Mumford v. Interplast, Inc.

696 N.E.2d 259, 119 Ohio App. 3d 724
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedMay 23, 1997
DocketNo. 1419.
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 696 N.E.2d 259 (Mumford v. Interplast, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Mumford v. Interplast, Inc., 696 N.E.2d 259, 119 Ohio App. 3d 724 (Ohio Ct. App. 1997).

Opinion

Fain, Judge.

Third-party defendant-appellant Indiana Insurance Company appeals from a summary judgment rendered in favor of third-party plaintiff-appellee Interplast, Inc. Indiana Insurance contends that the trial court erred in concluding that the insurance company had a duty to defend and indemnify Interplast and its named employees from liability because plaintiff Nicole L. Mumford’s complaint arguably or potentially established that the employees committed negligent acts within the scope of their employment.

Contrary to Indiana Insurance’s contentions, we conclude that the trial court did not err in determining that Mumford’s complaint alleged negligent, rather than intentional, acts by Interplast’s employees, which were within the policy coverage. We also conclude, however, that various named employees were not “insureds” as defined by the insurance policy when they acted outside the scope of their employment by allegedly providing Mumford with alcoholic beverages at a cocktail lounge after their work shift had ended. With respect to one employee, defendant Michael McQuinn, the trial court properly found that he was arguably or potentially within the policy coverage when he allegedly performed acts after working hours to protect Interplast’s property or further Interplast’s business policies. Accordingly, the summary judgment of the trial court is affirmed in part and reversed in part, as more fully explained in Part IV of this opinion.

I

On September 1, 1995, plaintiff Nicole L. Mumford filed her complaint naming, among others, her employer, Interplast, Inc., and co-workers Michael McQuinn, Linda Holden, Robert Dalton, Lisa Blocher, and Jeff Stump as defendants. In Count One of her complaint, Mumford alleged that on September 1,1994, she and McQuinn, Holden, Dalton, Blocher, and Stump went to a cocktail lounge known as My Brother’s Place after working the second shift at Interplast. Mumford claimed that while at the lounge, her co-workers purchased liquor and beer for her, even though she was only nineteen years old, with a credit card owned by Interplast. In Count Two of her complaint, Mumford alleged that she and *728 Holden, McQuinn, and Dalton left the cocktail lounge at around 2:00 a.m. and went to the Greenville Inn. There, according to Mumford, McQuinn attempted to engage in nonconsensual sexual contact with her and restrained her freedom of movement. In Count Three of her complaint, Mumford claimed that McQuinn transported her from the Greenville Inn to her car, which was parked in the company parking lot at Interplast. Mumford alleged that McQuinn, while acting within the scope of his employment, instructed and required her to remove her car from the company parking lot even though he knew or should have known that she was intoxicated. While driving her automobile down State Route 49, Mumford lost control of her vehicle and struck a utility pole, thereby sustaining injuries.

On April 26, 1996, Interplast filed a third-party complaint naming appellant Indiana Insurance Company as third-party defendant. In its complaint, Interplast alleged that Indiana Insurance had refused to defend Interplast and its employees from Mumford’s claims even though it had previously agreed to provide a defense for and provide indemnification from such claims pursuant to a comprehensive business insurance policy. Interplast sought a declaratory judgment stating that Indiana Insurance had a duty to defend and indemnify Interplast and its employees from Mumford’s claims. In response to Interplast’s third-party complaint, Indiana Insurance filed an answer and counterclaim requesting a declaratory judgment setting forth the respective rights and obligations of the parties'.

Interplast filed a motion for summary judgment against Indiana Insurance claiming that the comprehensive business policy covered all negligent acts of employees occurring within the scope and course of employment and that Mumford’s complaint arguably or potentially raised such claims. Indiana Insurance filed its response to Interplast’s motion and its own motion for summary judgment against Interplast. In its motion, Indiana Insurance claimed that the allegations in Mumford’s complaint indicated that the alleged acts took place outside the course of employment and were intentional acts rather than negligent acts, thus falling outside the scope of coverage provided by the comprehensive business policy.

The trial court granted Interplast’s motion for summary judgment. The trial court found that Mumford’s complaint, on its face, alleged various negligent acts by Interplast employees that took place within the scope of their employment and that Indiana Insurance’s policy covered such acts. Accordingly, the trial court entered summary judgment in favor of Interplast and against Indiana Insurance.

From the summary judgment of the trial court, Indiana Insurance appeals.

*729 II

Indiana Insurance’s first assignment of error 1 is as follows:

“The trial court erred as a matter of law, to the prejudice of the appellants, in finding that the insurer had a duty to defend the insured because the complaint stated a claim arguably sounding in negligence but where the underlying acts were either intentional and/or criminal acts not covered by the general liability policy.”

Indiana Insurance claims that the acts alleged in Mumford’s complaint were intentional torts that fell outside of the scope of coverage provided by the comprehensive business policy. Indiana Insurance contends that Mumford’s allegations established that her co-employees intentionally provided her with alcohol and that McQuinn intentionally attempted nonconsensual sexual contact with her and, later, intentionally ordered her to drive her vehicle away from the company parking lot. According to Indiana Insurance, these intentional acts were not covered by its policy, which insures Interplast and its employees for “accidents,” but not acts intended by the insured. Accordingly, Indiana Insurance maintains that it has neither the duty to defend nor the duty to indemnify Interplast and its employees from Mumford’s claims.

Pursuant to Civ.R. 56(C), summary judgment is proper where the trial court determines that “(1) No genuine issue as to any material fact remains to be litigated; (2) the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law; and (3) it appear from the evidence that reasonable minds can come to but one conclusion, and viewing such evidence most strongly in favor of the party against whom the motion for summary judgment is made, that conclusion is adverse to that party.” Temple v. Wean United, Inc. (1977), 50 Ohio St.2d 317, 327, 4 O.O.3d 466, 472, 364 N.E.2d 267, 274; Shaw v. J. Pollock & Co. (1992), 82 Ohio App.3d 656, 659, 612 N.E.2d 1295, 1297-1298.

In the case before us, the issue is whether the complaint filed by Mumford alleged sufficient facts and circumstances to require Indiana Insurance to defend and to indemnify Interplast and its employees from liability. 2 This issue has been addressed by the Supreme Court of Ohio in Willoughby Hills v.

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696 N.E.2d 259, 119 Ohio App. 3d 724, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mumford-v-interplast-inc-ohioctapp-1997.