Pollard v. Safeco Insurance Company

376 S.W.2d 730, 52 Tenn. App. 583, 1963 Tenn. App. LEXIS 116
CourtCourt of Appeals of Tennessee
DecidedAugust 30, 1963
StatusPublished
Cited by22 cases

This text of 376 S.W.2d 730 (Pollard v. Safeco Insurance Company) 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
Pollard v. Safeco Insurance Company, 376 S.W.2d 730, 52 Tenn. App. 583, 1963 Tenn. App. LEXIS 116 (Tenn. Ct. App. 1963).

Opinions

McAMIS, P. J.

This ease involves the question of public liability coverage on a Ford automobile involved in an accident, August 8, I960. On that date and for a number of years theretofore, James W. Pollard owned and operated a parking garage in Knoxville. On the morning of that date one of his regular customers, Miss Judy Towle, 20 years of age, drove the Ford car in question into the garage and requested that Pollard repair a punctured tire in the trunk of the car. Pollard had no facilities for making tire repairs and while driving the car a distance of about 10 blocks to a tire repair shop for the purpose of having the tire repaired he struck and injured Mrs. Patsy Keifer, one of the defendants in error in this case.

Mrs. Keifer and her husband thereafter sued Pollard, Miss Towle and Miss Towle’s mother, Mrs. Hamilton, who because of the minority of the daughter, held the legal title to the car. Pollard thereupon requested defendant in error, Safeco Insurance Company, in which he held a policy covering his Cadillac automobile to defend the Keifer actions on the theory that the car he was driving was covered as “a non-owned automobile”. Defendant in error, State Automobile Mutual Insurance Company, had issued a public liability policy on the Ford in the name of Mrs. Hamilton. It was also requested to assume the defense of these actions on the theory that Pollard was driving the Ford with the consent of its insured and was therefore an additional insured. Both companies denied coverage and the present suit was filed by Safeco for a declaratory judgment as to its liability. [586]*586Pollard thereupon filed an answer to the petition of Safeco and also a cross action against State Automobile Mutual Insurance Company seeking a declaration that his operation of the car was with the permission of its insured and that he was, therefore, an additional insured under its policy.

The trial court determined that Pollard did not have the consent of the named insured, Mrs. Hamilton, as required by the State Automobile policy and that, under the circumstances, he was operating the Ford in connection with his parking garage. Based upon the latter finding the Court concluded that Pollard’s operation of the Ford car was not covered by" Safeco’s policy upon his privately owned Cadillac.

From the action of the Court in holding both companies exempt from liability, Pollard has appealed and assigned errors. We consider first the liability of Safeco.

After providing, with respect to a non-owned automobile, that the persons insured under the policy should include the named insured and certain other persons, the Safeco policy defines “automobile business” as including storing or parking automobiles. Then follows the exclusionary clause here involved which reads:

“Exclusions: This policy does not apply under the Liability Section:
* (f) to a non-owned automobile used (1) in an automobile business by the insured or (2) in any other business of the insured except a utility automobile not used for wholesale or retail delivery purposes or a private passenger automobile operated or occupied by the [587]*587named insured or by his private chauffeur or domestic servant, or a trailer used therewith.”

Since Pollard admittedly was in the automobile business as defined by the policy, it will be seen that Safeco’s liability turns on whether, at the time of the accident, the Ford was being used in that business. The trial court determined as a fact that it was being so used and, therefore, that its use falls within the above quoted exclusionary clause of Safeco’s policy. We can not say the evidence preponderates against that finding.

Mr. Pollard testified that it was his practice on occasions to take cars of his customers out to have them greased or tires changed and did not repudiate a statement made after the accident that he often did favors of this kind for his customers. He admitted that if Miss Towle had not parked the Ford at his place of business he would not have been driving it ydien the accident occurred. We think it must be said that services of this kind rendered to business customers are incident to the business and it follows that while the car was being operated for that purpose it was being used for a purpose excluded by the policy.

Exclusionary clauses like the one here involved have been held reasonable because of the increased hazard growing out of the use of non-owned cars by such establishments while in their legal custody. Anno. 47 A. L. R. (2d) 556. They have been frequently applied under circumstances not unlike those presented in this case. Anno. 47 A. L. R. (2d) 558 et seq.; Insurance Law and Practice, Appleman, Vol. 7, Section 4372; 5A Am. Jur. 103, Automobile Insurance, Section 102.

[588]*588For tlie reasons indicated the assignment complaining of the action of the Court in relieving Safeco of liability must be overruled.

Some further development of the facts is required in the consideration of the liability of State Automobile Mutual Insurance Company.

The proof shows without dispute that the insured Ford was bought by Miss Towie but because of her minority and the necessity that the deferred payment be financed through a local bank title to the car was taken in the name of her mother, Mrs. Hamilton, with whom she was living as a member of the Hamilton family. Miss Towle, according to Mrs. Hamilton’s testimony, was listed with the insurance company as the driver of the car.

All of the foregoing circumstances including the actual ownership of the car were fully revealed to the Bank which was authorized to procure the insurance. There is no evidence, however, that the Bank transmitted this information to the issuing agent of State Automobile Mutual Insurance Company. Mrs. Hamilton is the named insured in the policy. It contains no reference to Miss Towle although, as stated, Miss Towle was listed as the driver.

Mrs. Hamilton had no responsibility for parking, repairing or operating costs. She knew that it was being regularly parked at the Pollard garage while Miss Towle was at her place of employment nearby. She also knew on the morning of the accident that one of the tires was flat and would have to he repaired. She did not know where the work would be done or that Pollard would drive the car for that purpose or he otherwise involved in repairing the tire.

[589]*589Tlie policy provides public liability coverage to “any person using such, automobile, provided the actual use thereof is with the permission of the named insured.”

We do not appear to have a case involving the same or similar policy provision where the ownership of the car and its use were analogous to the present case.

Because the Company, so far as appears, was not apprised of the fact that the car was actually owned by Miss Towle, and that, except in name only she was the insured, Mrs. Hamilton must be regarded as the “named insured” and Miss Towle a permittee within the sense and meaning of that term as judicially used in cases from this and other jurisdictions.

In American Automobile Insurance Co. v. Jones, 163 Tenn. 605, 45 S. W. (2d) 52, the owner who was also the insured expressly instructed the permittee not to allow anyone else to drive. In violation of that instruction the bailee permitted a third person to drive and while being so operated the ear was involved in an accident.

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Pollard v. Safeco Insurance Company
376 S.W.2d 730 (Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 1963)

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Bluebook (online)
376 S.W.2d 730, 52 Tenn. App. 583, 1963 Tenn. App. LEXIS 116, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/pollard-v-safeco-insurance-company-tennctapp-1963.