Reed v. AMERICAN EQUITY INSURANCE CO.

927 So. 2d 1210, 2006 WL 862831
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedApril 5, 2006
Docket2005-1298
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 927 So. 2d 1210 (Reed v. AMERICAN EQUITY INSURANCE CO.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Reed v. AMERICAN EQUITY INSURANCE CO., 927 So. 2d 1210, 2006 WL 862831 (La. Ct. App. 2006).

Opinion

927 So.2d 1210 (2006)

Billy L. REED and Teresa Reed
v.
AMERICAN EQUITY INSURANCE CO., et al.

No. 2005-1298.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Third Circuit.

April 5, 2006.
Rehearing Denied May 24, 2006.

*1212 Jeffery Paul Robert, Law Firm of Grayson H. Brown, Baton Rouge, LA, for Defendant/Appellant, American Equity Insurance Company.

Kevin Lawrence Cole, Mandeville, LA, for Defendants/Appellees, Universal Specialty Underwriters of La., Inc. and Duane Ransome.

Donald James Armand, Jr., Pettiette, Armand, Dunkelman, Shreveport, LA, for Defendant/Appellee, C.H. Delaney.

Andrew Parker Texada, Stafford, Stewart & Potter, Alexandria, LA, for Defendants/Appellees, Classic's by C.H., Johnnie L. Bell, and Delaney Can Company, Inc.

Eugene A. Ledet, Jr., Rivers, Beck & Dalrymple, Alexandria, LA, for Plaintiff/Appellee, Teresa Reed and Billy L. Reed.

Jeffrey Scott Ingram, Alexandria, LA, for Defendant/Appellee, State Farm Mutual Auto Ins. Co.

Kerrie T. Belsome, New Orleans, LA, for Defendant/Appellee, Thomasee Insurance Agency, Inc.

Court composed of ULYSSES GENE THIBODEAUX, Chief Judge, SYLVIA R. COOKS, and JAMES T. GENOVESE, Judges.

THIBODEAUX, Chief Judge.

Defendant-appellant, American Equity Insurance Company (American Equity), appeals the trial court's grant of a partial summary judgment in favor of cross-claimants-appellees, Johnnie L. Bell (Bell), C.H. Delaney d/b/a Classics By C.H. (Classics), and Delaney Can Company, Inc. (Delaney Can). The judgment declared that American Equity's policy provided liability coverage to the cross-claimants-appellees for the claims asserted in the automobile personal injury action filed by plaintiffs, Billy L. Reed and Teresa Reed. For the reasons assigned below, we reverse and remand on the basis that genuine issues of material fact exist regarding whether the vehicle driven by Bell was a "specifically described auto," i.e., a covered vehicle under the policy.

I.

ISSUE

Did the trial court erroneously find that no genuine issues of material fact existed that would preclude a finding of liability coverage for the claims asserted?

II.

FACTUAL BACKGROUND

On January 10, 2003, Bell, an employee of Delaney Can, was involved in a car accident while on-duty. He was driving a 1989 Dodge 6000 truck to deliver portable toilets. While en route to the first delivery site, one of the portable toilets fell off the truck bed and struck the car being driven by plaintiff, Teresa Reed.

At the time of the accident, Bell was driving a truck that had been taken off the premises of Classics. C.H. Delaney, who is also the president and majority shareholder of Delaney Can, permitted Bell to use one of the dealership's vehicles as a substitute for Delaney Can's regular vehicle that was in need of repair. According to C.H. Delaney, the truck picked up by Bell at the dealership was a recent auction purchase by Classics that was to be sold at the used car lot.

Classics possessed an American Equity commercial garage liability policy. The policy was issued on May 11, 2002 and was effective until May 11, 2003. The January *1213 10, 2003, accident occurred within this coverage period.

On April 4, 2003, Mrs. Reed and her husband, Billy Reed, sued Bell, Delaney Can, Classics, C.H. Delaney, individually, and American Equity to recover bodily injury, loss of consortium, and property damages. American Equity accepted a tender of the defense of C.H. Delaney[1] and Classics; however, it reserved its rights to later deny coverage based, preliminarily, on lack of proof that the truck driven by Bell was owned by the policy holder, Classics, or that Bell was engaged in "garage operations" at the time of the accident. American Equity asserted that without proof that the vehicle was an "owned auto" that was listed specifically in the policy, liability coverage would not apply. Moreover, it was asserted that the use of the truck to make deliveries, as Bell was doing at the time of the accident, did not meet the definition of "garage operations," which was also necessary to invoke coverage for the subject accident.

Bell, Classics, and Delaney Can filed a cross-claim against American Equity and then filed a motion for partial summary judgment, seeking a declaration of liability coverage. They argued that liability coverage applied because there was no factual dispute that at the time of the accident Bell was permissively using one of the policy holders' owned autos to engage in "garage operations." This contention was based on the assertion that Delaney's affidavit, attesting to Classics' ownership of the truck at issue, was sufficient proof of its ownership by an insured. In addition, they contended that the policy broadly defined "garage operations" as "the ownership, maintenance or use of an owned automobile" and, as a result, Bell's use of the truck satisfied that definition. It was also argued that liability coverage extended to this accident because Bell was a listed driver on the policy's "Named Driver Limitation" endorsement. This endorsement granted liability coverage to those persons expressly named who would otherwise be excluded from coverage for the use of "covered autos" that did not constitute garage operations. Finally, they alternatively argued that because Bell was using the vehicle with the permission of the owner, liability coverage automatically extended to the accident pursuant to Louisiana's mandatory liability law, as set forth in La.R.S. 32:900, regardless of any exclusions in the policy that might be urged to otherwise deny liability coverage.

A hearing was held and the trial court rendered judgment declaring that the policy provided liability coverage for the claims asserted by the Reeds. American Equity appealed.

III.

LAW AND ANALYSIS

The Standard of Review

Summary judgments are reviewed de novo on appeal. See State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co. v. Landry, 96-331 (La.App. 3 Cir. 10/9/96), 688 So.2d 1125 (citing Schroeder v. Bd. of Supervisors of La. State Univ., 591 So.2d 342 (La.1991)). Accordingly, our review of this matter requires application of the same standards as those applied by the trial court. Id. These standards require us to adhere to La.Code Civ.P. art. 966, which provides that summary judgment shall be granted forthwith, as a matter of law, when the mover establishes with competent evidence, consisting of pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, admissions on file, and any *1214 affidavits, that there is no genuine issue as to a material fact and that he is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. See also Hayes v. Autin, 96-287 (La.App. 3 Cir. 12/26/96), 685 So.2d 691, writ denied, 97-0281 (La.3/14/97), 690 So.2d 41.

Prior to this final determination being made, we are to assess whether the party opposing the motion has responded with competent documents to produce evidence of a material factual dispute as to the claims asserted. Id. We recognize, however, that more than merely the existence of a scintilla of evidence is needed to survive the motion. See Davis v. Bd. of Sup'rs of La. State Univ., 97-382 (La.App. 4 Cir. 3/18/98), 709 So.2d 1030, writ denied, 98-1329 (La.6/26/98), 719 So.2d 1288. Rather, in an ordinary civil case such as this, when summary judgment is sought based on the lack of a material fact, we are required to ask "whether a fair-minded jury could return a verdict for the non-moving party on the evidence presented." Id. at 1034 (citing Anderson v.

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927 So. 2d 1210, 2006 WL 862831, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/reed-v-american-equity-insurance-co-lactapp-2006.