Pettit v. Erie Insurance Exchange

699 A.2d 550, 117 Md. App. 212, 1997 Md. App. LEXIS 142
CourtCourt of Special Appeals of Maryland
DecidedSeptember 5, 1997
Docket1761, September Term, 1996
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 699 A.2d 550 (Pettit v. Erie Insurance Exchange) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Special Appeals of Maryland primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Pettit v. Erie Insurance Exchange, 699 A.2d 550, 117 Md. App. 212, 1997 Md. App. LEXIS 142 (Md. Ct. App. 1997).

Opinions

EYLER, Judge.

This case involves the question of whether, for purposes of determining the applicability of an intentional injury exclusion in various homeowner’s liability policies, an insured’s intent to injure is presumed as a matter of law from his sexual molestation of two minor boys or whether the question of intent is an issue of fact that may not be resolved on summary judgment. While we have had occasion to consider a similar issue previously in the case of Harpy v. Nationwide Mut. Fire Ins. Co., 76 Md.App. 474, 545 A.2d 718 (1988), appellants seek to distinguish Harpy primarily on the basis that, in this case, there is expert testimony that the insured suffers from “pedophilia,” a mental disorder, and consequently, that he did not intend to harm his victims. Consistent with Harpy, we hold that the insured’s intent to molest two young boys sexually is sufficient to trigger the intentional injury exclusion of the policies at issue. Accordingly, we shall affirm the judgment of the circuit court.

[215]*215Facts

Gloria Pettit, as mother and next friend of her two minor children, appellants, filed an action against James Kowalski in the Circuit Court for Prince George’s County for injuries sustained by appellants as a result of Kowalski’s sexual molestation of the children. The amended complaint alleges that, beginning on or about April 1, 1991, Kowalski befriended the boys’ father, Roger Deprey. Approximately one year later, Mr. Deprey died of a brain tumor. The amended complaint further alleges in pertinent part that, between April 1, 1991 and May 25, 1993, (1) Kowalski used his relationship with Roger Deprey and the subsequent death of Roger Deprey to befriend the minor plaintiffs, and to gain the plaintiffs’ interest, affection, loyalty, and trust; and (2) as a result of this special relationship and in light of the recent death of their father, Kowalski became very attentive to the minor plaintiffs’ needs, providing, at times, care and supervision of the minor plaintiffs, and assuming a fatherly role towards the children. The amended complaint goes on to allege that, unknown to the minor plaintiffs’ parents, “Kowalski was a pedophile who, for many years, had had recurrent sexual fantasies and sexual urges with numerous other prepubescent children.” It further alleges that, during the relevant time period, Kowalski used his relationship with the minor plaintiffs to act on his pedophilic urges and fantasies as follows:

[Kowalski] committ[ed] fellatio and oral sex with the minor Plaintiffs with injury; undressed the minor Plaintiffs; physically masturbat[ed] the minor Plaintiffs; fondl[ed] the minor Plaintiffs; and filmed these pedophilic activities, all of which was for the purpose of [Kowalski’s] self gratification and satisfaction of [Kowalski’s] sexual fantasies as a pedophile[; and]
% j|; %
[While the children were in his custody, Kowalski] allowed, permitted and encouraged others ... to perform similar pedophilic acts on the [minor Plaintiffs], while in the pres[216]*216ence of [Kowalski], for the self gratification and satisfaction of [Kowalski’s] sexual fantasies.

While the amended complaint is silent on the issue, the record reveals that the minor appellants were ages seven and nine at the time the sexual abuse first began. After setting forth the factual allegations, the amended complaint then purports to state a cause of action based on various negligence theories. On appeal, appellants specifically identify three negligence theories: (1) negligent care and supervision of the minor children; (2) failure to warn of a dangerous mental condition (pedophilia) and/or failure to refrain from harmful conduct; and (3) failure to take reasonable steps to make his premises safe (i.e., premises liability).

During all or some portion of the relevant time period, Kowalski was insured under three different types of liability insurance policies issued by Erie. For the entire time period, Kowalski was covered by a HomeProtector 2003 Policy.1 This policy contains a broad coverage clause that covers all sums the insured becomes legally obligated to pay because of bodily injury or property damage covered by the policy. The policy excludes “[b]odily injury or property damage expected or intended by anyone we protect.” For the time period from May 1993 through May 1994, essentially for the last month the abuse allegedly occurred, Kowalski was covered by an Ultrasure Package Policy for Landlords and a HomeProtector 2004 Tenantcover Edition Policy. These latter two policies limit coverage to personal injury and property damage caused by an occurrence and define occurrence as “an accident, including continuous or repeated exposure to the same general harmful conditions.” These policies exclude “injury or damage expected or intended from the standpoint of the insured.” In addition, the Tenantcover Policy contains a clause excluding “bodily injury or property damage which arises out of the sexual molestation, corporal punishment or physical or mental abuse by anyone we protect.” While appellants acknowledge [217]*217that the sexual molestation exclusion, if applicable in the instant case, would exclude coverage, Erie informs us that this particular exclusion was not approved by the Maryland Insurance Commissioner until 1995, and thus, Erie concedes that it has no application to the instant case.

On November 9, 1994, Erie filed a declaratory judgment action claiming that it owes no defense or coverage under any of the policies for Kowalski’s acts. By stipulation, the parties agreed to stay the underlying tort action until resolution of the declaratory judgment action. The parties filed cross-motions for summary judgment. In opposition to Erie’s motion for summary judgment, appellants submitted (1) an affidavit of James Kowalski wherein Kowalski stated that he neither expected nor intended to injure the minor appellants; (2) portions of the transcript of Kowalski’s criminal trial containing testimony of Fred Berlin, M.D., Michael Sweda, Ph.D., and Joanna Brandt, M.D., including their conclusions that Kowalski is a pedophile; and (3) an affidavit of Neil H. Blumberg, M.D. who, upon review of Kowalski’s medical records and the trial testimony of Drs. Berlin, Sweda, and Brandt, concluded that (a) Kowalski suffers from a mental disorder known as pedophilia, (b) pedophilia is not characterized by intent to injure or harm the sexual partner, and (c) based on the fact that Kowalski is a pedophile, it is Blumberg’s opinion to a reasonable degree of medical probability that Kowalski did not have the intent to harm the minor appellants.

Following a hearing, the circuit court concluded that the policies provide no coverage as a matter of law, and granted Erie’s motion for summary judgment and denied appellants’ motion for summary judgment. This appeal followed.

Questions Presented

Appellants present three questions on appeal that really are restatements of but a single issue:

Did the circuit court err by concluding, as a matter of law, that the allegations in the amended complaint do not give rise to a “potentiality of coverage” under any of the insurance policies?

[218]*218Standard of Review

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Pettit v. Erie Insurance Exchange
699 A.2d 550 (Court of Special Appeals of Maryland, 1997)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
699 A.2d 550, 117 Md. App. 212, 1997 Md. App. LEXIS 142, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/pettit-v-erie-insurance-exchange-mdctspecapp-1997.