Pekin Ins. Co. v. Dial

823 N.E.2d 986, 355 Ill. App. 3d 516, 291 Ill. Dec. 400, 2005 Ill. App. LEXIS 38
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedJanuary 20, 2005
Docket5-03-0646
StatusPublished
Cited by32 cases

This text of 823 N.E.2d 986 (Pekin Ins. Co. v. Dial) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Court of Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Pekin Ins. Co. v. Dial, 823 N.E.2d 986, 355 Ill. App. 3d 516, 291 Ill. Dec. 400, 2005 Ill. App. LEXIS 38 (Ill. Ct. App. 2005).

Opinion

823 N.E.2d 986 (2005)
355 Ill. App.3d 516
291 Ill.Dec. 400

PEKIN INSURANCE COMPANY, Plaintiff-Appellant,
v.
David DIAL and Cynthia Cain, Defendants-Appellees.

No. 5-03-0646.

Appellate Court of Illinois, Fifth District.

Rule 23 Order Filed December 16, 2004.
Motion to Publish Granted January 20, 2005.
Opinion Filed January 20, 2005.

*988 Robert Marc Chemers, Pretzel & Stouffer, Chtd., Chicago, IL, for Appellant.

Christopher B. Daniels, Daniels Law Office, Centralia, IL, for Appellee Cynthia Cain.

Justice HOPKINS delivered the opinion of the court:

Cynthia Cain filed a sexual assault action against Dial Real Estate and Investments and David Dial (Dial), and Dial tendered the defense of Cain's action to his insurer, Pekin Insurance Company (Pekin). Pekin filed this action seeking a declaration that it had no duty to defend Dial in the Cain action. The trial court found that Pekin had a duty to defend Dial and that Pekin breached its duty to defend.

On appeal, Pekin argues that the trial court erred in finding that Cain's sexual assault allegations were covered by Pekin's insurance policy.

We reverse and enter a declaratory judgment for Pekin.

FACTS

Pekin issued a commercial general liability insurance policy, with an effective policy period from January 31, 2000, to January 31, 2001, to Dial as the insured "with respect to the conduct of [the] business." The policy provided:

"a. We will pay those sums that the insured becomes legally obligated to pay as damages because of `bodily injury' or `property damage' to which this insurance applies. We will have the right and duty to defend any `suit' seeking those damages. * * *
b. This insurance applies to `bodily injury' and `property damage' only if:
(1) The `bodily injury' or `property damage' is caused by an `occurrence' that takes place in the `coverage territory' * * *."

The policy defined the term "bodily injury" as "bodily injury, sickness[,] or disease sustained by a person, including death resulting from any of these at any time," and defined the term "occurrence" as "an accident, including continuous or repeated exposure to substantially the same general harmful conditions."

*989 The policy excluded the following from coverage:

"a. Expected or Intended Injury
`Bodily injury' or `property damage' expected or intended from the standpoint of the insured."

On October 12, 2001, Cain filed her third amended complaint, alleging, in count I, that between May 20, 2000, and June 26, 2000, Dial negligently touched, fondled, and exposed himself to her with the misapprehension of her desires and wishes. In count II, Cain alleged that Dial repeatedly, willfully, and without provocation touched, fondled, and exposed himself to her. Cain alleged that as a result of Dial's conduct, she suffered an upset stomach, headaches, and a loss of a normal life.

Dial tendered the defense of Cain's action to Pekin, Pekin refused Dial's tender, and on June 20, 2001, Pekin filed its declaratory judgment action, seeking a declaration that it had no duty to defend Dial because Dial's alleged conduct was intentional, because Dial's alleged conduct did not arise out of or within the course of his employment, and because Cain did not seek damages for "bodily injury" as contemplated by the insurance policy.

On January 28, 2002, Dial assigned to Cain any rights he had against Pekin. On May 3, 2002, pursuant to the terms of Dial and Cain's joint stipulation, the trial court entered an amended judgment in favor of Cain on count I of her third amended complaint, awarded Cain $300,000, and entered a judgment in favor of Dial on count II.

On October 9, 2002, Cain filed a counterclaim against Pekin alleging that Pekin breached its duty of good faith in failing to defend Dial against her action. On November 18, 2002, Pekin filed a motion for a judgment on the pleadings. On December 13, 2002, Cain filed a motion for summary judgment, requesting that the court order Pekin to pay the judgment rendered in her tort action against Dial.

On June 9, 2003, the trial court heard arguments on the motions. On October 8, 2003, the trial court found that Cain's complaint pled a cause of action that was potentially covered by the insurance policy and that Pekin breached its duty to defend Dial. The court denied Pekin's motion for a judgment on the pleadings and granted Cain's motion for a summary judgment. On October 16, 2003, Pekin filed its timely notice of appeal.

ANALYSIS

Although a summary judgment is a drastic means of disposing of litigation, it is appropriate in cases where there are no genuine issues of material fact and the moving party is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law. Crum & Forster Managers Corp. v. Resolution Trust Corp., 156 Ill.2d 384, 390-91, 189 Ill.Dec. 756, 620 N.E.2d 1073 (1993). "The construction of an insurance policy and a determination of the rights and obligations thereunder are questions of law for the court which are appropriate subjects for disposition by way of summary judgment. [Citations.]" Crum & Forster Managers Corp., 156 Ill.2d at 391, 189 Ill.Dec. 756, 620 N.E.2d 1073. We review de novo the trial court's decision to enter a summary judgment. Crum & Forster Managers Corp., 156 Ill.2d at 390, 189 Ill.Dec. 756, 620 N.E.2d 1073.

When construing an insurance policy, the court's primary function is to ascertain and enforce the parties' intentions as expressed in the agreement. Crum & Forster Managers Corp., 156 Ill.2d at 391, 189 Ill.Dec. 756, 620 N.E.2d 1073. The court must construe the policy as a whole, considering the type of insurance for which the parties contracted, the *990 risks undertaken and purchased, the subject matter insured, and the purposes of the contract. Crum & Forster Managers Corp., 156 Ill.2d at 391, 189 Ill.Dec. 756, 620 N.E.2d 1073. If the policy's terms are plain and unambiguous, the court affords them their plain, ordinary meaning and applies them as written. Crum & Forster Managers Corp., 156 Ill.2d at 391, 189 Ill.Dec. 756, 620 N.E.2d 1073.

To determine whether an insurer has a duty to defend its insured in a lawsuit, a court should generally apply an "eight corners rule"—that is, the court should compare the four corners of the underlying tort complaint with the four corners of the insurance policy and determine whether the facts alleged in the underlying complaint fall within, or potentially within, the insurance policy's coverage. Crum & Forster Managers Corp., 156 Ill.2d at 393, 189 Ill.Dec. 756, 620 N.E.2d 1073; West American Insurance Co. v. Vago, 197 Ill.App.3d 131, 136, 143 Ill.Dec.

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Bluebook (online)
823 N.E.2d 986, 355 Ill. App. 3d 516, 291 Ill. Dec. 400, 2005 Ill. App. LEXIS 38, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/pekin-ins-co-v-dial-illappct-2005.