has demonstrated “an absence of factual support for one or more elements essential to the adverse party’s claim, action, or defense.” LSA-C.C.P. art. 966(C)(2). Only then does the amended law require the non-moving party to “produce factual support sufficient to establish that he will be able to satisfy his evidentia-ry burden of proof at trial.” LSA-C.C.P. art. 966(C)(2); Neuman v. Mauffray, 99-2297, p. 3 (La.App. 1st Cir.11/8/00), 771 So.2d 283, 285. If the nonmoving party fails to do so, there is no genuine issue of material fact, and summary judgment should be granted. LSA-C.C.P. arts. 966 and 967.

In determining whether summary judgment is appropriate, appellate courts conduct a de novo review of the evidence, employing the same criteria that governed the trial court’s determination of whether summary judgment is appropriate. Bell-South Telecommunications, Inc. v. Industrial Enterprises, Inc., 96-0682, p. 4 (La. App. 1st Cir.2/14/97), 690 So.2d 145, 148.

DISCUSSION

The first issue presented for review is whether and to what extent the LIGA defendants are entitled to a credit against any damages they might otherwise owe plaintiffs because of the settlement that plaintiffs entered into with Special Olympics and its insurer, North American. The parties agree that the resolution of this issue depends on our application of the Louisiana Insurance Guaranty Association Law, LSA-R.S. 22:1375, et seq. (“LGAL”), which was enacted in 1970 as a response to the serious problem of insurer insolvencies. See Ursin v. Insurance Guaranty Association, 412 So.2d 1285, 1288 (La.1982) (on rehearing). The purpose of LGAL is stated in LSA-R.S. 22:1376 as follows:

The purpose of this Part is to provide a mechanism for the payment of covered claims under certain insurance policies to avoid excessive delay in payment and to avoid financial loss to claimants or policyholders because of the insolvency of an insurer, to assist in the detection and prevention of insurer insolvencies and to allow the association to provide financial assistance to member insurers under rehabilitation or liquidation, and to provide an association to assess the cost of such operations among insurers.

Louisiana Revised Statutes 22:1378 requires a liberal construction of LGAL to effectuate the designated purpose “under section R.S. 22:1376, which shall constitute an aid and guide to interpretation.” Thus, the provisions of LGAL must be read in keeping with its overriding purpose of protecting claimants and policyholders from delays and financial loss occasioned by insurer insolvencies. Louisiana Revised [51]*51Statutes 22:1382(A)(2) provides that LIGA, the association created by LGAL, shall:

Be deemed the insurer to the extent of its obligation on the covered claims and to such extent shall have all rights, duties, and obligations of the insolvent insurer as if the insurer had not become insolvent.

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826 So. 2d 46, 2001 La.App. 1 Cir. 1539, 2002 La. App. LEXIS 1163, 2002 WL 816171, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/morris-v-east-baton-rouge-parish-school-board-lactapp-2002.