Sayes v. Safeco Insurance Co. of America

576 So. 2d 1071, 1991 La. App. LEXIS 433, 1991 WL 33634
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedMarch 13, 1991
DocketNo. 89-349
StatusPublished

This text of 576 So. 2d 1071 (Sayes v. Safeco Insurance Co. of America) 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
Sayes v. Safeco Insurance Co. of America, 576 So. 2d 1071, 1991 La. App. LEXIS 433, 1991 WL 33634 (La. Ct. App. 1991).

Opinion

KING, Judge.

The only issues before this Court, on remand from the Louisiana Supreme Court, are whether plaintiffs are entitled to penalties and attorney’s fees.

This appeal concerns a suit brought by Dwight A. Sayes and Phyllis E. Sayes (hereinafter plaintiffs) against Safeco Insurance Company (hereinafter defendant) to collect the difference between the “actual cash value” and the “replacement value”, under plaintiffs’ homeowners insurance policy issued by defendant, for damages sustained from a fire in plaintiffs’ home. Plaintiffs filed a Motion For Summary Judgment seeking immediate payment of the replacement value of their damaged property and defendant filed a Motion For Declaratory Judgment seeking a ruling from the trial court that no payment, in excess of the actual cash value of the damages previously paid to plaintiffs, were due under the terms of its policy of insurance until the damages to plaintiffs’ dwelling had actually been repaired. The trial court denied plaintiffs’ Motion For Summary Judgment and granted defendant’s Motion For Declaratory Judgment. Plaintiffs appealed to this Court. We reversed the declaratory judgment of the trial court, insofar as it held that defendant was not required to pay replacement costs before actual repair or replacement was made, and granted plaintiffs’ Motion For Summary Judgment and ordered defendant to pay plaintiffs the sum of $16,013.08, together with legal interest from date of judicial demand, until paid. Plaintiffs’ claim for penalties and attorney’s fees was denied. Sayes v. Safeco Insurance Company of America, 567 So.2d 687 (La.App. 3 Cir.1990).

Plaintiffs applied for writs to the Louisiana Supreme Court from our denial of their claim for penalties and attorney’s fees which were granted. Sayes v. Safeco Insurance Company of America, 571 So.2d 639 (La.1990). The Louisiana Supreme Court granted the writ and remanded this matter to us with instructions to reconsider our opinion in connection with the plaintiffs’ claim for penalties and attorney’s fees.

In remanding this case to us, the Louisiana Supreme Court specifically directed that we should consider plaintiffs’ claim for penalties and attorney’s fees in light of La.R.S. 22:695 and Holloway v. Liberty Mutual Insurance Company, 290 So.2d 791 (La.App. 1 Cir.1974), writ den., 293 So.2d 191 (La.1974); and Gibsland Supply Company v. American Employees Insurance Company, 242 So.2d 310 (La.App. 2 Cir.1970), writ den., 257 La. 987, 244 So.2d 858 (1971).

FACTS

The facts of this case are clearly described in our previous appellate opinion. See Sayes v. Safeco Insurance Company, 567 So.2d 687 (La.App. 3 Cir.1990). Ac[1073]*1073cordingly, we will not reiterate the facts herein, except where appropriate in our treatment of the issues presented.

PENALTIES AND ATTORNEY’S FEES

On March 7, 1988, plaintiffs’ dwelling, insured by defendant, was severely damaged by fire, although not totally destroyed. On May 3, 1988, plaintiffs furnished a proof of loss to defendant in the amount of $37,888.61, the estimated cost of repairing the fire damage. The adequacy of the proof of loss and the estimated cost of repairing the damages was not disputed by defendant. Defendant made a payment to plaintiffs of $21,875.53, representing the depreciated or “actual cash value” of the damaged property. Defendant contended that, under the terms of its policy, the balance of the loss was not payable to plaintiffs until the damaged property was actually repaired. This Court, in its previous appellate opinion, determined that payment of the entire undepreciated amount of the property damages, or the difference of $16,013.08, was immediately due and payable to plaintiffs.

Defendant contended that, under the terms of its policy, the balance of the loss was not payable to plaintiffs until the property damages were actually repaired. We found that the language of the insurance policy was ambiguous and that plaintiffs were entitled to immediate payment of the replacement cost of the damaged property before actual repairs were made. Finding a bona fide dispute existed over interpretation of the policy, we denied penalties and attorney’s fees since defendant had actually paid the depreciated cost of the damages, the “actual cash value,” and was not contending that the “replacement value” of the damages was not owed, but only that the “replacement value” of the damages was not owed until after actual repairs were made. Though we did not agree with defendant’s position, we found defendant’s argument was made in good faith and, for this reason, penalties and attorney’s fees were not awarded.

La.R.S. 22:695(B) (repealed July 27, 1988), which was in effect at the time of the loss, provided that:

“(B) Under any fire insurance policy, which may be written hereafter, and which is intended to take effect, at or after 12 o’clock noon, Central Standard Time, on the first day of August, 1964, on any inanimate property, immovable by nature or destination, situated within the State of Louisiana, the insurer shall pay to the insured, in case of partial damages, without criminal fault on the part of the insured or the insured’s assigns, such amount not exceeding the amount for which the property is insured, at the time of such partial amount for which the property is insured, at the time of such partial damage, in the policy of such insurer, as will permit the insured to restore the damaged property to its original condition; provided, however, that for any loss of an insured object which would constitute total loss under Sub-section A of this provision but which loss is covered by a blanket-form policy of insurance, Sub-section B of this provision shall apply, and the insurer shall pay to the insured an amount equal to the actual cash value at the time of the loss of each insured object so destroyed, not exceeding the total amount of the insurance.” (Emphasis supplied.)

In our earlier opinion, we did not discuss the application of this statute to the policy. This statute mandates that an insurer pay the insured, in case of partial damage, such amount as would permit the insured to restore the damaged property to its original condition. This statute obviously contemplates payment to the insured of the replacement cost of the damages before the repairs are actually made, otherwise, the insured would not have the insurance proceeds to restore the damaged property. We find that this statute was applicable to the defendant’s policy of insurance issued to plaintiffs. Defendant relied on provisions of its policy, which contravened this statute, and such position, even though taken in good faith, cannot relieve defendant from the imposition of statutory penalties and attorney’s fees. See Holloway [1074]*1074v. Liberty Mutual Insurance Company, supra and Gibsland Supply Company v. American Employers Insurance Company, supra. For these reasons, we find that statutory penalties are due and owing by defendant to plaintiffs for their failure to pay the cost of the replacement value of the damages to plaintiffs' home.

La.R.S. 22:658(B)(1),1 which was in effect at the time of the claim, provided that:

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Related

Holloway v. Liberty Mutual Fire Insurance Co.
290 So. 2d 791 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1974)
Gibsland Supply Co. v. American Employers Ins. Co.
242 So. 2d 310 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1971)
Sayes v. Safeco Ins. Co. of America
567 So. 2d 687 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1990)
Guillory v. Jim Tatman's Mobile Homes, Inc.
490 So. 2d 1185 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1986)
Holloway v. Liberty Mutual Fire Insurance Co.
293 So. 2d 191 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1974)
Dwight A. v. Safeco Insurance Co. of America
571 So. 2d 639 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1990)

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Bluebook (online)
576 So. 2d 1071, 1991 La. App. LEXIS 433, 1991 WL 33634, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/sayes-v-safeco-insurance-co-of-america-lactapp-1991.