Page ex rel. Page v. Wilkinson

657 S.W.2d 422, 1983 Tenn. App. LEXIS 605
CourtCourt of Appeals of Tennessee
DecidedMarch 29, 1983
StatusPublished

This text of 657 S.W.2d 422 (Page ex rel. Page v. Wilkinson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Tennessee primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Page ex rel. Page v. Wilkinson, 657 S.W.2d 422, 1983 Tenn. App. LEXIS 605 (Tenn. Ct. App. 1983).

Opinion

MATHERNE, Special Judge.

I.

While riding as a passenger in a pickup truck driven by Jim Wilkinson, deceased, [423]*423the minor plaintiff Regina Ann Page sustained personal injuries when the vehicle swerved from the road and crashed into a business establishment. The collision resulted in the death of the driver, Jim Wilkinson.

This lawsuit was filed by the minor’s parents as next friend to recover $100,-000.00 as damages due to personal injuries suffered by the minor, and by the parents individually to recover $50,000.00 as medical expenses incurred, loss of wages by the mother because she had to stay with the injured daughter and for loss of services. An Answer was filed denying any and all liability.

Tennessee Farmers Mutual Insurance Company (Tennessee Farmers) carried the insurance on the 1978 Chevrolet pickup truck involved in the accident which was owned by Samuel Aron Wilkinson, the father of the driver, Jim Wilkinson. Tennessee Farmers also carried the insurance on a 1977 Ford automobile owned by James E. Page, Jr., the father of the injured minor, Regina Ann Page.

On January 8, 1981, Tennessee Farmers paid to James E. Page, Jr., the sum of $350.00 and took an instrument titled “Medical Pay Receipt and Subrogation Agreement” signed by James Page and Virginia Page. On March 5, 1981, Tennessee Farmers paid to James E. Page, Jr. the sum of $5,000.00 and took an identical instrument, signed by James E. Page, Jr. These instruments do not show the policy under which either payment was made and there is no other proof in the record from which this fact could be established. However, both the plaintiffs and Tennessee Farmers, by brief in this court, state that the $350.00 payment was made under “Coverage C— Medical Payments” provisions of the Wilkinson policy; and that the $5,000.00 payment was made under the “Coverage C— Medical Payments” provisions of the Page policy, which amount was the maximum coverage for one person under the Page policy.

Thereafter on July 23, 1981, the Complaint was filed in this lawsuit, the Answer was filed on the same day. Shortly thereafter, the date not being legible, all parties plaintiff and all parties defendant, joined by Tennessee Farmers, filed a petition in the cause, titled: Petition to Determine the Rights and Liabilities Under Policies of Insurance and to Approve Settlement of a Minor.

It appears the parties had agreed to settle the claims of the minor plaintiff for $20,000.00 which was the limit of liability under the Wilkinson policy for bodily injury to one person. The joint petition sought approval by the court of this settlement which Tennessee Farmers agreed to pay. Tennessee Farmers, however, insisted in the petition that it should be credited for the $350.00 payment and the $5,000.00 payment because it was subrogated to the rights of the plaintiffs in those amounts. The plaintiffs disagreed and pointed out that the petition averred that they had incurred $13,433.32 medical expenses and that Tennessee Farmers was not entitled to subrogation until they had been made whole, citing: Wimberly v. American Casualty Co. of Reading, Pa., (Tenn.1979) 584 S.W.2d 200.

The trial judge allowed Tennessee Farmers credit for the $350.00 paid under the Wilkinson policy and entered judgment for $19,650.00 as damages due the minor plaintiff. The trial judge refused to allow credit for the $5,000.00 payment under the Page policy, which holding is the basis of this appeal by Tennessee Farmers.

II.

The terms of the Wilkinson policy and the Page policy to be here considered are identical. Those policies provide:

Section I — Liability and Medical Payments

Insuring Agreements
Coverage A — Bodily Injury Liability
Coverage B — Property Damage Liability
Coverage C — Medical Payments
To pay reasonable medical expenses incurred for services furnished within one year from the date of accident:
[424]*424Division 1. to or for the first person named in the Declarations and, while residents of his household, his spouse and any relative of either who sustains bodily injury, caused by accident
(1) while occupying the owned motor vehicle, or
(2) through being struck by a highway vehicle while not occupying a land motor vehicle.
Division 2. to or for any other person who sustains bodily injury caused by accident, while occupying the owned motor vehicle is such vehicle is being used by an insured; provided that no such payment shall be made unless the person to or for whom such payment is made shall have executed a written agreement that the amount of such payment shall be applied toward the settlement of any claim, or the satisfaction of any judgment for damages entered in his favor, against any insured because of bodily injury arising out of any accident to which coverage A applies.
Policy Conditions
4. Subrogation.
Upon payment of any loss covered under this policy, the company shall be subro-gated to all the insured’s rights of recovery therefor and the insured shall do whatever is necessary to secure such rights and do nothing to prejudice them. Upon payment under coverage C of this policy the company shall be subrogated to the extent of such payment to the proceeds of any settlement or judgment that may result from the exercise of any rights of recovery which the injured person or anyone receiving such payment may have against any person or organization and such person shall execute and deliver instruments and papers and do whatever else is necessary to secure such rights. Such person shall do nothing after loss to prejudice such rights.

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Related

Wimberly v. American Casualty Co. of Reading
584 S.W.2d 200 (Tennessee Supreme Court, 1979)
Tennessee Farmers Mutual Insurance Co. v. Rader
410 S.W.2d 171 (Tennessee Supreme Court, 1966)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
657 S.W.2d 422, 1983 Tenn. App. LEXIS 605, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/page-ex-rel-page-v-wilkinson-tennctapp-1983.