Southern Farm Bureau Casualty Insurance v. Williams

543 S.W.2d 467, 260 Ark. 659, 1976 Ark. LEXIS 1860
CourtSupreme Court of Arkansas
DecidedNovember 15, 1976
Docket76-68
StatusPublished
Cited by56 cases

This text of 543 S.W.2d 467 (Southern Farm Bureau Casualty Insurance v. Williams) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Arkansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Southern Farm Bureau Casualty Insurance v. Williams, 543 S.W.2d 467, 260 Ark. 659, 1976 Ark. LEXIS 1860 (Ark. 1976).

Opinion

Frank Holt, Justice.

This appeal arises from a judgment in favor of appellee in a suit involving the extent of the coverage of an automobile insurance policy issued by appellant to appellee. During the time appellee’s insured vehicle was being repaired, it became necessary for him to borrow his daughter’s and her husband’s car. The daughter was staying with her parents during the time her husband was stationed overseas in the military service. When appellee drove the borrowed car, he struck a pedestrian. As a result a suit was filed by the pedestrian for damages against appellee. Appellee made demand upon appellant to defend the suit pursuant to the terms of his insurance policy. Appellant refused stating that the borrowed automobile was not an insured vehicle under the “TEMPORARY USE OF SUBSTITUTE AUTOMOBILE” clause, since the automobile was owned by and furnished for the regular use of appellee’s daughter who was a member of the appellee’s household. After appellee’s successful defense of the personal injury suit against him, he brought this action to collect his attorney’s fees, expenses and a penalty against appellant for its refusal to defend the suit. At trial the court denied appellant’s motions for a directed verdict. For reversal of the judgment, based on a jury verdict in appellee’s favor, appellant asserts that the evidence is insufficient to support the verdict.

In determining whether a verdict is supported by substantial evidence, we review the evidence in that light which is most favorable to the appellee and indulge all reasonable inferences favoring the support of the jury’s findings. Ark. State Highway Comm. v. Cook, 257 Ark. 98, 514 S.W. 2d 215 (1974); and Fields v. Sugar, 251 Ark. 1062, 476 S.W. 2d 814 (1972). Here appellant argues that no substantial evidence exists from which the jury could have found that the automobile driven by appellee at the time of the accident was a temporary substitute automobile within the meaning of the policy. The relevant provision of the insurance contract provides:

VII TEMPORARY USE OF SUBSTITUTE AUTOMOBILE While a described automobile is withdrawn from use, such insurance as is afforded by this policy applies to another automobile not owned by or furnished for the regular use of the named insured or spouse, or members of the same household, while temporarily used as a substitute for such automobile. This insuring agreement does not cover as an insured the owner of the substitute automobile or any employee of such owner.

It is undisputed that appellee’s daughter and her husband were co-owners of the automobile. The issue then is narrowed to a determination of whether there was sufficient evidence to sustain the jury’s implied finding that appellee’s daughter was not a member of his household.

Appellee’s daughter, Brenda, was eighteen years of age and living with her parents when she was married to her husband in June, 1968. The couple first lived with his grandmother approximately one month until he was inducted into the military service. Brenda returned “to my mother’s and father’s house.” Before her husband left for overseas duty, he had a three weeks’ furlough during which time they resided with his grandmother. Then in October or November, 1968, she again moved back with her parents and lived with them until July, 1969. At that time, her husband came home for about a one month’s furlough during which time they visited relatives. After that furlough, he returned overseas. Brenda then “went again to live with [her] mother and father” where she was residing in September, 1969, when her father borrowed her and her husband’s car which was involved in the accident. It appears that Brenda did not drive. During the approximate one year that Brenda lived with her parents, she would occasionally visit relatives. Her parents exercised no control over her. She contributed no money to her maintenance, although she occasionally did some cooking and cleaning. Her parents did not expect her to contribute anything. She had no outside employment and “re [lied] upon [her] father to feed and clothe” her. She received a government allotment check, which originally was $100 a month and eventually raised “to a hundred thirty sometimes or a hundred and forty,” and from which she made the $81 car payment using the balance for her spending money. She testified that her and her husband’s income “was not enough” to require the filing of a tax return. For the taxable year 1969, the appellee father claimed Brenda as a dependent on his income tax return.

