Standard Surety & Casualty Co. v. Maryland Casualty Co.

199 Misc. 658, 100 N.Y.S.2d 79, 1950 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 2083
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedSeptember 7, 1950
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 199 Misc. 658 (Standard Surety & Casualty Co. v. Maryland Casualty Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Standard Surety & Casualty Co. v. Maryland Casualty Co., 199 Misc. 658, 100 N.Y.S.2d 79, 1950 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 2083 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1950).

Opinion

Bastow, J.

The plaintiff brings this action seeking a declaratory judgment. The case has been submitted upon facts stipulated in writing by the attorneys for the respective parties.

On August 7,1946, the defendant, Fred Carpenter, doing business under the assumed name and style of Carpenter Trucking-Company (hereinafter referred to as Carpenter) was the owner of a Chevrolet truck and trailer.

On this date the defendant, Dan-Bar Contracting Company, Inc. (hereinafter called Dan-Bar) employed Carpenter to transport a power shovel owned by Dan-Bar by means of the Chevrolet truck and trailer owned by Carpenter. The defendant, Weedon, an employee of Carpenter, drove the truck with Dan-Bar’s shovel on the trailer to the premises of the latter where he stopped the truck and placed skids down which the shovel was to be driven.

Weedon took a position at the side of the trailer and the defendant, Polmanteer, an employee of Dan-Bar, then commenced to unload the shovel. He started the motor on the shovel, raised the shovel bucket from the rear end of the trailer and started to swing the boom and shovel bucket around so that the boom would be at right angles to the length of the trailer when the shovel was being driven down the skids. In the course of this operation the shovel bucket dropped and struck Weedon, causing severe bodily injuries.

[660]*660The present litigation results from certain policies of insurance carried by Carpenter and Dan-Bar. Prior to the date of the accident the plaintiff, Standard Surety and Casualty Company óf New York, (hereinafter referred to a& Standard) had issued to Dan-Bar a public liability policy indemnifying the insured, among other things, for liability arising out of the operations of Dan-Bar.

The policy defined the word insured ” as follows: The unqualified word ‘ Insured ’ wherever used includes not only the Named Insured but also any partner, executive officer, director, or stockholder thereof, but only for his liability as such.”

Among the conditions of the policy the following is contained in paragraph 13: 13. Subrogation. In the event of any payment under this policy the company shall be subrogated to all the insured’s rights of recovery therefor and the insured shall execute all papers required and shall do everything that may be necessary to secure such rights.”

Prior to the date of the accident the defendant, Maryland Casualty Company (hereinafter called Maryland) had issued to Carpenter an insurance policy covering the Chevrolet truck and trailer under the terms of which Maryland extended coverage to Carpenter, as the named insured therein, and agreed to defend Carpenter and pay all claims for personal injury and/or property damage for each accident involving the truck and trailer up to $25,000 for bodily injury to each person and $50,000 for each accident.

The policy contained certain provisions, among others, which appear to have a bearing upon the issues before the court.

Under the heading of Insuring Agreements ” paragraph I A, 11(a) and a portion of IV provided as follows:

“I. Coverage A — Bodily Injury Liability. To pay on behalf of the insured all sums which the insured shall become obligated to pay by. reason of the liability imposed upon him by law for damages, including damages for care and loss of services, because of bodily injury, including death at any time resulting therefrom, sustained by any person or persons, caused by accident and arising out of the ownership, maintenance or use of any automobile.”

“ II. Defense, Settlement, Supplementary Payments. It is further agreed that as respects insurance afforded by this policy the company shall (a) defend in his name and behalf any suit against the insured alleging such injury or destruction and seeking damages on account thereof, even if such suit is groundless, false or fraudulent; but the company shall have the right to [661]*661make such investigation, negotiation and settlement of any claim or suit as may be deemed expedient by the company.”

IY. Definition of ‘ Insured ’. The unqualified word 1 insured ’ wherever used includes not only the named insured but also any person while using an owned automobile or a hired automobile and any person or organization legally responsible for the use thereof, provided the actual use is with the permission of the named insured ”.

Under the heading of Exclusions ” it was provided as follows: “ This policy does not apply: * * * (d) under Coverage A, to bodily injury to or death of any employee of the insured while engaged in the business, other than domestic employment, of the insured, or while engaged in the operation, maintenance or repair of any automobile; or to any obligation for which the insured may be held liable under any workmen’s compensation law.”

Under the heading CONDITIONS ” paragraph 4 defined the purposes of use and subdivision (e) thereof provided that Use of the automobile for the purposes stated includes the loading and unloading thereof.”

On January 10, 1947, Weedon commenced an action in this court against Dan-Bar to recover damages for injuries alleged to have been sustained by him as a result of being struck by the power shovel and arising out of the claimed negligence of Dan-Bar’s employee, Polmanteer. Subsequently Dan-Bar brought in Polmanteer as a third-party defendant and sought to recover from Polmanteer the amount of any judgment which Weedon might recover against Dan-Bar. Polmanteer did not appear or answer.

Subsequent to the commencement of the action by Weedon, Standard and Dan-Bar requested Maryland to assume ■ the defense of Dan-Bar in the Weedon action and to pay the judgment, if any, obtained by Weedon against Dan-Bar. Maryland refused to do so.

On December 6,1948, and subsequent to the institution of this action Standard obtained a settlement and discontinuance of the Weedon action against Dan-Bar by paying to Weedon under Standard’s policy the sum of $6,250. This payment was made with the knowledge of Maryland.

The parties have stipulated that at the time of the accident Dan-Bar and Polmanteer were using the truck and trailer with the consent and permission of the owner Carpenter in unloading the power shovel.

[662]*662k motion had previously been made in this action by Standard to strike out certain defenses in the answer of Maryland. The latter had also moved for summary judgment dismissing the complaint. These motions have been abandoned and the action submitted for decision upon the stipulated facts.

It is the claim of Standard that it is entitled to a declaration that Maryland had the sole obligation to defend Dan-Bar and Polmanteer in the Weedon action and to pay any recovery had by Weedon because both were insured parties under the provisions of the Maryland policy issued to Carpenter; that Dan-Bar is entitled to recover over from Polmanteer and that Standard under the subrogation clause in its policy is entitled to make this same recovery from Polmanteer. It contends that Maryland having covered Polmanteer, in the unloading of the power shovel, as an additional insured, becomes liable to the plaintiff.

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Bluebook (online)
199 Misc. 658, 100 N.Y.S.2d 79, 1950 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 2083, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/standard-surety-casualty-co-v-maryland-casualty-co-nysupct-1950.