Transamerica Ins. v. STATE FARM MUT. AUTO. INS.

492 F. Supp. 283
CourtDistrict Court, D. Nevada
DecidedJune 11, 1980
DocketCiv. No. LV 79-180 RDF
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 492 F. Supp. 283 (Transamerica Ins. v. STATE FARM MUT. AUTO. INS.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Nevada primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Transamerica Ins. v. STATE FARM MUT. AUTO. INS., 492 F. Supp. 283 (D. Nev. 1980).

Opinion

492 F.Supp. 283 (1980)

TRANSAMERICA INSURANCE GROUP, a Foreign Corporation, Plaintiff,
v.
STATE FARM MUTUAL AUTOMOBILE INSURANCE COMPANY, a Foreign Corporation, Defendant.

Civ. No. LV 79-180 RDF.

United States District Court, D. Nevada.

June 11, 1980.

*284 Cromer, Barker, Michaelson, Gillock & Rawlings, Las Vegas, Nev., for plaintiff.

Rose, Edwards, Hunt & Pearson, Ltd., Las Vegas, Nev., for defendant.

ORDER

ROGER D. FOLEY, District Judge.

This controversy arises over the validity and interpretation of a so-called "automobile business exclusion" to the omnibus coverage of a policy of insurance issued to Mrs. Serena Chernik by the defendant State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (State Farm). Transamerica Insurance Group (Transamerica) instituted this lawsuit for declaratory relief, authorized by Chapter 30 of the Nevada Revised Statutes, in the Eighth Judicial District Court of the State of Nevada. State Farm removed the action to this Court pursuant to Title 28, U.S.C., § 1441 et seq. The matter is presently before the Court on cross motions for summary judgment. Each party has requested oral argument with respect to its own motion only; thus, no hearing would be mandatory under the holding of Dredge Corp. v. Penny, 338 F.2d 456, 461-62 (9th Cir. 1964). There is no dispute as to the relevant facts; the entire controversy concerns the application of the contractual language to those facts. Therefore, disposition of the matter by means of summary judgment is appropriate.

THE FACTS

On March 19, 1976, Serena Chernik drove her car to the Golden Gate Hotel & Casino (Golden Gate) and availed herself of the hotel's valet parking service. At the end of her visit, she requested that her car be returned from the parking lot. Charles Mason, employed by Golden Gate as a "parking lot attendant," brought the vehicle from the lot for Mrs. Chernik. He apparently failed to set the brake. As Mrs. Chernik attempted to get into the car, it began to roll, allegedly causing Mrs. Chernik to fall and sustain personal injuries. At the time of this incident, Golden Gate was protected against public liability by a policy of insurance written by Transamerica, and Mrs. Chernik's automobile was insured under an owner's policy written by State Farm. It is the construction of that State Farm policy which is the subject of this suit.

On August 5, 1976, Mrs. Chernik filed a tort action against Golden Gate claiming damages for the injuries allegedly suffered as a result of the incident involving the valet parking service. Transamerica undertook the defense of that action in accordance with the terms of its policy issued to Golden Gate. Transamerica tendered the defense to State Farm, contending that the hotel was an "insured" under the policy issued to Mrs. Chernik. State Farm refused and Transamerica instituted this action for declaratory relief as to the relative rights and obligations of the parties.

*285 The Golden Gate operates a parking lot as a convenience to its patrons. The parking lot is open to the general public, however, for a fee. The hotel validates parking tickets for its patrons — doing so readily for periods of one hour or less and, under some circumstances, doing so for longer periods of time. Under the hotel's method of accounting, the parking lot does not make a profit and indeed, at least at the time of the incident leading to this case, expenses were more than double the income received from parking fees.

By the terms and conditions of the automobile insurance policy issued to Mrs. Chernik, State Farm has obligated itself:

"To pay on behalf of the insured all sums which the insured shall become legally obligated to pay as damages because of
"(A) bodily injury sustained by other persons, and
"(B) property damage,
caused by accident arising out of the ownership, maintenance or use, including loading or unloading, of the owned motor vehicle; and to defend, with attorneys selected by and compensated by the company, any suit against the insured alleging such bodily injury or property damage and seeking damages which are payable hereunder even if any of the allegations of the suit are groundless, false or fraudulent; but the company may make such investigation, negotiation and settlement of any claim or suit as it deems expedient." (Emphasis added.)

The term "insured" is defined in the policy, in relevant part, as including:

"(4) any other person while using the owned motor vehicle, provided the operation and the actual use of such vehicle are with the permission of the named insured or such spouse and are within the scope of such permission, and
"(5) under coverages A and B any other person or organization, but only with respect to his or its liability for the use of such owned motor vehicle by an insured as defined in the four subsections above."

There is no dispute as to the fact that Mr. Mason comes within the language of subparagraph (4) and that by virtue of that fact the Golden Gate comes within subparagraph (5).

The cause of this action is the policy's "automobile business exclusion" which provides that:

"This insurance does not apply under:
(e) Coverages A and B, to the owned motor vehicle while used by any person while such person is employed or otherwise engaged in an automobile business of the insured or of any other person or organization, ..."

As used in the foregoing policy provision, "automobile business is defined to mean:

"the business or occupation of selling, leasing, repairing, servicing, transporting, storing or parking of land motor vehicles or trailers."

It is clear that the exclusion, if applicable to Mr. Mason as the driver of the automobile, would also preclude coverage of the Golden Gate, whose coverage under the policy is entirely dependent upon the employment relationship between Mr. Mason and the hotel.

The plaintiff strenuously contends that the exclusionary clause is ambiguous and therefore must be construed strictly against the insurer in favor of the insured. The principle of strict construction of insurance contracts is well established in the law of Nevada. See, e. g., Clark v. Truck Insurance Exchange, 95 Nev. ___, 598 P.2d 628, 629 (1979). But that axiom is tempered by the longstanding rule that a court must apply a contract as written where the language is plain and unambiguous. See Healey v. Imperial Fire Insurance Co., 5 Nev. [215] 268 (1869).

The so-called automobile business exclusions have engendered a considerable amount of litigation in the reported decisions. See Annots., 47 A.L.R.2d 556; 71 A.L.R.2d 964. Insurers have used many different formulations of the exclusion in policies written over the years. Indeed, it appears that insurers have revised the exclusion as various decisions have strictly construed previously used exclusionary language *286 to limit its applicability. Among the many formulations that fall within the general category of "automobile business exclusions," perceptive courts have recognized three basic types. See Continental National American Group v. Allied Mutual Insurance Co.,

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Bluebook (online)
492 F. Supp. 283, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/transamerica-ins-v-state-farm-mut-auto-ins-nvd-1980.