Randall Insurance Agency, Inc. v. Burns

185 N.E.2d 309, 115 Ohio App. 397, 21 Ohio Op. 2d 9, 93 A.L.R. 2d 1041, 1961 Ohio App. LEXIS 611
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedNovember 29, 1961
Docket775
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 185 N.E.2d 309 (Randall Insurance Agency, Inc. v. Burns) 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
Randall Insurance Agency, Inc. v. Burns, 185 N.E.2d 309, 115 Ohio App. 397, 21 Ohio Op. 2d 9, 93 A.L.R. 2d 1041, 1961 Ohio App. LEXIS 611 (Ohio Ct. App. 1961).

Opinion

Seeker, J.

This matter is before this court on an appeal on questions of law from a judgment rendered by the Common Pleas Court of Darke County, Ohio. Plaintiff-appellee recovered a judgment against one Tommy Burns for $466 plus interest and costs, for damages to its automobile. Plaintiff-appellee then filed a supplemental petition against The Lumbermens Mutual Insurance Company, defendant-appellant herein, and Auto Owners Mutual Insurance Company, defendant-appellee herein, to recover the amount of its judgment against Burns.

The facts, briefly, are that:

On January 15, 1960, Donald and Eleanor Hayes, husband and wife, of Brookville, Ohio, and Tommy Burns, the son of Mrs. Hayes by a prior marriage, went to the automobile sales room of Lee Miller, Pontiac Agency at Brookville, Montgomery County, Ohio, to purchase an automobile.

The Hayes’ chose a 1957 Pontiac titled in Lee Miller, the Pontiac dealer, and agreed to buy it. They traded in bn the purchase price a 1954 Ford. The difference, after allowing the trade-in, was $1,453.

The 15th of January, 1960, fell on a Friday. The Hayes,’ as shown by the bill of exceptions, that evening, on said date, paid the sum of $1,353 in cash on the purchase price, the remaining $100 being carried on an open account. At that time, Miller signed the assignment on the certificate of title on the back of the yellow certificate of title form as prescribed by the Revised Code of Ohio (Section 4505.07) as the assigning owner, the Hayes’ having indicated to Miller that they wanted Mrs. Hayes to be the title owner. Mrs. Hayes then signed the application for certificate of title on the back of the certificate and Miller *399 informed them that he would make application to the Clerk of Courts of Montgomery County, Ohio, for a new certificate of title to be issued. After the foregoing had taken place, Burns drove the automobile from the premises of Miller, the Pontiac dealer. The title was transferred on Monday, January 18, 1960.

Shortly after midnight, Saturday, on the 17th day of January 1960, Burns struck and damaged the parked vehicle of the plaintiff in Greenville, Ohio.

The defendant Lumbermens Mutual Insurance Company was the insurance carrier for the Hayes family under its standard “Family Combination Automobile” policy. The defendant Auto Owners Mutual Insurance Company was the insurance carrier for Miller under its standard “Garage Owners Liability” policy.

This matter was tried to the court on the 25th day of November 1960, on the supplemental petition of the plaintiff, a jury having been waived, and judgment was awarded the plaintiff against The Lumbermens Mutual Insurance Company on the 19th day of December 1960. Judgment was rendered in favor of defendant Auto Owners Mutual Insurance Company. Thereafter, defendant, Lumbermens Mutual Insurance Company, instituted this appeal.

Following the accident, Lumbermens Mutual paid to the Hayeses, its insured, the amount of the damage to the Pontiac.

Defendant Auto Owners Mutual Insurance Company, in its answer, denies in its first defense that it owned the Pontiac at the time of the accident and, for its second defense, denies that its policy affords coverage on the Pontiac sold by its insured, Lee Miller Pontiac Agency, because of the exclusionary clause in its policy, which is as follows in Section VIII, Exclusions :

“This policy does not apply:

l i # # #

“(h) To liability arising out of the ownership, maintenance or use of any automobile in the possession of a purchaser under any partial payment plan or purchasing plan, except as to the named assured.”

For its third defense, Auto Owners Mutual Insurance Company says that there was no consideration for the insurance *400 contract between the driver and owner of the automobile involved in this accident and said Auto Owners Mutual Insurance Company.

For its fourth defense, Auto Owners Mutual Insurance Company says that there is no privity of contract between the owner and driver of the car involved in this accident and Auto Owners Mutual Insurance Company.

For its fifth defense, Auto Owners Mutual Insurance Company says that its assured, Lee Miller, exercised no control over the owner or the driver of the automobile involved in the accident and was not entitled to exercise any such control over its use, care and maintenance, and that there was no relationship of agency between the owner and driver and defendant’s assured, Lee Miller.

For its sixth defense, Auto Owners Mutual Insurance Company says that the car was being used without the permission or consent of its assured, Lee Miller.

The answer of Lumbermens Mutual Insurance Company alleges that it issued a liability insurance policy to Donald Hayes which provides that as to a temporary substitute automobile or nonowned automobile its insurance shall be excess over any other valid and collectible insurance; that the Pontiac herein was, at the time of the accident, owned by the Lee Miller Pontiac Agency; and that Burns operated the vehicle with the knowledge and consent of the Lee Miller Pontiac Agency.

The trial court found in favor of plaintiff Randall Insurance Agency, Inc., and against the defendant The Lumbermens Mutual Insurance Company. The court found further in favor of defendant Auto Owners Mutual Insurance Company, and thereupon rendered judgment in favor of plaintiff, Randall Insurance Agency, Inc., against defendant Lumbermens Mutual Insurance Company for the sum of $466, and costs.

The errors assigned are that (1) the judgment of the trial court is contrary to law, and (2) that the judgment is against the manifest weight of the evidence.

The policy of Lumbermens Mutual Insurance Company is in evidence, which policy contains an agreement, under Part I, Liability — Coverage B:

‘ ‘ To pay on behalf of the insured all sums which the insured shall become legally obligated to pay as damages because of in *401 jury to or destruction of property, including loss of use thereof, hereafter called ‘property damage’ arising out of the ownership, maintenance or use of the owned automobile or any non-owned automobile * V’

The policy provides further, in Part III, Other Insurance, that:

“The insurance with respect to a temporary substitute automobile or non-owned automobile shall be excess over any other valid and collectible insurance.”

The policy provides further under Part I, Liability — Persons Insured:

“The following are insureds under Part I: (b) with respect to a non-owned automobile, (1) the named insured, (2) any relative, but only with respect to a private passenger automobile or trailer, provided the actual use thereof is with the permisssion of the named insured.”

Part I of the policy, under definitions, defines “named insured” as the individual named in Item 1 of the declarations and also includes his spouse, if a resident of the same household.

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185 N.E.2d 309, 115 Ohio App. 397, 21 Ohio Op. 2d 9, 93 A.L.R. 2d 1041, 1961 Ohio App. LEXIS 611, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/randall-insurance-agency-inc-v-burns-ohioctapp-1961.