Rowan v. Beacon Ins.

8 Ohio App. Unrep. 655
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedDecember 21, 1990
DocketCase No. 90-L-14-005
StatusPublished

This text of 8 Ohio App. Unrep. 655 (Rowan v. Beacon Ins.) 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
Rowan v. Beacon Ins., 8 Ohio App. Unrep. 655 (Ohio Ct. App. 1990).

Opinion

CHRISTLEY, P.J.

Appellants, Barbara and Charles Rowan, a married couple, reside in Perry, Lake County, Ohio. In December 1984, a vehicle operated by an uninsured motorist crossed the centerline of a highway and collided with a vehicle driven by Barbara. As a result, Barbara suffered multiple bodily injuries and, along with her husband, incurred medical expenses in excess of $25,000. A passenger in Barbara's vehicle also suffered injuries in the accident.

At the time of the accident, appellants' vehicle was insured under a policy issued by appellee, Beacon Insurance Company. The terms of this policy provided, inter alia, for uninsured motorist coverage, with limits of $50,000 per person and $100,000 per occurrence. The terms also provided for excess medical payments coverage of $5,000 per person. Under this policy, both appellants and the injured passenger were insureds.

In addition to the vehicle involved in the accident, the policy in question also applied to a second vehicle owned by appellants. To receive this additional coverage, appellants paid separate premiums for each vehicle.

In March 1986, appellants initiated a declaratory judgment action in the Lake County Court of Common Pleas against appellee. In their complaint, appellants sought the resolution of various issues which had arisen concerning the rights of the parties under the policy. The majority of these issues pertained to the extent of appellee's liability to appellants under the uninsured motorist coverage and the excess medical expenses coverage.

In answering the complaint, appellee asserted two counterclaims against appellants. Under these claims, appellee alleged that the extent of its liability under the two coverages at issue was $50,000 and $5,000, respectively. In its answer, appellee also stated that the proper defendant in the action was the American Select Insurance Company, as it was the party which had issued the policy in question.

After engaging in preliminary discovery, the parties filed a joint stipulation of the facts in the casa A summary of the stipulated facts was given in the first three paragraphs of this opinion. In addition, the parties also stipulated to the terms of the policy, a copy of which was attached to the stipulation.

The parties then submitted briefs concerning some of the issues which they had raised in the pleadings. In their brief, appellants raised the following five issues:

1. whether, under the uninsured motorist coverage as to one vehicle, the maximum liability applicable to appellants' claim was $99,000;

2. whether, under the same coverage as to one vehicle, the maximum liability applicable to appellants' separate claims was $50,000 per person or $100,000 per occurrence;

3. whether appellants were entitled to stack the uninsured motorist coverage as to both vehicles;

4. whether appellants could recover punitive damages under the uninsured motorist coverage; and,

5. whether the excess medical expenses coverage on the two vehicles could be stacked.

In its brief, appellee essentially addressed the issues raised in appellants' brief. As to the extent of liability under the uninsured motorist coverage, appellee argued that the claim of Charles Rowan under the policy was derived from that of his wife, and thus that maximum liability applicable to both claims was $50,000.

After the parties had filed answer briefs, the trial court issued a judgment. In this entry, the court reached the following conclusions:

1. appellants could maintain separate and distinct causes of action under the policy;

[657]*6572. the policy did not contain an anti-stacking clause which would prevent appellants from stacking the coverages on the two vehicles;

3. the maximum liability as to each of appellants' claims under the uninsured motorist coverage was $50,000; and

4. Barbara Rowen was not entitled to stack the excess medical expenses coverage as to both vehicles under the policy.

Following the entry of this judgment, appellants filed a notice of appeal with this court. After the parties had submitted supplemental briefs on the issue of whether the judgment was a final appealable order, this court dismissed the appeal on the grounds that the judgment did not address all of the claims raised by the parties and did not contain a finding of no just cause for delay. See, Rowan v. Beacon Ins. Co. (May 26, 1989), Lake App. No. 12-150, unreported.

On remand, the parties submitted competing motions for summary judgment. In doing so, the parties reargued many of the issues which had been decided in the first judgment. The parties also raised issues concerning the award of punitive damages and prejudgment interest, the remaining issues.

The trial court then issued a second judgment denying both motions for summary judgment. In this entry, the court specifically stated that its previous entry remained in effect as to the issues addressed therein. The court then held, as to the two remaining issues, that punitive damages were not recoverable and that prejudgment interest could not be awarded.

Approximately one week following the entry of the second judgment, appellants moved for findings of fact and conclusions of law, pursuant to Civ. R. 52. The trial court also denied this motion, concluding that such an entry was not necessary when the parties had stipulated to the facts.

Both parties have filed notices of appeal from the trial court's second judgment. Under their appeal, appellants have assigned the following as error:

"1. The trial court erred to the prejudice of plaintiff-appellants in holding that the stacking of the uninsured-other-motorist coverages of Part IV, for injuries and damages suffered by Barbara Rowan and Charles Rowan, was permitted, but then applying subparagraph (a), Limits of Liability in Part IV, to limit actual coverage to $50,000.00 for each. (See Judgment Entry of February 18, 1987 adopted in Judgment Entry of December 11, 1989 by reference without further consideration or discussion.)

"2. The trial court erred to the prejudice of plaintiff-appellants in refusing to stack medical coverages for the benefit of Barbara Rowan's medical expenses. (See Judgment Entry of February 18, 1987, adopted in Judgment Entry of December 11, 1989 by reference without further consideration or discussion.)

"3. The trial court erred to the prejudice of plaintiff-appellants in failing to specify in its judgment a one-year limitation of medical expense coverage (Part II) was unreasonable, and that the claims of Charles Rowan would include medical expenses incurred by him for his wife after the proper medical coverage under Part II of the policy, and would be covered under his general claim coverage 'for care and loss of services.' (See Judgment Entry of February 18, 1987, adopted in Judgment Entry of December 11, 1989 by reference without further consideration or discussion) in which this issue was not covered.

"4. The trial court erred to the prejudice of plaintiff-appellants in determining that punitive damages are not covered by or recoverable under the American Select Insurance Company's 1983 policy form covering plaintiff-appellants' accident of December 26, 1984.

"5.

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8 Ohio App. Unrep. 655, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/rowan-v-beacon-ins-ohioctapp-1990.