Swanson v. Comeaux

286 So. 2d 117
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedJanuary 4, 1974
Docket5277
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 286 So. 2d 117 (Swanson v. Comeaux) 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
Swanson v. Comeaux, 286 So. 2d 117 (La. Ct. App. 1974).

Opinion

286 So.2d 117 (1973)

Donald SWANSON, Sr., Individually and on behalf of his minor son, Donald Swanson, Jr., and Delores Swanson, his wife
v.
George H. COMEAUX, as father and natural guardian of his minor son, Steven Comeaux, et al.

No. 5277.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Fourth Circuit.

September 26, 1973.
Rehearing Denied November 16, 1973.
Writ Granted January 4, 1974.

*118 The Law Offices of Steven R. Plotkin, David Gertler, New Orleans, for plaintiffs-appellees.

Bienvenu & Culver, Robert N. Ryan, A. William Mysing, Jr., New Orleans, for Security Ins. Co.

Dillon & Williams, C. T. Williams, Jr., R. Gordon Logue, Jr., New Orleans, for Ronald Marretta and Fireman's Fund American Ins. Co.

Robert J. Neal, Robert A. Katz, New Orleans, for Liberty Mutual Ins. Co.

Before LEMMON, STOULIG and BOUTALL, JJ.

BOUTALL, Judge.

This is a suit for damages and personal injuries arising out of an automobile collision. The plaintiffs are Donald R. Swanson, Sr., the driver of one vehicle, and his wife and children (through their father) who were passengers therein. Suit was brought against the following defendants: Ronald Marretta, the owner of the other vehicle, and his liability insurer Fireman's Fund American Insurance Company; George H. Comeaux, as father and natural guardian of his natural son, Steven Comeaux, the driver of the Marretta vehicle, and the Security Insurance Company, Mr. Comeaux's insurer; Liberty Mutual Insurance Company, the uninsured motorist carrier of the Swanson vehicle. Liberty Mutual Insurance Company intervened to recover *119 the amount it paid to the Swansons under the collision portion of its policy.

Judgment was rendered in favor of the Swansons and Liberty Mutual Insurance Company against Ronald Marretta and Fireman's Fund American Insurance Company; against George H. Comeaux, but dismissing the suit against his insurer, Security Insurance Company; also dismissing the suit against Liberty Mutual Insurance Company as uninsured motorist carrier.

Ronald Marretta and Fireman's Fund American Insurance Company have taken a suspensive appeal. The plaintiffs, the Swansons, and Liberty Mutual Insurance Company have taken a devolutive appeal. Security Insurance Company has answered the appeals.

The parties have conceded that the negligence of the minor driver, Steven Comeaux, was the sole and proximate cause of the collision. The issues presented here are whether Steven had either the express or implied permission of the owner to drive his automobile and the application of that finding to the insurance coverage afforded to the parties herein.

There is little dispute as to the facts. On Sunday, June 7, 1970, Ronald Marretta took his 16 year old nephew, Steven Comeaux, and Steven's friend Ronnie Culpepper, to a baseball game in which Marretta was playing at Girard Playground near a local country club. Marretta parked in a parking lot separated from the baseball diamond by a picnic area and the country club, locking his car. They walked over to the baseball area, and while they were standing near the bleachers, Ronald Marretta handed Steven his keys and wallet to hold for him while he was playing baseball. After watching three or more innings of the ball game, the two young boys left the baseball area and went to the parking lot. They sat in Marretta's car for 15 or 20 minutes, playing the radio and running the air conditioner. Thereafter, Steven started the automobile and moved it back and forth in the lot several times, and then drove it into the street intending to go around the block. However, before he had gone very far, he collided with the plaintiffs.

ON THE ISSUE OF PERMISSION

The trial court found that inasmuch as Marretta delivered keys of his automobile to his nephew, such act clearly constitutes implied permission to use the automobile, even if only for the purpose of sitting therein and/or listening to the radio. At the same time, the court found that Steven did not believe, and had no reason to believe, that he had permission to actually drive the automobile. We cannot completely agree with these conclusions.

It is our view that the keys were given to Steven for safekeeping only, while his uncle was playing ball, and that under the factual situation testified to, there could not be any reason to believe that use of the car was being permitted. The vehicle was locked and parked some distance away from the area of the baseball field. It was the intention of the young boys to watch the game while Marretta played therein and, indeed, this is why Marretta brought them with him. The keys were turned over to Steven in the spectator area of the field, just before Marretta began to play. There is no more reason to believe from these circumstances that permission to use the car was granted any more than it could be supposed that Steven was granted permission to spend the money contained in Marretta's wallet. See for comparison, Rogillio v. Cazedessus, 241 La. 186, 127 So.2d 734 (1961). In the absence of express permission, the implied consent or permission must be concluded from circumstances which admit of no equivocation. Holden v. Transamerica Insurance Co., 222 So.2d 302 (La.App.1st Cir., 1969).

Additionally, the testimony shows affirmatively that Marretta knew that Steven did not have a driver's license and that he knew Steven was not yet driving automobiles. To assume that he would grant Steven *120 permission to drive is to assume he would permit an unlicensed driver to illegally drive (R.S. 32:402) around a playground. Steven testified that his only experience with automobiles was having twice moved an automobile belonging to his father back and forth where it was parked, once without his father's knowledge and once with his father's knowledge, but that his uncle was not aware of these events. There is no competent evidence in the record to indicate that Marretta might believe or should have believed that his nephew might attempt to drive his car. To the contrary, the evidence shows that the attempt at driving was completely unexpected to Marretta, and that Steven knew that he had no permission to drive, either express or implied, hence there was no reasonable supposition that Steven would attempt to drive without permission.

ON THE LIABILITY OF MARRETTA AND FIREMAN'S FUND AMERICAN INSURANCE CO

The trial court cast both Marretta and his insurer in judgment finding that the delivery of the keys was negligence on the part of Marretta and constituted his implied permission to use the automobile, affording coverage under the policy. We have set out the facts of the case hereinabove and we cannot conclude that there was negligence by Marretta under that set of facts in entrusting his nephew with his automobile keys for safekeeping. The judgment against him should be reversed.

Similarly, we find no permission to use Marretta's automobile, and, hence, no coverage under his insurance policy with Fireman's Fund. The policy is a family automobile policy which contains the following pertinent language:

"Persons Insured. The following are insureds under Part 1:
"(a) with respect to the owned automobile,
"(1) the named insured and any resident of the same household,
"(2) any other person using such automobile with the permission of the named insured, provided his actual operation or (if he is not operating) his other actual use thereof is within the scope of such permission, *****"

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Bluebook (online)
286 So. 2d 117, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/swanson-v-comeaux-lactapp-1974.