United Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Co. v. Schult

602 N.E.2d 173, 1992 Ind. App. LEXIS 1674, 1992 WL 319928
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedNovember 9, 1992
Docket46A03-9201-CV-29
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 602 N.E.2d 173 (United Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Co. v. Schult) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Co. v. Schult, 602 N.E.2d 173, 1992 Ind. App. LEXIS 1674, 1992 WL 319928 (Ind. Ct. App. 1992).

Opinion

ROBERTSON, Judge.

United Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company (Farm Bureau) appeals from the denial of its motion for summary judgment. Allstate Insurance Company appeals from the denial of its own motion for summary judgment. On appeal, their claims address the manner in which provisions of their respective policies are applied or construed. We affirm in part.

The purpose of summary judgment is to terminate litigation about which there can be no factual dispute and which may be determined as a matter of law. Bassett v. Glock (1977), 174 Ind.App. 439, 368 N.E.2d 18. We are bound by the same standard as the trial court and must consider all the designated material, the pleadings, affidavits, depositions, admissions, answers to interrogatories, and testimony, in the light most favorable to the nonmovant to determine whether a genuine issue of material fact remains for resolution by a trier of fact. Ind.Trial Rule 56(C), Ayres v. Indian Heights Volunteer Fire Dept., Inc. (1986), Ind., 493 N.E.2d 1229. If no genuine issue of material fact exists, summary judgment is appropriate if the mov-ant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Woodward Insurance, Inc. v. White (1982), Ind., 437 N.E.2d 59. The movant bears the burden to show the absence of a factual issue and its entitlement to judgment as a matter of law. Norman v. Turkey Run Community School Corp. (1980), 274 Ind. 310, 411 N.E.2d 614.

The evidence reveals that Kip Schult and Dennis Pahs were carpenters and were partners in Schult and Pahs Construction. A local tavern employed them to refinish a bar, and the two decided the work would best be done in the Schults' basement if the bar would fit there. Aside from this, Schult conducted business by phone from his home and kept his construction tools with his truck in his garage. On March 6, 1989, Pahs retrieved a sawhorse from the garage as the partners tried to determine whether the bar would fit in the basement. As he carried the sawhorse down the stairway, it collapsed. Pahs sustained injuries from the fall. At the time, Allstate had issued a deluxe homeowners policy on the Schults' residence. Also, Farm Bureau had issued a general liability-automobile policy to the partnership.

THE FARM BUREAU POLICY

Farm Bureau claims it was entitled to summary judgment based upon the provisions of the policy. The policy provides:

This insurance does not apply:
(i) to bodily injury to any employee of the insured arising out of and in the course of his employment by the insured for which the insured may be held liable as an employer or in any other capacity
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*175 Farm Bureau claims that the facts are undisputed that the injuries to Pahs arose "out of and in the course of his employment" by the partnership. We conclude, however, that Farm Bureau has not shown it is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.

The evidence most favorable to Pahs reveals that he was a partner who split all profits and expenses incurred in the business. He made his living this way. Under Indiana law, a partner is not entitled to compensation for his services rendered to the partnership unless there is an agreement to the contrary. Boushehry v. Ishak (1990), Ind.App., 550 N.E.2d 784, 787, modified, 560 N.E.2d 116; Ind.Code 23-4-1-18(f).

As stated above, the moving party bears the burden to show its entitlement to judgment as a matter of law. Norman, 274 Ind. 310, 411 N.E.2d 614. Farm Bureau produced no evidence that Pahs received compensation for his partnership work independent of any profits he might receive as a partner nor any other evidence that Pahs was an employee rather than a general partner. Were we to merely assume that a partner is an employee of the partnership, as does Farm Bureau, then we would be forced to assume that the partner were also an employer who would be liable to himself as an employee, an anomalous position. Regardless, the evidence does not show as a matter of law that Pahs, a general partner of the partnership, is an employee of that partnership. See Civil Rights Com'n v. Kightlinger & Gray (1991), Ind.App., 567 N.E.2d 125 (no employer/employee relationship among partners with regard to the Indiana Civil Rights Law). Finally, as we have concluded that Farm Bureau has not shown as a matter of law that Pahs was an "employee" of the partnership, so must we also conclude that Farm Bureau has not shown as a matter of law that Pahs' injuries arose out of and in the course of his "employment" by the partnership.

Farm Bureau also claims it was entitled to summary judgment because "there was nothing done by Schults and Pahs Construction that was a reason for the staircase falling." Farm Bureau contends that Schult and his father-in-law first removed and then returned the staircase and that this was not the work of the partnership. Farm Bureau identifies the following portion of the policy:

II. PERSONS INSURED

Each of the following is an insured under this insurance to the extent set forth below:
# # * * # #
(b) if the named insured is designated in the declarations as a partnership or joint venture, the partnership or joint venture so designated and any partner or member thereof but only with respect to his liability as such.

The policy's definitions include the following: " 'named insured' means the person or organization named in Item 1. of the declarations of this policy ..." Item 1. reads as follows:

Item 1. Named Insured and Mailing Address:
Schult, Kip M & Dennis Pahs
dba Schult's & Pahs Construction
6201 N. Mear Rd.
Michigan City, IN 468360

"Schult, Kip M & Dennis Pahs, dba Schult's & Pahs Construction, 6201 N. Mear Rd., Michigan City, IN 46860" is the named insured under the policy. Item 2. of the declarations states, "'The named insured is: Partnership." The named insured is therefore designated in the declarations as a partnership. Thus, the partnership so designated and any partner thereof is an insured under the Farm Bureau insurance policy, but only with respect to the partner's liability as a partner of that partnership. 2

*176

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Bluebook (online)
602 N.E.2d 173, 1992 Ind. App. LEXIS 1674, 1992 WL 319928, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-farm-bureau-mutual-insurance-co-v-schult-indctapp-1992.