Nationwide Mutual Insurance v. Chivington

595 N.E.2d 1002, 72 Ohio App. 3d 700, 1991 Ohio App. LEXIS 874
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedFebruary 26, 1991
DocketNos. 90AP-589, 90AP-630.
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 595 N.E.2d 1002 (Nationwide Mutual Insurance v. Chivington) 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
Nationwide Mutual Insurance v. Chivington, 595 N.E.2d 1002, 72 Ohio App. 3d 700, 1991 Ohio App. LEXIS 874 (Ohio Ct. App. 1991).

Opinion

Whiteside, Judge.

By its appeal in case No. 90AP-630, plaintiff, Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company, appeals from a judgment of the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas and raises two assignments of error as follows:

“I. The lower court erred in holding that Brenton I. Chivington was entitled to underinsured motorist coverage under the Nationwide Century II auto policy.

“II. The lower court erred in finding coverage for Brenton I. Chivington under the Nationwide Century II auto policy because it will allow Brenton I. Chivington to recover twice for his claim.”

In the connected appeal, 90AP-589, defendants, Brenton and David Chivington, appeal from the same judgment of the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas and raise three assignments of error as follows:

“I. The trial court erred by finding that Brenton Chivington’s personal umbrella policy did not include underinsurance because such insurance exists through operation of law.

“II. The trial court erred by finding that Brenton Chivington’s personal umbrella insurance policy provided coverage only for damage caused by an insured.

“HI. The trial court erred by failing to find that there was no express rejection of underinsured motorist coverage as is required by Ohio Revised Code Section 3937.18.”

Inasmuch as the two appeals, although raising different issues, arise from the same trial court case, we will decide them together in a single opinion.

The parents of defendants, who are brothers, were killed as a result of an automobile accident resulting from the negligence of a motorist who carried liability insurance coverage with plaintiff but with limits of $100,000 per person and $300,000 per occurrence. Plaintiff paid the estates of the decedents $200,000 under this policy. The decedents had an automobile liability insurance policy with another company with limits of $300,000 for underinsured motorist coverage. The other carrier paid $100,000 under that policy, making the total payment received by the estate as a result of the death of the decedents $300,000. Defendant Brenton Chivington has his own separate insurance policy with plaintiff which was in effect at the time of the accident. *703 It is his claim for underinsured motorist coverage under his own policy that gives rise to this action. The underinsured motorist limit of his automobile liability insurance policy is $500,000. In addition, Brenton Chivington has a personal umbrella policy with plaintiff with a limit of $1,000,000. Defendants seek recovery under the underinsured motorist coverage of both policies.

Both plaintiff and defendants filed motions for summary judgment with the trial court. The trial court sustained defendants’ motion for summary judgment, finding that defendant Brenton Chivington was entitled to underinsurance coverage under his automobile liability policy with underinsured motorist limit of $500,000, from which should be set off the $300,000 already received by the estates of the decedents under other policies. It is from this decision that plaintiff appeals. The trial court further found that defendant Brenton Chivington was entitled to no underinsured motorist coverage under his personal umbrella policy with plaintiff because of the policy terms and definitions. It is from this decision that defendants appeal.

We will first consider the appeal of plaintiff in case No. 90AP-630. At the outset, it must be borne in mind that we are here dealing not with uninsured motorist coverage but with underinsured motorist coverage, which differs substantially, although in many policies confusion is created by attempting to utilize the same terms for both. Underinsured motorist coverage provides insurance to the extent that the policy limits exceed the amount of insurance carried by a tortfeasor who has negligently operated a vehicle so as to cause damages to the insured. One of the issues involved herein is the nature and extent of damages to which such coverage applies. That is the issue raised by plaintiff’s first assignment of error.

Plaintiff’s contention is essentially that there is no underinsured motorist coverage available because the decedents, defendants’ parents, were not insureds under such policy. Plaintiff’s policy is one of those which by endorsement amended the basic policy to include underinsured motorist coverage by a statement which states in pertinent part only that “an uninsured motor vehicle includes an underinsured motor vehicle.” Other than to define underinsured motor vehicle, no distinction is made between the two coverages and, accordingly, we must look to the uninsured motorist provisions of the policy.

Both coverages are mandated by law, namely, R.C. 3937.18. The coverage afforded is set forth in an earlier amendatory endorsement to the policy, which states:

*704 “We will pay bodily injury (meaning bodily injury, sickness, disease, or death) damages that are due you by law from the owner or driver of an uninsured motor vehicle. * * *”

The Ohio Supreme Court has expressly answered the question raised herein. In Sexton v. State Farm Mut Ins. Co. (1982), 69 Ohio St.2d 431, 23 O.O.3d 385, 433 N.E.2d 555, the Supreme Court expressly held that a derivative claim resulting from the wrongful death of another is covered by the uninsured motorist coverage of an insurance policy, despite language in the policy attempting to avoid such coverage. The court declared such a limitation to be contrary to the uninsured motorist coverage mandated by R.C. 3937.18(A), which requires an automobile liability policy to provide coverage “for the protection of persons insured thereunder who are legally entitled to recover damages from owners or operators of uninsured motor vehicles because of bodily injury, sickness, or disease, including death, resulting therefrom.” We have recently rejected a contention similar to that of plaintiff with respect to uninsured motorist coverage in Barr v. Ins. Co. of N. Am. (1991), 72 Ohio App.3d 595, 595 N.E.2d 531.

As indicated above, the language of the policy herein does not expressly limit coverage, as did the policy in Sexton, which limited uninsured motorist coverage to damages “because of bodily injury sustained by the insured.” The instant policy provides for coverage with respect to “bodily injury damages that are due you by law.” This necessarily extends coverage beyond bodily injury sustained by the insured himself and, thus, is consistent with R.C. 3937.18(A) and with Sexton. Although Sexton involved uninsured motorist coverage, and we are here concerned with underinsured motorist coverage, we find no distinction necessary, especially inasmuch as the policy in question provides to the effect that underinsured motorist coverage shall be the same as uninsured motorist coverage. Although plaintiff contends that, pursuant to Burris v. Grange Mut. Cos. (1989), 46 Ohio St.3d 84, 545 N.E.2d 83

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Bluebook (online)
595 N.E.2d 1002, 72 Ohio App. 3d 700, 1991 Ohio App. LEXIS 874, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/nationwide-mutual-insurance-v-chivington-ohioctapp-1991.