Teresa Simpson, Administratrix of the Estate of Raymond K. Simpson, Deceased v. Motorists Mutual Insurance Company

494 F.2d 850
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
DecidedMay 29, 1974
Docket72-1702
StatusPublished
Cited by50 cases

This text of 494 F.2d 850 (Teresa Simpson, Administratrix of the Estate of Raymond K. Simpson, Deceased v. Motorists Mutual Insurance Company) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Teresa Simpson, Administratrix of the Estate of Raymond K. Simpson, Deceased v. Motorists Mutual Insurance Company, 494 F.2d 850 (7th Cir. 1974).

Opinions

CAMPBELL, Senior District Judge.

Plaintiffs’ decedent was killed in an automobile accident caused by the negligence of Thomas Penman, Jr., who was driving a vehicle owned by Sylvester Griffin. Griffin was insured by the defendant Motorists Mutual Insurance Company. In a prior negligence action, the plaintiff sued Penman and Griffin for wrongful death, and the court there entered a judgment in favor of the plaintiff and against Penman in the amount of 1210,000.0o.1 Motorists Mutual provided Penman a defense to the prior cause of action, but at all times denied coverage to him under the policy. Following the conclusion of the prior action, Penman assigned his rights under the policy to the plaintiff herein and this suit was commenced.

The plaintiffs’ complaint is stated in two counts, the first alleging that Pen[852]*852man was an insured under Motorists Mutual’s policy of insurance which provided $10,000.00 of coverage, and the second charging that Motorists Mutual acted in bad faith in refusing to pay its $10,000.00 policy limit in settlement of the plaintiffs’ wrongful death claim against Penman. Under count 1 of the complaint, the plaintiff sought the $10,000.00 policy coverage, plus interest on the entire $210,000.00 tort judgment, and sought the balance of the tort judgment in count 2. The jury returned a verdict in favor of the plaintiff on both counts, awarding her the $10,000.00 policy coverage, plus interest of $59,386.84 on the full tort judgment, under count 1, and under count 2 awarded the plaintiff the balance of the tort judgment, amounting to $200,000.00. The defendant appeals from that verdict and the subsequent judgment entered thereon.

Under the terms of the insurance policy, coverage was extended to the named insured, Sylvester Griffin, and within the definition of “first-named insured” any relative of either the insured or his spouse while such relative was a resident of the insured’s household. The policy also covered any person using the insured’s automobile provided such use was by or with the permission of the named insured.

The coverage issues in count 1 of the complaint were tried on the alternative theories that Penman was either a relative residing in the household of the named insured or was a permissive user. The bad faith issue stated in count 2 of the complaint was tried on several factual theories, including that the defendant had abused Penman’s position in the prior tort action in order to obtain admissions from him relative to the coverage questions, had failed to communicate properly to Penman the settlement offer in the tort cáse, and had refused to disclose to Penman the policy limits or the coverage provisions of the policy.

While the defendant raises numerous issues on appeal, the principal thrust of its position is directed toward the sufficiency of the evidence to support the jury’s verdict. In this regard, error is assigned to the district judge’s denial of the defendant’s motion for a directed verdict at the close of all of the evidence, and the defendant’s post-trial motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict. Viewed in its light most favorable to plaintiff, we conclude that the evidence contained more than ample support for the jury’s verdict.

The record shows that in July of 1965, Penman was discharged from the Navy after ten years of service. At the time of his discharge, he had been stationed in Chicago. He then returned to Cincinnati, bringing all of his personal effects with him. Upon arriving in Cincinnati, he visited briefly with his mother in her Cincinnati apartment. On that occasion, Penman’s sister, Mrs. Sylvester Griffin, invited him to take up residence with her and her husband and child at their home in Cincinnati. Penman stored his Navy clothing in one of his mother’s empty rooms, and went to the Griffin household where he lived with them for a period of approximately two weeks. While living with the Griffins, Penman slept in the Griffin household, took his meals there with the family, and kept all of his civilian clothing at the Griffin household.

After approximately two weeks, Penman went back to Chicago for several weeks, returning to the Griffin household on September 27, 1965. His plans for the future were uncertain at that time, and he discussed with the Griffins the possibility of re-enlisting in the Service. He stayed with the Griffins until the evening of October 1, 1965. On that evening, Penman asked Griffin if he could use his ear, and Griffin willingly gave Penman his permission. Penman did not state the purpose for which he intended to use the car, nor did Griffin place any limitation on its use.

On the evening of October 1st, Penman and a woman named Ann Berry apparently spent the evening and part of the next day’s early morning hours in a [853]*853Cincinnati restaurant and lounge. Penman then took the woman home and drove to his mother’s house where he awakened his sister, Jewel Green, and in the early morning of October 2, 1965, they left Cincinnati in Griffin’s automobile and drove toward Chicago. Penman stated that his purpose in going to Chicago was to re-enlist in the Navy. The accident resulting in the death of plaintiffs’ decedent occurred in Benton County, Indiana, as Penman and his sister were traveling towards Chicago.

Penman was hospitalized for a period of time after the accident, and upon his discharge frojn the hospital he returned to the Griffin household. Sylvester Griffin never raised any question concerning Penman’s use of the automobile. Also, when Griffin filed his proof of claim with Motorists Mutual on October 4, 1965, the Monday following the accident, he listed Penman’s residence as the Griffin household.

This evidence strongly supports the jury’s verdict on the coverage questions. The jury was adequately instructed on the legal significance of the terms residence and permission. Under the set of facts outlined above, the jury could easily have concluded that Penman was either a permissive user or a relative of the insured residing in his household, or both.

With respect to the bad faith count, we feel that the evidence is equally compelling in the plaintiffs’ favor. Concerning the liability of an insurer in this situation, we wish to note our agreement with the defendant that it is the law of Ohio, rather than Indiana as urged by the plaintiff, which governs the scope of the defendant’s liability in this case. The contract of insurance here, entered into in the State of Ohio, provided coverage to an Ohio resident for a vehicle registered in Ohio. Moreover, the conduct giving rise to the permission to use the vehicle and to Penman’s residency occurred in Ohio. Only the underlying tort occurred outside of Ohio.

The decisions of the Supreme Court of Ohio provide that in order for an insured to recover the amount of a judgment rendered against him in a tort action in excess of the policy limit, the insured must prove a lack of good faith on the part of the insurer either in negotiations respecting a settlement of the claim against the insured or in the conduct of the trial of the tort action on behalf of the insured. Wasserman v. Buckeye Union Casualty Co., 32 Ohio St. 2d 69, 290 N.E.2d 837 (1972); Slater v. Motorists Mutual Insurance Co., 174 Ohio St. 148, 187 N.E.2d 45 (1962); Hart v. Republic Mutual Insurance Co., 152 Ohio St. 185, 87 N.E.2d 347 (1949).

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Bluebook (online)
494 F.2d 850, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/teresa-simpson-administratrix-of-the-estate-of-raymond-k-simpson-ca7-1974.