Sias v. Weiner's Stores, Inc.

708 So. 2d 442, 1998 La. App. LEXIS 207, 1998 WL 52251
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedFebruary 11, 1998
DocketNo. 97-938
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 708 So. 2d 442 (Sias v. Weiner's Stores, Inc.) 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
Sias v. Weiner's Stores, Inc., 708 So. 2d 442, 1998 La. App. LEXIS 207, 1998 WL 52251 (La. Ct. App. 1998).

Opinions

AMY, Judge.

Rosalie Sias, the plaintiff, appeals from a summary judgment in favor of Audubon Indemnity Company dismissing all of her claims against them. For the reasons which follow, we affirm.

DISCUSSION OF THE RECORD

Rosalie Sias purchased a pair , of dress shoes from Weiner’s department store on January 21, 1994. On the following evening, at a social event for which she purchased the shoes, the plaintiff injured her foot and toes after the heel of one of the shoes separated from the sole, causing her to fall.

Initially, the plaintiff filed suit against Wiener’s seeking damages under a theory of products liability. Plaintiff’s petition was subsequently amended to add Audubon Indemnity Co., Weiner’s product liability insurer. Weiner’s and Audubon filed a motion for summary judgment contending that Weiner’s was not a | manufacturer under La.R.S. 9:2800.53. This motion was later denied by the trial court.

On April 12,1995, Weiner’s filed a petition under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code in the United States Bankruptcy Court of the District of Columbia. After an unsuccessful attempt by the plaintiff to sever her claim against Audubon from the claim against Weiner’s, she was forced to dismiss her claim without prejudice against Weiner’s Stores Inc. to proceed against Audubon pursuant to La.R.S. 22:655,1 Louisiana’s direct action statute.

[444]*44413Audubon filed an exception of no right of action and a second motion for summary judgment, this time asserting that the insurance policy only covered amounts over the $100,000 per occurrence deductible or the $500,000 annual aggregate deductible,2 neither of which had been satisfied in the present case. Although the trial judge denied Audubon’s exception, she did grant its motion for summary judgment, finding no coverage under the policy, and dismissed plaintiff’s claim to proceed under the policy.

Plaintiff appeals, alleging the following trial court errors: (1) the trial court erred when it found that no reasonable interpretation of the policy would provide coverage for plaintiff’s claim; and (2) the trial court erred in its reliance upon affidavits which were, proeedurally defective.

LAW

In this case, the plaintiff contends that the trial court erred by granting the defendant’s motion for summary judgment. The plaintiff argues that the policy is ambiguous and is to be interpreted for the benefit of the injured party. Additionally, the plaintiff argues that the risk that the insured would file for bankruptcy should properly be borne by the insurer. In response, the defendant contends that the insurance policy in question is not ambiguous and only covers those amounts which 14the insured is legally obligated to pay over the $100,000 per occurrence deductible or the $500,000 annual aggregate deductible. It was undisputed that the plaintiff’s damages were less than $100,000 and that the $500,000 aggregate deductible had not been met for the relevant policy year. Because the plaintiffs second assignment of error concerns the procedural soundness of two affidavits submitted by Audubon to support its motion for summary judgment, we will address plaintiff’s assignments together.

Appellate courts review summary judgments de novo utilizing the same criteria as trial courts. Potter v. First Fed. Sav. & Loan Assoc. of Scotlandville, 615 So.2d 318 (La.1993); Schroeder v. Board of Supervisors of Louisiana State University, 591 So.2d 342 (La.1991).

Louisiana Civil Code article 966, which was amended and reenacted during the 1997 Regular Session of the legislature,3 provides, in pertinent part:

B. The motion for summary judgment and supporting affidavits shall be served at least ten days before the time specified for the hearing. The adverse party may serve opposing affidavits prior to the date of the hearing. The judgment sought shall be rendered forthwith if the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions on file, together with the affidavits, if any, show that there is no genuine issue as to material fact, and that mover is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.
C. (1) After adequate discovery or after a case is set for trial, .a motion which [445]*445shows that there is no genuine issue as to material fact and that the mover is entitled to judgment as a matter of law shall be granted.
15(2) The burden of proof remains with the movant. However, if the movant will not bear the burden of proof at trial on the matter that is before the court on the motion for summary judgment, the mov-ant’s burden on the motion does not require him to negate all essential elements of the adverse party’s claim, action, or defense, but rather to point out to the court that there is an absence of factual support for one or more elements essential to the adverse party’s claim, action, or defense. Thereafter, if the adverse party fails to produce factual support sufficient to establish that he will be able to satisfy his evidentiary burden of proof at trial, there is no genuine issue of material fact.
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E. A summary judgment may be rendered dispositive of a particular issue, theory of recovery, cause of action, or defense, in favor of one or more parties, even though the granting of the summary judgment does not dispose of the entire case.

Initially, the mover bears the burden of proving, through supportive evidence, that no material issues of fact exist and that he is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Hayes v. Autin, 96-287 (La.App. 3 Cir. 12/26/96), 685 So.2d 691, writ denied, 97-0281 (La.3/14/97), 690 So.2d 41. Once this initial showing is made by the mover, the burden then shifts to the nonmoving party to establish that he will be able to satisfy .his eviden-tiary burden of proof at trial. La.Code Civ.P. art. 966; Hayes, 685 So.2d 691. If the nonmoving party fails to do so, the mover is entitled to summary judgment. In a situation where a court must interpret an insurance policy to determine whether under the given factual circumstances the policy language provided coverage to the plaintiff, this court has made the following observation. “Affidavits filed in support or opposition to a motion for summary judgment must be made on personal knowledge, by one competent to testify as to such matters, andjgthe facts set forth must be admissible in evidence.” State Farm, Mut. Auto. Ins. Co. v. Landry, 96-331, p. 5 (La.App. 3 Cir. 10/9/96), 688 So.2d 1125, 1128.

In support of its motion for summary judgment, Audubon offered the insurance policy issued by it to Weiner’s, as well as the affidavits of Nathan Walker, vice-president of Claims for Wisenberg Insurance and Risk Management, and Raymond J. Miller, vice-president and CFO of Weiner’s Stores, Inc.

In January 1994, a commercial general liability insurance contract was entered into between Weiner’s Stores, Inc. and Audubon Indemnity Co. The policy period was to run from January 1, 1994 to January 1, 1995. Under the relevant schedule, “DEDUCTIBLE LIABILITY INSURANCE,” coverage was qualified by a $100,000 per occurrence deductible. Additionally, this endorsement provided for an annual aggregate deductible of $500,000. Further, this endorsement contained the following relevant limiting provisions:

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708 So. 2d 442, 1998 La. App. LEXIS 207, 1998 WL 52251, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/sias-v-weiners-stores-inc-lactapp-1998.