Olivier v. Transcontinental Insurance Co.

93 So. 2d 701, 1957 La. App. LEXIS 1007
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedMarch 25, 1957
DocketNo. 20778
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 93 So. 2d 701 (Olivier v. Transcontinental Insurance Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Olivier v. Transcontinental Insurance Co., 93 So. 2d 701, 1957 La. App. LEXIS 1007 (La. Ct. App. 1957).

Opinion

JANVIER, Judge.

The automobile collision from which this suit results occurred in Jefferson Parish on the west side of the Mississippi River at the point at which the Fourth Street Highway forms a T-junction with Barataría Boulevard.

The accident occurred at about 9:30 o’clock on the night of March 6, 1954. The cars involved were a Buick sedan, owned and operated by Harold A. Olivier, and in which with him were his wife and their three minor children, and a Chevrolet car owned and driven by Joseph Breaux and in which with Breaux were Miss Shirley Theriot and her brother. Her brother has died since — not as a result of the accident— and therefore could not be produced as a witness.

The Olivier car had stopped at a filling station and refreshment stand located on the side of Barataría Boulevard at a point almost opposite the junction of that boulevard with the Fourth Street Highway.

After stopping at the filling station, Olivier intended to drive out Barataría Boulevard towards Lafitte and, as he left the filling station, he was facing directly across the Boulevard and in front of him was the automatic semaphore traffic light which controlled traffic at that intersection. At that time the light showed red so he waited a few moments for it to change. However, when the red light was automatically extinguished, the green light did not appear and he realized that it must be broken. He, therefore, waited a few moments to make certain that it was safe for him to enter and that the light to vehicles on the boulevard was unfavorable, and after waiting for this short time, he entered the boulevard under the light fixture and turned to his left to go towards Lafitte. In the meantime, the Chevrolet car of Breaux, which was on Barataría Boulevard, had been approaching the intersection at which Breaux intended to turn to his left into the Fourth Street Highway on his way towards Westwego. Thus, as Olivier turned to his left out Barataría Boulevard and as Breaux turned to his left, to proceed on Fourth Street, the two cars met in collision.

The exact point of the impact is in dispute. Olivier says that he had completed the turn to the left and had proceeded a short distance when the Breaux car crashed into the side of his Buick. Breaux says that the collision took place just under the traffic light and as the Olivier car entered the highway right in front of his car.

The Olivier car was practically demolished and Olivier, his wife and the three minor children sustained physical injuries.

Olivier had secured a policy of liability insurance from Transcontinental Insurance Company and Breaux had obtained a similar policy from Traders & General Insurance Company.

There was and is no doubt whatever about the negligence of Breaux who entered the intersection at high speed and [703]*703turned without reducing his speed and without any regard whatever to the fact that the Olivier car was in or dangerously near to the intersection. Realizing this, Traders & General Insurance Company, Breaux’ insurers, decided that it would be best to attempt to settle by compromise the claim of Olivier for damages to his car and for his personal injuries, the claim of Mrs'. Olivier for her injuries, and the claims on behalf of the three Olivier children for their injuries. That company suggested to Transcontinental Insurance Company that they jointly attempt to settle the various claims, but the Transcontinental Company, feeling that Olivier had not been in any way at fault, refused to join in the making of those compromises. Traders & General Insurance Company negotiated for the settlement of all of those claims insofar as they were against Breaux or his insurer, the said Traders & General Insurance Company. Accordingly, that company agreed to pay a total sum of $1,000 in settlement of the claims of all of the Oliviers against Breaux or against it, and it obtained a signed release agreement from Olivier and Mrs. Olivier and also from Olivier as the administrator of the estates of his several minor children, and, under those release agreements, it paid the $1,000 to Olivier and the attorney for the Oliviers, and the said attorney has deposited the $1,000 in escrow, apparently to be held until all claims have been settled amicably or as the result of any judgments which may be rendered. In these several releases it is stated that Olivier received $800, Mrs. Olivier $50, and Olivier, for the use and benefit of each of his three children, $50, and in each settlement agreement there was a statement “specially reserving all rights against Transcontinental Insurance Company and other parties.”

After these settlements were effected, Mrs. Olivier, on her own behalf, and Mr. Olivier, as administrator of the estates of his three minor children, brought this suit against Transcontinental Insurance Company, alleging that the accident had re-suited from negligence on the part of Olivier and praying for judgments against said Transcontinental Insurance Company as follows: In favor of Mrs. Olivier for $7,645; in favor of the minor, Peggy Ann Olivier, $500; in favor of the minor Ruth Mathilda Olivier, $500; in favor of the minor, Harold A. Olivier, Jr., $1,000.

Transcontinental Insurance Company denied any negligence on the part of Olivier and, in the alternative that it should appear that there was any such negligence and that therefore there was any liability in it as a result of its being the liability insurer of Olivier, it averred that each of the claimants had been paid in full for such damage or loss as each had sustained and that therefore there remained no claim in any one of them.

The said Transcontinental Insurance Company specially averred that in effecting the said settlements, (totalling $1,000) which were erroneously averred to have totaled $1,200, there had been subterfuge in that the damage sustained by Olivier had not amounted to $712, which was stated as representing the cost of repairing that car, and that in reality the settlement agreements contemplated that of the total amount which the Olivier family had received, considerably more than $50 had been intended for the use of Mrs. Olivier and for the use of each of the three children, and that therefore each had been paid in full for such damage or loss as each had sustained.

After an extended trial there was judgment in favor of defendant, Transcontinental Insurance Company, the District Judge stating that the “plaintiffs herein have been paid in full for the injuries they received through the medium of a compromise entered into by and between the plaintiffs herein and the insurer of the said Joseph Breaux, that is, the Traders & General Insurance Company.”

The District Judge thus found it unnecessary to determine whether Olivier had been at fault since he found that, re[704]*704gardless of where the fault lay, Mrs. Olivier and each of the children had been paid in full by Traders & General Insurance Company.

From this judgment Mrs. Olivier, in her own behalf, and Mr. Olivier, on behalf of each of the children, have appealed.

We agree with the District Judge that this is an unusual proceeding, and we also agree that it “is permissible under the laws of the State of Louisiana.” It is unusual in that the father, on behalf of his minor children, is suing his own insurer.

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Bluebook (online)
93 So. 2d 701, 1957 La. App. LEXIS 1007, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/olivier-v-transcontinental-insurance-co-lactapp-1957.