National Farmers Union Property & Casualty Co. v. Garfinkel

2012 COA 46, 277 P.3d 905, 2012 WL 860366, 2012 Colo. App. LEXIS 415
Colorado Court of Appeals·Decided March 15, 2012·No. No. 11CA0230·Published·Cited by 2 cases

Opinion

Opinion by

Judge VOGT.*

11 Plaintiff, National Farmers Union Property and Casualty Company (NFU), appeals the trial court's summary judgment in favor of defendants, Larry Garfinkel; Kane Real Estate & Development, LLLP; Daniel B. Willis; Dessa S. Willie; Moore P. Huffman, Jr.; General Property Mortgage, Inc.; Great Northern Insurance Company; and Ranch at Roaring Fork Homeowners Association, Inc. We affirm in part, reverse in part, and remand for further proceedings.

I. Background

T2 In 2008, a wildfire in Garfield County injured defendant Garfinkel and damaged the property of the other defendants. In two lawsuits (the underlying lawsuits), defendants sued Larry Gerbaz and 100 Road Cattle Company LLC (the LLC), alleging generally that Larry Gerbaz was acting individually and as an agent of the LLC when he burned slash piles on the LLC's property, that he was negligent in leaving the fires unattended, and that his negligence caused their losses.

T3 At the time of the fire, NFU had in effect a farm liability insurance policy, with a $1 million liability limit per occurrence, covering the property at 1265 County Road 100, Carbondale, Colorado (the farm property), where the slash burning took place. The LLC was the named insured.

T4 NFU also had in effect a homeowners insurance policy insuring the residence of Larry Gerbaz, which was adjacent to the farm property, with a $500,000 limit per oc[908] currence. Larry Gerbaz was the named insured, and Molly Gerbaz, his wife, also qualified as an insured under the policy.

T5 The underlying lawsuits were settled through NFU's payment of the $1 million liability limit under the farm policy and the parties' agreement to file this action to obtain a judicial determination of whether there also was coverage for defendants' losses under the homeowners policy.

T6 In this action, the parties filed cross-motions for summary judgment on the coverage question. The trial court entered summary judgment for defendants, rejecting NFU's argument that it was not obligated to provide coverage based on two exclusions in the homeowners policy, the "business pursuits" exclusion (precluding coverage for bodily injury or property damage arising out of or in connection with a business engaged in by an insured) and the "owned premises" exclusion (precluding coverage for bodily injury or property damage arising out of a premises owned by an insured that is not an insured location).

II. Standard of Review

T7 Summary judgment is appropriate where the pleadings and supporting doen-ments demonstrate that no genuine issue of material fact exists and that the moving party is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law. C.R.GCP. 56(c);, Pierson v. Black Canyon Aggregates, Inc., 48 P.3d 1215, 1218 (Colo.2002). The nonmoving party is entitled to the benefit of all favorable inferences that may be drawn from the undisputed facts, and all doubts are resolved against the moving party. A.C. Excavating v. Yacht Club II Homeowners Ass'n, 114 P.3d 862, 865 (Colo. 2005). We review the trial court's summary judgment de novo. Pierson, 48 P.3d at 1218.

18 We likewise review de novo the trial court's interpretation of an insurance policy. Hoang v. Assurance Co., 149 P.3d 798, 801 (Colo.2007); Sachs v. Am. Family Mut. Ins. Co., 251 P.3d 543, 545 (Colo.App.2010). Like other contracts, insurance policies are reviewed with the ultimate aim of effectuating the contracting parties' intentions, and are to be given effect according to the plain and ordinary meaning of their terms. Bailey v. Lincoln Gen. Ins. Co., 255 P.3d 1039, 1050-51 (Colo.2011). If policy provisions are ambiguous-that is, suscepti-bie of more than one reasonable interpretation-they are to be construed against the insurer as the drafter of the policy. Id. at 1051; Sachs, 251 P.3d at 546. However, unambiguous limitations or exclusions in an insurance policy must be enforced. Hoang, 149 P.3d at 801; Sachs, 251 P.3d at 546 (affirming summary judgment for insurer based on owned premises exclusion in homeowners policy).

IIL Analysis

A. The Business Pursuits Exclusion

T9 NFU contends that, because the farm property was being leased to third parties for haying and pasturing at the time of the April 2008 wildfire, coverage for defendants' losses was specifically excluded by the business pursuits exclusion in the homeowners policy, and the trial court erred in ruling to the contrary. We conclude that further proceedings are required to resolve this issue.

1. Scope and Applicability of the Exelusion

110 The intent of homeowners Hability policies is to protect the insured against the risk of liability for injuries suffered by others. 9A Lee R. Russ & Thomas F. Segalla, Couch on Insurance § 128.2 (8d ed. 2011). While such policies may provide liability coverage for injuries caused by an insured on premises other than the insured location, they typically exempt from coverage bodily injury or property damage arising out of or in connection with a business engaged in by an insured. Because people characteristically separate their business activities from their personal activities, business pursuits coverage is not essential for their homeowners coverage and is excluded to keep premium rates at a reasonable level. Id. at § 128.12; see Indus, Indem. Co. v. Goettl, 138 Ariz. 315, 674 P.2d 869, 874-75 (1983) (explaining rationale for excluding income-producing activities, which present special risks beyond the ordinary risks and hazards inherent in maintaining a home, from personal liability coverage in homeowner policies); [909] Allstate Ins. Co. v. Hallman, 159 S.W.3d 640, 645 (Tex.2005) ("[Als numerous courts have recognized, the purpose of the business pursuits exelusion is to lower homeowners insurance premiums by removing coverage for activities that are not typically associated with the operation and maintenance of one's home."); see also Bailey, 255 P.3d at 1047 (observing, in a different context, that ability of insurers to limit coverage is "central to the notion of what constitutes insurance" (quoting Aluminum Co. v. Aetna Cas. & Sur. Co., 140 Wash.2d 517, 998 P.2d 856, 878 (2000))).

111 The NFU policy at issue here includes a business pursuits exclusion. It states:

SECTION II-EXCLUSIONS

1. Coverage E-Personal Liability and Coverage F-Medical Payments to Others do not apply to "bodily injury" or "property damage":
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b. Arising out of or in connection with a "business" engaged in by an "insured." This exelusion applies but is not limited to an act or omission, regardless of its nature or cireum-stance, involving a service or duty rendered, promised, owed or implied to be provided because of the nature of the "business."

The definitions portion of the policy states that "business includes trade, profession or occupation." 1

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National Farmers Union Property & Casualty Co. v. Garfinkel, 2012 COA 46, 277 P.3d 905, 2012 WL 860366, 2012 Colo. App. LEXIS 415 (Colo. Ct. App. 2012).

2012 COA 46 (National Farmers Union Property & Casualty Co. v. Garfinkel) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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