Republic Insurance Co. v. State Farm Insurance Co.

416 S.W.2d 557, 1967 Tex. App. LEXIS 2807
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJune 2, 1967
Docket16837
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 416 S.W.2d 557 (Republic Insurance Co. v. State Farm Insurance Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Republic Insurance Co. v. State Farm Insurance Co., 416 S.W.2d 557, 1967 Tex. App. LEXIS 2807 (Tex. Ct. App. 1967).

Opinion

OPINION

RENFRO, Justice.

Appeal from a summary judgment.

The Republic Insurance Company instituted suit for declaratory judgment that it had no coverage in effect on a 1953 Chevrolet operated by Darrell Wayne Fulton on May 23, 1965, and declaring that it had no duty under its policy to defend Darrell Wayne Fulton in any lawsuits based on or arising out of a collision which occurred on May 23, 1965.

Defendants were State Farm Insurance Company, which insured Darrell Wayne Fulton’s parents; Darrell Wayne Fulton; Robert George Brooks and Florence Brooks, occupants of the car involved in a collision with Fulton; and Paul and Geneva Dietiker, who carried a liability policy with Republic Insurance Company.

Motion for summary judgment was filed by Fulton and State Farm Insurance Company.

Republic also filed motion for summary judgment.

Summary judgment, based on pleadings, depositions and affidavits, was rendered by the court against plaintiff, Republic Insurance Company. The judgment decreed that plaintiff, under its insurance policy, had coverage on the 1953 Chevrolet owned by the Dietikers, involved in the collision, while driven by Fulton, and it had the duty to defend Fulton and the Dietikers in any lawsuit arising out of the May 23, 1965 collision.

Plaintiff appealed on the ground that a fact issue arose as to whether the Dietikers insured all owned automobiles with plaintiff, and the court erred in declaring that plaintiff’s company had coverage in effect on the automobile in question.

As of the date of the collision the Dietikers owned a 1960 Ford insured by plaintiff. Early in 1965 they bought a *559 1954 Ford. The 1953 Chevrolet was bought by the Dietikers a week before the collision between it and the Brooks automobile.

The gist of the appeal is whether the 1954 Ford was an automobile as contemplated by the following provisions of the Dietikers’ policy issued to them by plaintiff : “ * * * ‘owned automobile’ means * * * (c) a private passenger, farm or utility automobile ownership of which is acquired by the named insured during the policy period, provided (1) it replaces an owned automobile as defined in (a) above, or (2) the company insures all private passenger, farm and utility automobiles owned by the named insured on the date of such acquisition and the named insured notifies the company during the policy period or within 30 days after the date of such acquisition of his election to make this and no other policy issued by the company applicable to such automobile.

* * *

It is the position of plaintiff that Dieti-Icer did not have all owned automobiles insured with Republic at the time he acquired ownership of the 1953 Chevrolet, and, therefore, since no insurance was purchased on the 1953 Chevrolet it was not an insured or owned automobile at the time of the collision; that at the time of the acquisition of the 1953 Chevrolet Dieti-ker owned and had valid title to a 1954 Ford which was not insured by plaintiff.

It is the position of appellees, State Farm and Fulton, that the 1954 Ford was “junk” and therefore not an automobile within the meaning of the heretofore quoted policy provision.

On June 6, 1964, Republic issued its family combination automobile policy No. ACF 1-385114 to Mrs. Dietiker. At that time the insured automobile was a 1957 Ford. On November 2, 1964, Dietiker traded the 1957 Ford in on a 1960 Ford, and on the same date a substitution of automobile endorsement form was issued showing the 1960 Ford substituted for the 1957 Ford.

The policy was issued for one year beginning June 6, 1964.

In January, 1965, Dietiker bought a 1954 Ford from Fulton and towed it to his house.

On May 17, 1965, Mrs. Dietiker bought a 1953 Chevrolet. Six days later Fulton, with Mrs. Dietiker’s permission, was driving the 1953 Chevrolet when the unfortunate accident occurred. Since the accident happened only six days after she acquired the 1953 Chevrolet she had not notified the insurance company of its acquisition, but did notify the issuing company on the date of the accident.

By deposition Mrs. Dietiker testified: Darrell Wayne Fulton, age 16, is her brother; she moved to Fort Worth from Clifton but continued to give Aars and Dahl of Clifton her insurance; she and her husband bought a 1957 Ford from her father, and later traded it in on a 1960 Ford; they bought the 1954 Ford in January, 1965; her husband wanted to “fix it up” for her; her husband drove it from the used car lot to the garage; he never used it; she never used it; it did not have any brakes; husband sprayed a little paint on it; the 1954 Ford sat in yard all the time they had it, it was never used; it was never in the street; it was on blocks; it had bad fuel pump and generator; when they moved they pulled in the 1954 Ford; at the new residence they pushed it into the garage; bought the 1954 Ford with intention of fixing it up and using it; on May 17, 1965, six days before the collision, she - bought the 1953 Chevrolet; it was in good running condition; she loaned it to her brother; she paid $95.00 for the ' 1954 Ford; the car dealer wrote on the receipt, “sold as is”; it was not used from January through May of 1965; it was never in “drivable condition” after it reached their yard; they never got a license for it; it was rusted and faded and looked like a junk automobile; they sold the 1954 Ford to a junk and salvage dealer for $25.00 or $30.00; the dealer had to drag *560 it away; they never, while they had it, even thought of insuring it.

After the 1953 Chevrolet was demolished in the collision she called Aars and Dahl and was told, “I’m sure you’re covered. * * Í)

The Dietikers never had the 1954 Ford Inspected; they did not intend for the 1954 Ford to be a replacement for the 1960 Ford, and did not intend for the 1953 Chevrolet to be a replacement for the 1954 Ford.

Mr. Dietiker testified by deposition: he bought the 1953 Chevrolet for his brother-in-law but title was in his name; he bought the 1954 Ford in January, 1965, after he bought the 1960 Ford and before he bought the 1953 Chevrolet; paid $90.00 for the 1954 Ford; he signed for the 1954 Ford and Darrell was going to buy it from him, but it would never run so Darrell decided he •did not want it; he towed it home from Darrell’s house; he never got it to run; it was pretty well rusted out; it did not have any brakes, the engine would not run, it had a bad roar in the rear end; the generator was bad; witness towed the 1954 Ford to his yard and just left it there, never moved it; when he moved to another house he towed the 1954 Ford; that was before the 1953 Chevrolet was in the accident; said the witness, “ * * * I’m a shade tree mechanic just like the biggest part of the people in my income, they have to fix their own cars half the time”; he looked ■under the hood, tried to start the car and it would not run; the following questions and answers were made:

“Q. What else did you do besides check to see if it was getting fuel and check to see if it was getting any sparks ?
“A. That was it.
“Q. Was it getting any sparks?
“A.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
416 S.W.2d 557, 1967 Tex. App. LEXIS 2807, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/republic-insurance-co-v-state-farm-insurance-co-texapp-1967.