Shafer v. Langston

311 So. 2d 63, 1975 La. App. LEXIS 3249
Louisiana Court of Appeal·Decided April 1, 1975·No. No. 12563·Published·Cited by 4 cases

Opinion

AYRES, Judge.

This is a suit to recover damages for injuries sustained in a head-on automobile collision. From a judgment in favor of plaintiffs, Jerry G. Shafer, Phillip Dale Gill, and Willie A. Byrd, and against defendants, Talmadge O. Langston and Dixie Auto Insurance Company, in solido, plaintiffs and defendant Dixie Auto Insurance Company appeal.

Plaintiffs were traveling north in a 1964 Ford owned and operated by Gill, and defendant Langston was traveling south driving a 1962 Ford when the accident occurred on Louisiana Highway No. 1 in Caddo Parish approximately one mile north of the city limits of Shreveport.

The trial court determined that the negligence of Langston was the sole cause of the collision and that the 1962 Ford he was driving was an insured vehicle as a “temporary substitute automobile” for the 1965 Dodge described in the public liability insurance policy, in full force and effect at the time of the accident, issued by Dixie Auto Insurance Company to Talmadge O. Langston. The alternative demand of plaintiffs against Great American Insurance Company, the uninsured motorist carrier for Shafer, was accordingly dismissed, as was the third-party demand of Great American against Langston in the event it became liable under this coverage to Shafer.

Talmadge O. Langston and Great American Insurance Company have neither appealed nor answered any appeals made from this judgment.

The issues on appeal are primarily whether the 1962 Ford driven by Langston is in fact covered under the policy issued by Dixie Auto Insurance Company, such coverage being denied by Dixie, and whether the trial court has in any way abused its discretion in the awards made to plaintiffs. We are not concerned that the accident was caused entirely by Langston’s negligence, for this is not disputed.

After careful examination of the Dixie Auto Insurance Company’s policy, we conclude that in order that there be coverage of the 1962 Ford, the automobile must fall within one of three classifications listed and defined in the policy as follows:

“IV(a)(l) Described Automobile — the motor vehicle or trailer described in this policy or, if none is so described, with respect to coverages A, B and di[65] vision 1 of coverage C, any private passenger automobile owned on the effective date of this policy by the named insured or by his spouse if a resident of the same household;
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“(3) Temporary Substitute Automobile — under coverages A, B and division 1 of coverage C, an automobile not owned by the named insured or his spouse if a resident of the same household, while temporarily used as a substitute for the described automobile when withdrawn from normal use because of its breakdown, repair, servicing, loss or destruction;
“(4) Newly Acquired Automobile — an automobile, ownership of which is acquired, by the named insured or his spouse if a resident of the same household if (i) it replaces an automobile owned by either and covered by this policy, or the company insures all automobiles owned by the named insured and such spouse on the date of its delivery, and (ii) the named insured or such spouse notifies the company within thirty days following such delivery date, but such notice is not required under coverages A, B and division 1 of coverage C if the newly acquired automobile replaces an owned automobile covered by this policy. The insurance with respect to the newly acquired automobile does not apply to any loss against which the named insured or such spouse has other valid and collectible insurance. Under coverages D, E, F, G and 1, when a limit of liability is expressed in the declarations as a stated amount, such limit as to the newly acquired automobile shall be replaced by the actual cash value. The named insured shall pay any additional premium required because of the application of the insurance to such newly acquired automobile.” (Emphasis supplied.)

The “described automobile” in the policy was a 1965 Dodge, not the 1962 Ford. No further discussion of this provision is necessary to realize that coverage is not provided under this classification.

The key to whether the Ford automobile might be regarded as a “temporary substitute automobile” under the facts and circumstances is ownership. If Langston, and not his daughter as determined by the trial court, is the owner, then the automobile cannot be considered a “temporary substitute automobile,” for the policy clearly states that it must be “an automobile not owned by the named insured.”

Careful consideration of the record discloses the preponderance of the evidence establishes that Langston had owned the 1962 Ford since January 27, 1970, when he purchased the car in his own name. All payments on the car, except for $300.00 paid by his daughter, Kathy, and her husband, Ronald Plants, were made from the joint account of the Langstons. In fact, the final payment of $165.90 was made from this account with a check endorsed by Mrs. Langston. After receiving this last payment, Shreveport Auto Finance, holder of the mortgage on the car, forwarded the title to Langston.

Apparently, the car was purchased for the use of Langston’s daughter while she was in high school. She married shortly after graduation and took the car with her and kept it with her for almost two years until she separated from her husband and returned home, leaving it behind in an inoperable condition. There is no showing, however, the Langston executed any instrument transferring the automobile to his daughter or that she ever redonated the car to him, as he testified. It is clear from Langston’s testimony that he had control of the car and could take it back at any time.

After his 1965 Dodge was wrecked, Langston replaced the battery in the 1962 Ford and did whatever else was necessary to put the car in running order. He then began using it and, as he testified, it was the only car he used, and he used it when[66] ever he so wanted. Langston and his daughter both stated that he took possession again permanently, and he also testified that he intended to continue using it and even trade it if he so desired.

Since title, control, and unrestricted use was had by Langston, we cannot but conclude that he was always the owner of the car. The provision as to a “temporary substitute automobile” does not therefore afford coverage to the 1962 Ford.

For coverage in the last category, as a “newly acquired automobile,” Langs-ton, as the named insured, would have had to acquire ownership within a thirty-day time limit or must have notified Dixie that the 1962 Ford was to replace the 1965 Dodge as the described automobile. There is no evidence that any such notice was given prior to the accident on February 28, 1973, but to the contrary the insurance agency was not even aware that Langston owned a Ford until after the accident. The thirty-day grace period of course is not applicable, since we determined that Lang-ston had owned the Ford automobile since 1970.

The Dixie Auto Insurance Company’s liability policy also contains a clause providing coverage for the “use of other automobiles,” but the following exclusion to such coverage is applicable:

“(d) This insuring agreement does not apply:

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Shafer v. Langston, 311 So. 2d 63, 1975 La. App. LEXIS 3249 (La. Ct. App. 1975).

311 So. 2d 63 (Shafer v. Langston) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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