New Amsterdam Casualty Co. v. Shumaker

108 N.E.2d 305, 63 Ohio Law. Abs. 107, 1951 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 373
CourtCourt of Common Pleas of Ohio, Franklin County, Civil Division
DecidedOctober 23, 1951
DocketNo. 167242
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 108 N.E.2d 305 (New Amsterdam Casualty Co. v. Shumaker) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Common Pleas of Ohio, Franklin County, Civil Division primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
New Amsterdam Casualty Co. v. Shumaker, 108 N.E.2d 305, 63 Ohio Law. Abs. 107, 1951 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 373 (Ohio Super. Ct. 1951).

Opinion

OPINION

By REYNOLDS, J.

In this case plaintiff seeks to recover from the defendant monies expended by it in settlement of claims for property damage and personal injuries sustained as a result of a collision between defendant’s truck and an automobile owned by Raymond Dobson.

Plaintiff had issued a policy of insurance to Ward E. Lanning [108]*108in 1941, insuring the said Lanning against liability for property damage and personal injuries occasioned by accident in the use of certain automobiles, trucks or trailers owned or hired by the said Lanning who held a permit from the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio covering his operations as a private carrier.

An endorsement on a form provided by the Utilities Commission was attached to the policy in question which endorsement provided in part as follows:

“The purpose of this endorsement is to make certain during the term of said policy and any renewals thereof the liability of the insurance company to any person injured in person or property within the state of Ohio by the negligence of the insured as hereinafter set forth.
“Whenever the word ‘insured’ appears in this endorsement it shall be held to mean the motor transportation company, or private motor carrier named in the policy, its agents and employees, and also held to mean any independent contractor of said motor transportation company or private motor carrier, engaged in transporting persons or property, or providing or furnishing such transportation, and also held to mean each employer of a private motor carrier authorized in its permit and registration against loss sustained by reason of the death of or injury to persons and the Loss of or damage to property resulting from the negligence of such private motor carrier its agents and employees.
“Ho condition, provision, stipulation or limitation contained in the policy or any endorsement thereon nor the violation of any of the same by the insured shall affect in any way the rights of any person injured in person or property within the State of Ohio by negligence of the insured while operating as aforesaid or relieve, the insurance company from the liability provided for in this endorsement or from the payment to such persons of any judgment within the limits set forth in the policy, but the conditions, provision, stipulations and limitations contained in the policy or any other endorsement thereon shall remain in full force and be binding ao between the insured and the insurance company. ’

In addition to equipment owned and operated by himself or his employees, Lanning from time to time hired other truckers to fulfill his contracts for hauling merchandise for third parties and pursuant to this practice, sometime prior to May 28, 1942, he contracted with defendant Dewey Shumaker, to haul freight from Coshocton to Vandalia, Ohio, Shumaker using his own tractor and trailer and furnishing his own gas and oil, and his own driver, and receiving from Lanning 70% of the freight charge received by Lanning from his customer.

[109]*109Also prior to May 28, 1942, The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio issued to Lanning a certificate of convenience and necessity, and Lanning filed with the Commission a certificate of liability insurance issued by plaintiff to Lanning.

The petition alleges that on May 28, 1942 defendant, acting through an employee, while driving defendant’s truck back to Coshocton after having delivered a load of merchandise in Vandalia, negligently ran into an automobile, damaging it and injuring the occupants; that plaintiff settled the various claims, and seeks recovery for the same plus the sum of $200.00 as expenses in connection with the accident and settlements.

Defendant in his amended answer admits that his truck was involved in an accident while being used in the furtherance of Lanning’s transportation business, and admits that plaintiff as the insurer of Lanning made settlements for damages and injuries resulting from the accident but denies any liability on his part, and alleges that in accordance with his contract with Lanning, the latter hired from defendant both the equipment and the driver, and that at the time of the accident, the said driver was acting not as his agent and employee but as the agent and employee of Lanning, and that the insurance policy was for the protection of Lanning and that plaintiff under the terms of said policy was obligated to save Lanning harmless from any actions resulting from the operation of any and all trucks used in his business.

In a second defense defendant pleads that if plaintiff made any payments other than in strict compliance with the contract of insurance, it acted as a volunteer and cannot recover from defendant.

Upon trial a jury was waived and the case tried to the Court on a stipulation of facts together with some oral testimony.

The issue in the case is whether or not the policy of insurance issued by plaintiff to Lanning inured to the benefit of Shumaker. If it did, then of course there can be no recovery in this case as it is axiomatic that an insurer may not recover from the insured, for payments made pursuant to the policy provisions.

The stipulation of facts submitted in this case is as follows:

“1. That plaintiff is a corporation as alleged in the petition.
“2. That Exhibit ‘A’ attached hereto and made a part hereof is a policy of insurance issued by plaintiff to Ward E. Lanning, which was in full force and effect on May 28, 1942, and which covered all matters alleged in plaintiff’s petition and agreed with the said Ward E. Lanning to pay on his behalf all sums [110]*110which the said Lanning shall become liable to pay by reason of the liability imposed upon him by law for damages for bodily injury up to the sum of Twenty-Five Thousand and no/100 ($25,000.00) Dollars for each person in each accident, and Fifty Thousand and no/100 ($50,000.00) Dollars for all persons in each accident, and for injury to or destruction of property, including the loss of use thereof, up to Five Thousand and no/100 ($5,000.00) Dollars, which injuries and damages shall have been caused by accident in the use of certain automobiles, trucks or trailers owned or hired by the said Lanning.
“3. That Exhibit ‘B’ attached hereto and made a part hereof is the permit issued by the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio under which the said Ward E. Lanning was operating on May 28, 1942.
“4. That the said Ward E. Lanning in operating under said permit and in the performance of contracts entered into thereunder, used his own vehicles and vehicles owned by others, to enable him to perform said contracts.
“5. That on May 28, 1942, there was in force an agreement entered into between the said Ward E. Lanning and defendant, whereby the defendant agreed to and did furnish a 1939 Ford Tractor and a Kingham Trailer and driver, paid for all gasoline and oil used in the operation thereof, and the wages of the said driver, and all repairs and maintenance upon said tractor trailer outfit during its operation under said agreement; and whereby the said Ward E. Lanning agreed to pay defendant as compensation, 70% of all freight charges collected-out of the operation of said unit under said agreement.
“6.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
108 N.E.2d 305, 63 Ohio Law. Abs. 107, 1951 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 373, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/new-amsterdam-casualty-co-v-shumaker-ohctcomplfrankl-1951.