We turn now to the law applicable to the recited facts. In American Homestead Ins. Co. v. Denny, 238 Ark. 749, 384 S.W. 2d 492 (1964), we reiterated:

‘It is the duty of the Courts to construe the language [in an insurance contract] used by the parties and such construction is performed by considering the sense and meaning of the terms which the parties have used as they are taken and understood in their plain ordinary and popular sense.”

In the case at bar the policy provision is referred to by the courts as a restricted “drive other cars” clause which is found in liability insurance policies. It does not appear that we have previously construed this particular provision. Here, as indicated, we must determine if there is any substantial evidence that appellee’s daughter was not a member of his “household.” If she was a member, then the policy excludes coverage. We have had occasion to interpret the term “household” in a theft insurance policy which excluded coverage if it was found that the plaintiff’s son, serving in the military, was not a “household” member. In affirming a finding that he was a member, we said in Central Manufacturer’s Mut. Ins. Co. v. Friedman, 213 Ark. 9, 209 S.W. 2d 102 (1948), in pertinent part:

We think the word ‘household’ as used in this section of the policy, supra, meant domicile, residence or place of abode. ‘Household’ is defined in Bouvier’s Law Dictionary, Rawle’s Third Revision, vol. 2., page 1462, as follows: ‘Those who dwell under the same roof and constitute a family.’

In Lontkowski v. Ignarski, 95 N.W. 2d 230 (Wis. 1959), the court defined the word “household” as follows:

‘Household’ is defined by Webster as ‘those who dwell under the same roof and constitute a family.’ That definition corresponds with the common and approved usage of the term and is supported by judicial authority. ‘Persons who dweli together as a family constitute a household. ’

See also Fleming v. Traveler’s Ins., 39 So. 2d 885 (Miss. 1949); Aler v. Travelers Indemnity Co., 92 F. Supp. 620 (D. Maryland 1950); Leteff v. Maryland Casualty Co., 91 So. 2d 123 (La. App. 1956); Simon v. Milwaukee Automobile Mut. Ins. Co., 115 N.W. 2d 40 (Wis. 1962); Giese v. Karstedt, 141 N.W. 2d 886 (Wis. 1966); Tomlyanovich v. Tomlyanovich, 58 N.W. 2d 855 (Minn. 1953); Alabama Farm Bureau Mut. Ins. Co. v. Preston, 253 So. 2d 4 (Ala. 1971). The appellee has cited us no authority to the contrary.

In Alabama Farm Bureau Mut. Ins. Co. v.

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

Related

Murphy Oil Corp. v. Liberty Mut. Fire Ins. Co.
357 F. Supp. 3d 791 (S.D. New York, 2019)
Michael Bull v. Nationwide Mutual Fire Ins.Co.
824 F.3d 722 (Eighth Circuit, 2016)
Walker Ex Rel. Walker v. State Farm Mutual
954 So. 2d 847 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2007)
Castaneda v. Progressive Classic Insurance
166 S.W.3d 556 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 2004)
Smith v. Southern Farm Bureau Casualty Insurance
114 S.W.3d 205 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 2003)
Opinion No.
Arkansas Attorney General Reports, 2000
Ratliff Enterprises, Inc. v. American Employers Insurance
975 S.W.2d 837 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1998)
Western World Ins. Co., Inc. v. Branch
965 S.W.2d 760 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1998)
Unigard Security Insurance v. Murphy Oil USA, Inc.
962 S.W.2d 735 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1998)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
543 S.W.2d 467, 260 Ark. 659, 1976 Ark. LEXIS 1860, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/southern-farm-bureau-casualty-insurance-v-williams-ark-1976.