National Farmers Union Property & Casualty Co. v. General Guaranty Insurance

434 P.2d 708, 150 Mont. 297, 1967 Mont. LEXIS 294
CourtMontana Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 1, 1967
Docket11291
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 434 P.2d 708 (National Farmers Union Property & Casualty Co. v. General Guaranty Insurance) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Montana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
National Farmers Union Property & Casualty Co. v. General Guaranty Insurance, 434 P.2d 708, 150 Mont. 297, 1967 Mont. LEXIS 294 (Mo. 1967).

Opinion

MR. CHIEF JUSTICE JAMES T. HARRISON

delivered the Opinion of the Court.

This is an appeal by the plaintiffs from an adverse judgment in a declaratory judgment action. The action was brought to declare that, in respect to an accident occurring on March 9, 1964, defendant-respondent General Guaranty Insurance Company’s coverage was “primary” and plaintiff-appellant National Farmers Union Property & Casualty Company’s coverage was “excess.”

Lingen was insured by General Guaranty Insurance Company (hereinafter called General) and Salisbury was insured by National Farmers Union Property & Casualty Company (hereinafter called National).

The circumstances surrounding the accident are these. Clifford Lingen needed a dented fender fixed on his car. He obtained four estimates and then contacted Russell Salisbury for another. Salisbury’s estimate was lower or as low as the lowest of the others. Lingen then told Salisbury to contact the insur *300 anee company which was to pay for the repairs and Salisbury did so. The insurance company approved Salisbury’s estimate and told him to proceed with the work.

Within the next couple of days and on March 9, 1964, Lin-gen drove to Salisbury’s farm where Salisbury was to do the work. Lingen could not wait for the work to be done so he needed a ride home. Lingen suggested they take his car since it was already warm. Lingen drove home and while Salisbury was driving back to his farm in Lingen’s car he was involved in an accident with one James Wilcox. Wilcox brought suit against Lingen and Salisbury for damages arising out of the accident. National tendered the defense of Salisbury to General on the theory that General was primarily liable. General declined but undertook the defense of Lingen. National then brought this declaratory judgment action, joining Salisbury as a co-plaintiff and Lingen as a co-defendant with General.

General moved to join Wilcox and a hearing was held on the motion. Wilcox did not appear and resist the motion, and the court granted it. Thereupon Wilcox filed a complaint in this action wherein he alleged facts with respect to the collision; that he had filed a complaint in the district court of Cascade County naming Salisbury and Lingen as defendants; that he suffered certain injuries and sought judgment against the two defendants; that since the filing of that complaint a controversy had arisen between the insurance companies covering the two defendants; and he prayed for a declaration of the relative rights and duties of the insurance companies under their respective policies of insurance.

The cause was submitted to the court, sitting without a jury, on the pleadings, depositions of the parties, and briefs. The court found for the defendants.

The provision of General’s insurance contract with Lingen which is in issue is as follows:

“Insuring agreements. III. Definition of insured: (a) With respect to the insurance for bodily injury liability and for *301 property damage liability tbe unqualified word ‘insured’ includes the named insured and, if the named insured is an individual, his spouse if a resident of the same household, and also includes any person while using the automobile and any person or organization legally responsible for the use thereof, provided the actual use of the automobile is by the named insured or such spouse or with the permission of either. The insurance with respect to any person or organization other than the named insured or such spouse does not apply:

“(1) to any person or organization, or to any agent or employee thereof, operating an automobile sales agency, repair shop, service station, storage garage or public parking place, with respect to any accident arising out of the operation thereof, but this provision does not apply to a resident of the same household as the named insured, to a partnership in which such resident or the named insured is a partner, or to any partner, agent or employee of such resident or partnership.” (Emphasis supplied.)

The lower court found that Salisbury was a person operating an automobile repair shop; that the accident arose out of the operation thereof; that Salisbury was not an agent of Lingen; and that General had no duty to defend Salisbury. Appellants claim these findings were in error and that National is entitled to its costs and attorney’s fees incurred in the defense of Salisbury and of requiring General to assume its obligation of defense. Appellant Wilcox claims further error in the court’s ruling making him a party to this action.

The district court found as a fact that Salisbury was a person operating a repair shop. The law is well-established that the findings of fact of the trial court and the judgment based thereon are presumptively correct and such findings must be sustained if they are supported by substantial evidence. O’Connell v. Haggerty, 126 Mont. 442, 253 P.2d 578 (1953); State ex rel. Raw v. City of Helena, 139 Mont. 343, 363 P.2d 720 (1961); Close v. Ruegsegger’s Estate, 143 Mont. 32, *302 386 P.2d 739 (1963). This court will not overturn the findings of the trial court when the evidence, fully considered, furnishes reasonable grounds for different conclusions. Stauffacher v. Great Falls Public Service Co., 99 Mont. 324, 43 P.2d 647 (1935). Thus, the first question for this court is whether there ivas substantial evidence supporting the findings.

It is true that Salisbury’s principal occupation was farming. His automobile repair work was done on an occasional basis. He had retained tools from a time when he operated a service station. These tools were kept in the shop on his father’s farm where Salisbury lived in a trailer house. His father also kept tools in the shop and the shop was used when farm machinery needed repairs. The shop was located in a building which was also used as a granary, but according to Salisbury, part of it was normally used for the shop.

In the approximately two and one-half years prior to the accident Salisbury did more than eleven repair jobs. Some were done for insurance companies. At least one-half of the repair jobs were done in the shop. Others did not require the tools and facilities of the shop and Avere done elsewhere.

We find there is substantial evidence in the record to support a finding that Salisbury was operating a repair shop. It is not necessary that the work be a full time business to constitute a repair shop within the language of the exclusion. See Brower v. Employers’ Liability Assur. Co., 318 Pa. 440, 177 A. 826 (1935).

Appellant cites Allstate Insurance Co. v. Lake Shore Mutual Ins. Co., 33 Ill.App.2d 172, 178 N.E.2d 675 (1961), which involves the same provision in issue here.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
434 P.2d 708, 150 Mont. 297, 1967 Mont. LEXIS 294, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/national-farmers-union-property-casualty-co-v-general-guaranty-mont-1967.