Quickle v. Progressive Cas. Co., Unpublished Decision (8-26-2004)

2004 Ohio 4496
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedAugust 26, 2004
DocketCase No. 82818.
StatusUnpublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 2004 Ohio 4496 (Quickle v. Progressive Cas. Co., Unpublished Decision (8-26-2004)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Quickle v. Progressive Cas. Co., Unpublished Decision (8-26-2004), 2004 Ohio 4496 (Ohio Ct. App. 2004).

Opinions

JOURNAL ENTRY AND OPINION
{¶ 1} Karl Quickle, personally and as administrator of the estate of William Quickle, deceased, and William's mother, appeal from an order of Judge Brian J. Corrigan that granted summary judgment in favor of Kemper Insurance Company ("Kemper"), Michigan Mutual Insurance Company ("Michigan Mutual"), Zurich American Insurance Company ("Zurich"), and First Specialty Insurance Company ("First Specialty") on claims for loss of consortium and Scott-Pontzer1 uninsured/underinsured motorist ("UM/UIM") benefits. They assert that the judge: failed to acknowledge that the "Broadened Coverage" endorsement in the Zurich policy did not alter the ambiguity in its UIM coverage, failed to find the decedent a resident relative and an insured under the Kemper policy; failed to consider Karl Quickle as an insured under both his employer's Kemper primary policy and an umbrella policy issued by First Specialty; and by finding that the Michigan Mutual policy did not provide UIM coverage in this case. We affirm in part, reverse in part and remand for additional determinations.

{¶ 2} From the record we glean the following: On August 9, 1999, William Quickle, then seventeen years old, and son of Karl Quickle and Chantal Monet, was operating his father's motorcycle when a car, driven by Tracy L. McClough, turned left in front of him. He was ejected, and sustained fatal injuries. Ms. McClough's automobile liability carrier tendered to the estate its remaining policy limit of $293,911.22.2

{¶ 3} On the date of the incident, William Quickle was employed by The Gap, Inc., the named insured under an automobile insurance policy issued by Zurich. Karl Quickle was employed by EMH Regional Care, the named insured under an automobile policy issued by Kemper, with additional umbrella coverage provided by First Specialty. Prior to his death, William Quickle was living with his paternal grandfather, Stacey Quickle, who was employed by Ford Motor Co.. Michigan Mutual had issued a policy providing commercial general liability, business auto and personal auto coverages to Ford.

{¶ 4} The parents and estate filed a complaint against these carriers seeking damages for loss of consortium and UIM and medical payments benefits. The parents/estate and each insurer moved for summary judgment seeking to find or exclude coverage. The judge granted the motion of each insurer holding that each owed no duty to provide UIM coverage to any plaintiff. The parents/estate asserts four assignments of error set forth in Appendix A of this opinion.

{¶ 5} We review the grant of summary judgment de novo applying the same standard of review applied by the trial judge.3

THE ZURICH POLICY
{¶ 6} Quickle contends that his decedent was a UIM insured under The Gap's policy and Zurich was not prejudiced by his failure to preserve its subrogation rights against the tortfeasor. We need not address whether the Zurich policy is ambiguous under Scott-Pontzer, supra, or whether Quickle violated the notice provisions of the policy because theWestfield Ins. Co. v. Galatis4 controls our decision here. The Ohio Supreme Court has limited the application of theScott-Pontzer decision by holding that "a policy of insurance that names a corporation as an insured for uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage covers a loss sustained by an employee of the corporation only if the loss occurs within the course and scope of employment."5 It is undisputed that William Quickle was not a named insured or on the job when he sustained his injuries/loss and, therefore, neither his estate nor his parents are insured under the Zurich policy.

{¶ 7} The first assignment of error lacks merit.

THE KEMPER POLICY AND FIRST SPECIALTY UMBRELLA
{¶ 8} In the second and third assignments of error, Karl Quickle, as an individual and as administrator of his son's estate, asserts claims against his employer's Kemper policy for primary coverage and against First Speciality for umbrella coverage based upon his losses as a parent and for those of his son as a resident relative. The decedent son's status as a insured under his father's employer's policy is again controlled by the Galatis decision.

{¶ 9} "Where a policy of insurance designates a corporationas a named insured, the designation of `family members' of thenamed insured as other insureds does not extend coverage to afamily member of an employee of the corporation, unless thatemployee is also a named insured."6

{¶ 10} Because Karl Quickle is not a named insured under either of his employer's policies, any family member would not be a UIM insured under either. His claim under each policy as a father, however, may still be viable because the Ohio Supreme Court's assault on Scott-Pontzer is limited in nature.

{¶ 11} "Absent a specific language to the contrary, a policyof insurance that names a corporation as an insured for uninsuredor underinsured motorist coverage covers a loss sustained by anemployee of the corporation only if the loss occurs within thecourse and scope of employment."7

{¶ 12} The pre-2001 version of R.C. 3937.18 did not require that an insured sustain bodily injury in order to recover damages. Under Moore v. State Auto. Mut. Ins. Co.,8 a parent may have a viable claim for the medical expenses resulting from his minor child's injuries as well as for the loss of consortium, etc. The Galatis decision did not and could not overrule Moore in light of the language of R.C. 3937.18, nor could Galatis impose any preconditions such as requiring that an employee be operating a motor vehicle when the loss is sustained to be a UIM insured.

{¶ 13} The record does not reveal in what capacity Karl Quickle was employed by EMH Regional Care, the named insured under the Kemper Policy, or his work schedule. William Quickle was fatally injured at 4:59 p.m. on August 9, 1999, a Monday, and Karl Quickle may have been working at that time. His loss, therefore, could have occurred within the course and scope of his employment, making him eligible for coverage under the Kemper Policy pursuant to Moore.

{¶ 14} Galatis was limited to whether the estate of a deceased son could claim UIM coverage under a master insurance policy issued to his mother's employer but does not control the claims of a parent/employee under the employer's policy.

{¶ 15} It was First Specialty's position that absent UIM coverage under the Kemper policy, any UIM coverage imposed by operation of law either never arose and/or would be viable only when and if the underlying coverage was exhausted.

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Related

Quickle v. Progressive Cas. Co.
824 N.E.2d 91 (Ohio Supreme Court, 2005)

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Bluebook (online)
2004 Ohio 4496, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/quickle-v-progressive-cas-co-unpublished-decision-8-26-2004-ohioctapp-2004.