Sapp v. State Farm Fire & Casualty Co.

486 S.E.2d 71, 226 Ga. App. 200, 97 Fulton County D. Rep. 1838, 1997 Ga. App. LEXIS 566
Court of Appeals of Georgia·Decided April 17, 1997·No. A97A0755·Published·Cited by 34 cases

Opinion

Eldridge, Judge.

This is a declaratory judgment proceeding initiated by appellee State Farm Fire & Casualty Company to determine its obligation to provide a defense or coverage to Don W. Day Construction Company, Inc. and/or Don Day (“defendants Day”) and third-party beneficiary rights of appellant Gerald L. Sapp, M.D. under a Contractor’s Policy No. 91-33-9363-6 (“State Farm policy”). The litigation underlying this declaratory judgment proceeding was brought by appellant Sapp against Don Day and Bruce Hardwood Floors, a division of Triangle Pacific Corporation (“Bruce Hardwood Floors”); Bruce Hardwood Floors is not a party to the declaratory judgment action from which this appeal arises. The underlying civil action is premised upon allegedly negligent repairs and/or renovations made by defendants Day to appellant’s home in Tifton, Tift County, Georgia.

On or about December 1, 1991, appellant employed defendants Day to conduct repairs and renovations to his home. As part of these renovations, defendants Day made repairs to the floor joist and installed approximately 2,800 square feet of hardwood flooring throughout the home. A portion of the work consisted of preparation of the crawl space, installation of drain tile, removal of water- *201 damaged material under the home, and preparation of the home to provide adequate ventilation and moisture barriers. This particular work was to be performed to protect the hardwood flooring from a moisture problem under the home.

A few weeks after installation, the hardwood floor began to “cup” or “warp,” and eventually the hardwood floor had to be removed. On February 22, 1994, appellant filed a civil action, which was the underlying litigation to the case sub judice, against defendants Day and Bruce Hardwood Floors. Appellant sought recovery for the negligent installation of the hardwood floor, negligence in recommending what type of flooring should be installed, the costs of removing and replacing the flooring, and the costs of placing his home in the condition it was prior to removing and replacing the hardwood flooring.

On April 29, 1994, appellee filed this action for declaratory judgment, and on August 24, 1994, appellee filed a motion for summary judgment, which was granted by the trial court. It is from the trial court’s order granting summary judgment that appellant Sapp appeals. 1

Appellant’s first enumeration of error asserts that the trial court erred in granting summary judgment in favor of the appellee. Appellant’s enumerations of error 2 through 5 are sub-allegations of this primary enumeration and delineate the reasons the trial court erred in granting summary judgment in favor of the appellee. We affirm the trial court’s ruling and address each of the appellant’s sub-allegations as follows:

(a) Appellant asserts that the trial court erred in holding that defendants Day “did not have a reasonable expectation of coverage due to the ambiguities created by appellee in its policy of insurance issued to him.” We disagree.

“In Georgia, insurance is a matter of contract, and the parties to an insurance policy are bound by its plain and unambiguous terms. [Cit.]” Richards v. Hanover Ins. Co., 250 Ga. 613, 614 (299 SE2d 561) (1983). “Although the provisions of an insurance policy will be construed against the insurer when a part is susceptible of two constructions and a court will adopt that interpretation which is most favorable to the insured, if the language is unambiguous and but one reasonable construction is possible, the court will enforce the contract as written. Interpretation of policy provisions which are plain and definite is a matter of law for the trial court, and a policy provision is not ambiguous even though presenting a question of construction, unless and until an application of the pertinent rules of con *202 struction leaves it uncertain as to which of two or more possible meanings represents the true intention of the parties.” (Citations and punctuation omitted.) Auto-Owners Ins. Co. v. Barnes, 188 Ga. App. 439, 441 (1) (373 SE2d 217) (1988).

The declaration pages of the State Farm policy describe the “schedule” or “description” of the various construction operations of the named insured, Don W. Day Construction Company, Inc., and identifies the premiums by category of contractor’s operations associated with the risks insured against. Such declaration pages provide that appellee “will provide the insurance described in the policy in return for the premium and compliance with all applicable provisions of this policy,” and thereafter, on two pages entitled “Supplemental Declarations, Schedule of Contractors Operations 05-01-92,” a description of the operations of the insured is set forth in some detail.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Sapp v. State Farm Fire & Casualty Co., 486 S.E.2d 71, 226 Ga. App. 200, 97 Fulton County D. Rep. 1838, 1997 Ga. App. LEXIS 566 (Ga. Ct. App. 1997).

486 S.E.2d 71 (Sapp v. State Farm Fire & Casualty Co.) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

Related

Untitled Case
M.D. Georgia, 2026
Ace American Insurance Company v. The Wattles Company
930 F.3d 1240 (Eleventh Circuit, 2019)
Employers Mutual Casualty Co. v. Shivam Trading, Inc.
709 F. App'x 663 (Eleventh Circuit, 2018)
Pulte Home Corp. v. American Safety Indemnity Co.
264 F. Supp. 3d 1073 (S.D. California, 2017)
Auto Owners Insurance Company v. Gay Construction Company
774 S.E.2d 798 (Court of Appeals of Georgia, 2015)
National Casualty Company v. Repheka Persadi
582 F. App'x 839 (Eleventh Circuit, 2014)
Stresscon Corp. v. Travelers Property Casualty Co. of America
2013 COA 131 (Colorado Court of Appeals, 2013)
Bennett & Bennett Construction, Inc. v. Auto Owners Insurance
747 S.E.2d 426 (Supreme Court of South Carolina, 2013)
QBE Insurance Co. v. Couch Pipeline & Grading, Inc.
692 S.E.2d 795 (Court of Appeals of Georgia, 2010)
Hathaway Development Co. v. American Empire Surplus Lines Insurance Co.
686 S.E.2d 855 (Court of Appeals of Georgia, 2009)
Transportation Insurance Co. v. Piedmont Construction Group, LLC
686 S.E.2d 824 (Court of Appeals of Georgia, 2009)
Auto Owners Ins. Co., Inc. v. Newman
684 S.E.2d 541 (Supreme Court of South Carolina, 2009)
Historical Home Designs, Inc. v. Central Mutual Insurance Co.
673 S.E.2d 315 (Court of Appeals of Georgia, 2009)
Gentry MacHine Works, Inc. v. Harleysville Mutual Insurance
621 F. Supp. 2d 1288 (M.D. Georgia, 2008)
Gregory L. Tippitt v. Reliance Standard Life Ins.
457 F.3d 1227 (Eleventh Circuit, 2006)
Guideone Life Insurance v. Ward
619 S.E.2d 723 (Court of Appeals of Georgia, 2005)