Seaboard Fire & Marine Insurance v. Gibbs

265 F. Supp. 623, 1967 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9066
CourtDistrict Court, D. South Carolina
DecidedMarch 22, 1967
DocketCiv. A. No. 8794
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 265 F. Supp. 623 (Seaboard Fire & Marine Insurance v. Gibbs) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. South Carolina primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Seaboard Fire & Marine Insurance v. Gibbs, 265 F. Supp. 623, 1967 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9066 (D.S.C. 1967).

Opinion

HEMPHILL, District Judge.

This action is brought by the insurer of Daniel Gibbs for a declaration that no coverage was provided by their policy of automobile insurance for a two-vehicle collision in which Gibbs was involved. The case was submitted upon a stipulation of facts and the introduction into evidence the depositions of Gibbs and his employer, Aaron Whitney Leland. The facts stipulated are:

1. That on November 10, 1962, the Plaintiff issued to the Defendant Daniel Gibbs its liability insurance policy No. SA 370912 agreeing to insure the Defendant Daniel Gibbs against liability up to the total amount of Twenty-five Thousand ($25,000.00) Dollars for each occurrence or accident and medical expenses up to One Thousand ($1,000.00) Dollars for each person injured in or upon Gibbs’ 1951 Dodge pickup truck and that this policy was in full force and effect on December 27, 1962, and that a copy of the policy is annexed hereto as Plaintiff’s Exhibit No. 1, and it is stipulated by and between the parties that this is a true copy of the above policy to be admitted as a part of the record.
2. That on December 22, 1962, at about 8:30 in the morning, the Defendant, Daniel Gibbs, was involved in a vehicular accident upon Highway 700, also known as the Rockville Road, Wadmalaw Island, in the County of Charleston, State of South Carolina, while operating a Chevrolet truck bearing S. C. License No. Farm 9531 registered in the name of A. W. Leland, which collided with a 1961 Chevrolet automobile bearing S. C. License No. E185702 owned and operated by the Defendant, H. Evans Townsend, in which 1961 Chevrolet automobile the Defendant, Thaddeus [625]*625Brisbane, was a passenger and that the remaining defendants were passengers in the truck operated by the Defendant, Daniel Gibbs.
3. That in December, 1962, Daniel Gibbs reported the accident to Southern Farm Bureau Casualty Insurance Company, the liability insurance carrier for A. W. Leland, covering the truck involved in the collision and that Southern Farm Bureau Casualty Insurance Company undertook an investigation of the accident.
4. That on September 28, 1963, a Summons and Complaint on behalf of Thaddeus Brisbane asking damages for personal injuries allegedly sustained in the collision were served upon Daniel Gibbs and thereafter, in November of 1963, the accident was reported and suit papers were turned over to representatives of the Plaintiff, a copy of the said Summons and Complaint being hereto attached and stipulated to be a true copy thereof. That the Defendant, Daniel Gibbs, had made no previous report of the accident to the Plaintiff.
5. That Plaintiff was invited to appear in the pending action by the attorneys for Thaddeus Brisbane in accordance with a letter from J. W. Cabaniss to Messrs. Brockinton & Brockinton, dated November 7, 1963, copy of which is attached hereto as Exhibit 1 of the Defendant Thaddeus Brisbane and stipulated to be a true copy thereof; that Plaintiff’s representative undertook an investigation, in connection with which registered letters were addressed to Daniel Gibbs by Messrs. Brockinton & Brockinton on November 14, 1963, and on November 19, 1963, copies of which are hereto attached and stipulated to be true copies thereof.
6. That the Plaintiff refused to appear and defend on behalf of Daniel Gibbs as will appear from letters from W. H. Brockinton dated December 24, 1963, addressed to Daniel Gibbs and Joseph W. Cabaniss, respectively, copies of which are annexed hereto and made a part hereof as Exhibit 2 of the Defendant, Thaddeus Brisbane, and stipulated to be true copies thereof.
7. That the Defendant, Thaddeus Brisbane, thereafter by letter dated December 28, 1963, from J. W. Cabaniss to Messrs. Brockinton & Brockinton again offered the Plaintiff the opportunity to appear and defend in the action brought against Daniel Gibbs and copy of this letter is annexed hereto as Exhibit 3 of the Defendant, Thaddeus Brisbane and stipulated to be a true copy thereof, but Plaintiff denied coverage and refused to further participate in the handling of the matter.
8. That the Defendant in the present action, Thaddeus Brisbane, entered into a Covenant Not to Sue with A. W. Leland, K. W. Leland and H. Evans Townsend, a copy of which is hereto attached and stipulated to be a true copy thereof, and that an Order of Non-suit without prejudice to any claim against Daniel Gibbs was entered in the aforesaid action, a copy of which is hereto attached and stipulated to be a true copy thereof, and that thereafter, on September 18,1964, Summons and Complaint in the case of Thaddeus Brisbane versus Daniel Gibbs in the Court of Common Pleas for Charleston County were served upon Daniel Gibbs, a copy of which is hereto attached and stipulated to be a true copy thereof, and copies were forwarded to representatives of Seaboard Fire & Marine Insurance Company by G. M. Howe, Jr., attorney for Daniel Gibbs, on September 22, 1964, and that the Plaintiff has appeared and is defending under a non-waiver agreement entered into on November 22, 1963, with Daniel Gibbs, whereby it reserved all rights to disclaim coverage under the terms and conditions of the policy, a copy of which is hereto attached and stipulated to be a true copy thereof.
9. That the depósitions of Daniel Gibbs and Aaron Whitney Leland were taken on March 18, 1966, and [626]*626are hereby stipulated to be admitted as a part of the record, all objections made by counsel being reserved for determination by the Court.

The exhibits referred to above are part of the permanent record in the case, and they are not attached to this order. The stipulation is conclusive that there exists an actual controversy between the parties which involves over $10,000. The citizenship of the parties is diverse. The court has jurisdiction. From the testimony introduced by depositions it is necessary to make further findings of fact to determine if the policy provided coverage for the accident. Under the requirements of Rule 52(a) of the Rules of Civil Procedure the findings of fact shall be found specially, and the conclusions of law stated separately.

The insurer contends that there was no coverage under its policy because: (a) the policy provided coverage for a four-wheel vehicle, and the vehicle operated by Gibbs, the named insured, at the time of the accident was a six-wheel truck; (b) the truck was neither an owned automobile nor a non-owned automobile within the meaning defined by the policy; (c) the truck was not a private passenger automobile within the meaning of the policy; and (d) Gibbs’ failure to give notice to the insurer was prejudicial to the insurer.

The policy provides that the company “will pay on behalf of the insured all sums which the insured shall become legally obligated to pay as damages because of bodily injury or property damage, arising out of the ownership, maintenance or use of an owned automobile or a non-owned automobile, and the company shall defend any suit alleging such bodily injury or property damage and seeking damages which are payable under the terms of this policy * * *»

The policy defines the persons insured “under the liability and medical expense coverages:”

(b) with respect to the use of a non-owned automobile,
(1) the named insured,

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Related

Jones v. Globe Indemnity Co.
305 F. Supp. 242 (E.D. California, 1969)
Bringle v. Economy Fire & Casualty Company
169 N.W.2d 879 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1969)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
265 F. Supp. 623, 1967 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9066, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/seaboard-fire-marine-insurance-v-gibbs-scd-1967.