Ranger Insurance Co. v. Silverthorn

553 S.W.2d 530, 1977 Mo. App. LEXIS 2183
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedJune 27, 1977
DocketNo. KCD 28474
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 553 S.W.2d 530 (Ranger Insurance Co. v. Silverthorn) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Ranger Insurance Co. v. Silverthorn, 553 S.W.2d 530, 1977 Mo. App. LEXIS 2183 (Mo. Ct. App. 1977).

Opinion

ROBERT R. WELBORN, Special Judge.

Declaratory judgment action by issuer of aviation liability insurance policy to determine its obligation to defend and indemnify a renter from the named insured of an aircraft. Circuit Court held that the renter was an insured under the policy. Insurer appealed.

Ranger Insurance Company, a New York corporation with its principal administrative office in Texas, issued its policy of aviation liability insurance, for a term of one year from August 23,1969, to H.T.P. Enterprises of Holden, Missouri. Aircraft scheduled under the policy included a 1968 Cessna 177. The Declarations stated that the aircraft covered will be “principally tied out” at Holden, Missouri Airport. The “Purpose(s) of Use” provision of the Declarations called for the use only for purposes “indicated by ‘X’.” A typewritten “X” was inserted in the box adjacent to purpose “(c) ‘Limited Commercial.’ The term ‘Limited Commercial’ is defined as including all the uses permitted in (a) and (b) above [“Pleasure and Business” and “Industrial Aid”] and including Student Instruction and Rental to pilots but excluding passenger carrying for hire or reward.”

On July 19, 1970, H.T.P. Enterprises, Inc. rented the Cessna 177 to John Lee Silvert-horn, a licensed pilot. While flying the plane near Elkton, Hickory County, Missouri, with Patricia and Ronald Kephart as passengers, not carried for hire, an accident occurred which resulted in injuries to the Kepharts.

In July, 1975, the Kepharts brought suit against Silverthorn and H.T.P. Enterprises, Inc. for injuries they claimed to have suffered in the accident. Petition and summons were served on Silverthorn who transmitted them to Ranger and demanded that Ranger defend him under the policy of insurance issued to H.T.P. Ranger denied that the policy covered Silverthorn. Sil-verthorn refused to execute a non-waiver and reservation of rights agreement to Ranger. Ranger brought this action for a declaration that the policy afforded no coverage to Silverthorn.

The case was submitted on a stipulation which covered essentially the above facts. A copy of the policy of insurance was included with the stipulation. The trial court [532]*532held that the policy did extend coverage to Silverthorn and this appeal followed.

The issue presented is whether or not the declaration of intended use incorporated in the policy produced an ambiguity in other terms of the policy defining persons other than the named insured to whom the benefit of the policy would be extended. Specifically, the printed provisions of the policy contained the following:

“HI. Definition of ‘Insured.’ The unqualified word ‘Insured’ wherever used in this Policy with respect to Coverage A, B, C and D, includes not only the Named Insured but also any person while using or riding in the aircraft and any person or organization legally responsible for its use, provided the actual use is with the permission of the Named Insured.

The provisions of this paragraph do not apply:

******

“(c) to any person operating the aircraft under the terms of any rental agreement or training program which provides any remuneration to the Named Insured for the use of said aircraft.”

Ranger as appellant contends that the terms of the policy are clear and unambiguous and that, by such clear and unambiguous terms, Silverthorn as a renter pilot was excluded from coverage. Silverthorn, on the other hand, contends that the declaration of intended use, showing that the use of the aircraft was to include “Rental to pilots,” produced an ambiguity in the definition of “insured” insofar as rental pilots were concerned and that the ambiguity should be resolved against the insurer so as to afford coverage to Silverthorn.

At the outset, the parties disagree as to the choice of law to be applied. For reasons which will become apparent, Ranger contends that the policy was a Texas contract and that Texas law must be applied in resolving the question. Both respondents Silverthorn and the Kepharts disagree and assert that the law of Missouri is applicable.

The conclusion reached obviates the necessity to make a firm resolution of this disagreement. The resolution by the Texas court of the problem here presented is convincing and this court believes that it correctly states the law on the issue. Whether it here be denominated Texas law or Missouri law is immaterial.

Texas law, relied upon by appellant, is found in the case of Melton v. Ranger Insurance Company, 515 S.W.2d 371 (Tex.Civ.App.1974). In that case, the responsibility of the insurer toward a rental pilot was considered under policy provisions identical with those here involved. The definition of “insured,” excluding rental pilots and the “Purpose of Use” checked in the declaration was “(c) ‘Limited Commercial’ * * * including * * * Rental to Pilots * The argument advanced was the same as that here presented, i. e., that the inclusion of rental to pilots as a covered purpose of use created an ambiguity in the definition of who was covered under the policy. In rejecting the argument, the court stated (515 S.W.2d 374):

“The clause of the policy involved here that defines ‘insured’ spells out who the insureds in the policy are and the plain wording of that part of the policy expressly excludes a ‘renter pilot’ from being insured by the policy.

“No part of the policy expressly provides that a ‘renter pilot’ is an insured under the policy. If a renter pilot is an insured it must be so because of implication from language used in another part of the policy.

“The part of the policy that it is claimed creates an ambiguity or uncertainty as to whether ‘renter pilots’ are insureds reads:

“ ‘6. Purpose(s) Of Use: The aircraft will be used only for the purposes indicated by “X” . . . “X” (c) “Limited Commercial.” The term “Limited Commercial” is defined as including . . Rental to pilots . . ..’

“We hold that the effect of that clause is to provide that the loss covered by the policy must arise out of certain named uses, and that one such use is ‘rental to pilots.’ In other words, the purposes provision of the policy merely makes it clear that Van [533]*533Enterprises, Inc.’s coverage for its negligence as a lessor not in possession of the plane is not forfeited by permitting a renter pilot to use the plane. This clause further permits the named insureds to recover under the policy for damage to the airplane itself in instances when such damage is sustained while the aircraft is in the hands of a renter pilot. It is not the purpose or the effect of the Purposes of Use provisions of this policy to designate who is or is not an insured under the policy.

“Nothing in the Purposes of Use provisions of the policy in any way modifies, even by implication, the definition of ‘insured’ contained in the policy. Its only purpose is to protect the named insured, Van Enterprises, Inc., while the aircraft is rented out.”

In Buestad v. Ranger Insurance Company, 15 Wash.App. 754, 551 P.2d 1033 (1976), the court arrived at the same result. In Jahrman v. Valley Air Park, Inc., 333 So.2d 712 (La.App.1976), the court reached a similar conclusion under a slightly different provision excluding rental pilots.

Respondents rely upon Martin v.

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Bluebook (online)
553 S.W.2d 530, 1977 Mo. App. LEXIS 2183, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ranger-insurance-co-v-silverthorn-moctapp-1977.