Patton v. Mut. of Enumclaw Ins. Co.

438 P.3d 441, 296 Or. App. 266
CourtCourt of Appeals of Oregon
DecidedFebruary 27, 2019
DocketA162134
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 438 P.3d 441 (Patton v. Mut. of Enumclaw Ins. Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Oregon primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Patton v. Mut. of Enumclaw Ins. Co., 438 P.3d 441, 296 Or. App. 266 (Or. Ct. App. 2019).

Opinion

ORTEGA, P. J.

*268This insurance coverage case is before us for a third time. In the first appeal, we reversed a judgment that awarded plaintiff damages on his breach of contract claim, and remanded for a new trial. Patton v. Mutual of Enumclaw Ins. Co. , 238 Or. App. 101, 242 P.3d 624 (2010), rev. den. , 349 Or. 654, 249 P.3d 542 (2011) ( Patton I ). In the second appeal, we reversed and remanded the case again because the trial court erred in granting a motion for summary judgment by defendant Mutual of Enumclaw Insurance Company (MOE). Patton v. Mutual of Enumclaw Ins. Co. , 266 Or. App. 154, 337 P.3d 874 (2014), rev. den. , 337 Or. 874 (2015) ( Patton II ). On that second remand, the case proceeded to trial, and the jury returned a verdict in favor of plaintiff, awarding him $ 2.556 million in damages. The court entered a judgment awarding damages in that amount, along with $ 1.023 million in prejudgment interest and $ 1.382 million in attorney fees.

MOE appeals and raises four assignments of error, all of which challenge the award of prejudgment interest and attorney fees. We reject, without written discussion, MOE's third and fourth assignments of error-that is, its challenges to the court's award of attorney fees and costs-and write only to address MOE's first two assignments of error. MOE first asserts that the trial court erred in ruling that issue preclusion barred it from challenging plaintiff's entitlement to prejudgment interest. Second, MOE argues that the trial court erred in concluding that plaintiff was entitled to prejudgment interest under ORS 82.010(1)(a) because the amount owed and the date from which interest should run were not easily ascertainable. We agree, based on the circumstances of this case, that the trial court erroneously applied the doctrine of issue preclusion. Further, in reviewing the court's award of prejudgment interest for legal error, Tasaki v. Moriarty , 233 Or. App. 51, 55, 225 P.3d 68 (2009), we conclude that the trial court lacked a basis on this record for an award of prejudgment interest because the record does not establish a readily ascertainable date from which such interest should run. Accordingly, we reverse the award of prejudgment interest and otherwise affirm the judgment.

*269We offer a limited description of the relevant procedural and background facts for purposes of this appeal, but a more detailed recitation of the facts can be found in Patton I and Patton II . Patton I , 238 Or. App. at 101, 242 P.3d 624 ; Patton II , 266 Or. App. at 154, 337 P.3d 874.

Plaintiff's house burned down on November 8, 2001. Patton I , 238 Or. App. at 105, 242 P.3d 624. He notified MOE that he intended to take advantage of the policy's replacement cost endorsement and that he was considering rebuilding. Id. That endorsement stated, in part, that, in the event of loss, MOE agreed to pay

"not more than the lesser of:
"1. The replacement cost of that part of the building damaged for like construction and use on the same premises; or
"2. The necessary amount required to repair or replace the damaged building."

Id. at 104, 242 P.3d 624. The policy further explained how covered losses were to be settled:

"(4) We will pay no more than the actual cash value of the damage unless:
"(a) actual repair or replacement is complete; or
"(b) the cost to repair or replace the damage is both:
"(i) less than 5% of the amount of insurance in this policy on the building; and *444"(ii) less than $ 2,500.
"(5) You may disregard the replacement cost settlement provisions and make claim under this policy for loss or damage to buildings on an actual cash value basis."

Id.

Plaintiff received several replacement cost estimates-between $ 1.544 million and $3.858 million-but MOE reminded plaintiff that, under the policy, he could not recover the replacement cost until the reconstruction was complete and that plaintiff had two years from the date of loss to bring action against MOE. Id.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Moodenbaugh v. OSP
343 Or. App. 178 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2025)
Worley v. Lewis
567 P.3d 468 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2025)
JH Kelly, LLC v. Quality Plus Services, Inc.
472 P.3d 280 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2020)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
438 P.3d 441, 296 Or. App. 266, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/patton-v-mut-of-enumclaw-ins-co-orctapp-2019.