Thibodeaux v. Parks Equipment Company

140 So. 2d 215
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedMarch 14, 1962
Docket5472
StatusPublished
Cited by17 cases

This text of 140 So. 2d 215 (Thibodeaux v. Parks Equipment Company) 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
Thibodeaux v. Parks Equipment Company, 140 So. 2d 215 (La. Ct. App. 1962).

Opinion

140 So.2d 215 (1962)

Herman THIBODEAUX
v.
PARKS EQUIPMENT COMPANY, The Travelers Insurance Company, Humble Oil and Refining Company and Ashbury S. Parks.

No. 5472.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, First Circuit.

March 14, 1962.
Rehearing Denied May 4, 1962.
Certiorari Denied June 15, 1962.

*216 Durrett, Hardin, Hunter, Dameron & Fritchie, by Wallace A. Hunter, Baton Rouge, for plaintiff-appellant. W. J. McAnelly, Jr., and Bernard J. Caillouet, and Milling, Saal, Saunders, Benson & Woodward, New Orleans, for third-party-plaintiff-appellant, Humble Oil & Ref. Co.

Taylor, Porter, Brooks, Fuller & Phillips by Robt. J. Vandaworker, Baton Rouge, for defendant-appellee, Travelers Insurance Co. Sanders, Miller, Downing, Rubin & Kean by Ben R. Miller, Baton Rouge, for defendant-appellee, Parks Equipment Co.

Before ELLIS, HERGET, and MILLER, JJ.

HERGET, Judge.

Plaintiff, Herman Thibodeaux, alleges in this suit for personal injuries that while he was an employee of Delta Tank Manufacturing Company he was injured on March 10, 1959 while testing a Dryex unit being manufactured by Delta Tank Manufacturing Company under the supervision of Humble Oil and Refining Company. He alleges at the time of the test a valve manufactured, designed and sold by Parks Equipment Company failed and because of its failure other parts of the unit struck and injured him. Plaintiff further alleges that the employees of Parks Equipment Company were negligent: (a) in the manufacture of the valve; (b) in its inspection; (c) in its design; (d) in representing to Delta Tank Manufacturing Company that the valve could be used as a component part of the Dryex unit; (e) in failing to warn Delta that the valve could not safely be used in the Dryex unit; (f) in failing to give proper instructions for its use; and (g) in failing to give proper instructions for its installation in the unit.

Plaintiff filed a petition originally against Parks Equipment Company, its insurer The Travelers Insurance Company and Humble Oil and Refining Company. In the same suit Plaintiff filed a supplemental petition against Ashbury S. Parks in his capacity as executive officer of Parks Equipment Company and his insurer The Travelers Insurance Company. Humble answered the original petition and filed a third party petition against Travelers, *217 Parks Equipment Company and Ashbury S. Parks. Travelers filed exceptions of no cause of action to the petitions of Plaintiff and the third party petition, contending the policy by which it insured Parks Equipment Company excluded "products hazard" and failed to provide coverage for the alleged accident. The Trial Court sustained the exceptions, thereby dismissing both Plaintiff's suit and the Third party action against Travelers, from which judgments both Plaintiff and third party petitioner Humble Oil and Refining Company bring these consolidated appeals.

Appellee admits that it issued a Comprehensive General Liability Policy to Parks Equipment Company whereby it agreed:

"1. COVERAGE A—BODILY INJURY LIABILITY
"To pay on behalf of the insured all sums which the insured shall become legally obligated to pay as damages because of bodily injury, sickness or disease, including death at any time resulting therefrom, sustained by any person and caused by accident."

The policy contains an endorsement providing:

"It is agreed that the policy does not apply to the products hazard as defined therein."

* * * * * *

This definition, found in another section of the policy, under "Conditions" reads as follows:

"3. DEFINITIONS.
"(c) PRODUCTS HAZARD. The term `products hazard' means
"(1) goods or products manufactured, sold, handled or distributed by the named insured or by others trading under his name, if the accident occurs after possession of such goods or products has been relinquished to others by the named insured or by others trading under his name and if such accident occurs away from premises owned, rented or controlled by the named insured or on premises for which the classification stated in division (a) of the declarations excludes any part of the foregoing; provided, such goods or products shall be deemed to include any container thereof, other than a vehicle, but shall not include any vending machine or any property, other than such container, rented to or located for use of others but not sold;
"(2) operations, if the accident occurs after such operations have been completed or abandoned and occurs away from premises owned, rented or controlled by the named insured; provided, operations shall not be deemed incomplete because improperly or defectively performed or because further operations may be required pursuant to an agreement; * * *."

It is stipulated that the accident occurred after possession of the valve had been relinquished by Parks Equipment Company and it is also stipulated that the accident occurred away from the premises of Parks Equipment Company.

Appellants urge us to consider that the alleged accident, while it involved the operation of a product, also resulted from the negligent acts of the employees of Parks Equipment Company. They contend that products liability is limited to a contractual liability imposed by a warranty agreement between the insured and another, but the contractual liability would not prevent coverage for liability in tort. They allege that products hazard insurance was simply additional insurance to the general contract. But, they argue, if the general contract covers the alleged negligence, the exclusion of products hazard does not eliminate nor exclude that liability for negligence. Appellants argue that liability under the general terms of the contract *218 and liability under the products hazard clause are not mutually exclusive.

Learned counsel for Appellee maintains that the broad unrestricted language of the "Insuring Agreements—1. Coverage A," supra, does, in the absence of any limitations, provisions or exclusions, afford coverage for any and all liability of the assured so long as the liability arose by accident and involved bodily injury. He maintains that the endorsement 3998 reading in part, as follows:

"EXCLUSION OF PRODUCTS HAZARD
"It is agreed that the policy does not apply to the products hazard as defined therein."

under the definition of the term "products hazard" in the "Conditions" quoted in part, supra, effectively excludes from coverage the claims of Plaintiff asserted in his petition. The position of counsel for Appellee is succinctly stated in his brief as follows:

"The exclusion of products hazard in the policy at issue in this case had the effect of deducting, excluding and eliminating from INSURING AGREEMENT I, A, coverage for all claims arising under the products hazard. In other words, if the claim could come under products hazard, it is not covered by this policy. Now products hazard relates to claims arising out of:
"`goods or products manufactured, sold, handled or distributed by the named insured * * * if the accident occurs after possession of such goods or products has been relinquished to others by the named insured * * * and if such accident occurs away from premises owned, rented or controlled by the named insured * * *.'

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Bluebook (online)
140 So. 2d 215, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/thibodeaux-v-parks-equipment-company-lactapp-1962.