Vidaurri v. Maryland Casualty Company

444 S.W.2d 767, 1969 Tex. App. LEXIS 1971
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJuly 30, 1969
Docket14772
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 444 S.W.2d 767 (Vidaurri v. Maryland Casualty Company) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Vidaurri v. Maryland Casualty Company, 444 S.W.2d 767, 1969 Tex. App. LEXIS 1971 (Tex. Ct. App. 1969).

Opinion

KLINGEMAN, Justice.

This is a suit to determine coverage of an automobile liability insurance policy un-dei the Texas Assigned Risk Plan, in an accident where a temporary substitute automobile was being used. Appellant Joe R. Vidaurri was involved in an automobile accident with appellant Leandro C. Contreras on October 10, 1965, in Bexar *768 County, Texas. Suit was filed by Vidaurri against Leandro C. Contreras for damages arising out of such automobile accident. Leandro C. Contreras’ insurance carrier, Maryland Casualty Company, declined to defend the suit, contending that there was no insurance coverage under its liability policy issued to Leandro C. Contreras. Contreras retained an attorney to represent him in such suit. Judgment was thereafter obtained by Vidaurri against Leandro C. Contreras in such damage suit in the amount of $1,500. This suit was instituted by appellants, Vidaurri and Contreras, against appellee, Maryland Casualty Company — Vidaurri seeking recovery of his judgment, and Contreras seeking recovery of attorney’s fees in the amount of $750.00, paid to his attorney in defending the damage suit. A motion for summary judgment was filed by appellee and a counter motion for summary judgment was filed by appellants. Appellants’ counter motion for summary judgment was overruled and judgment entered that appellants take nothing, and appellee’s motion for summary judgment was granted.

Leandro C. Contreras lived in Poteet with his mother. A brother, Ramon Contreras, who was married, also lived in the same home. Leandro owned a 1950 Chevrolet automobile and Ramon owned a 1958 Chervolet. On October 10, 1965, Leandro’s car was being repaired and, while Ramon was absent, Leandro took the keys to Ramon’s automobile from the top of a television set, where they had been left by Ramon, and drove Ramon’s automobile to Poteet about six o’clock in the evening. He drove around town for a while and thereafter went to a dance in San Antonio with two of his friends at a bar or lounge located on the Laredo Highway. During the evening Leandro drank around “eight or nine” beers, and, thereafter, while driving home to Poteet was involved in the accident with Vidaurri.

Some time prior to the accident, Leandro had been arrested and his license suspended for driving while intoxicated. As a result thereof it was necessary for him to furnish proof of financial responsibility under the provision of Art. 6701h, Vernon’s Ann. Civ.St. He thereafter obtained a policy of insurance from Maryland Casualty Company under the assigned risk plan. Such policy was a standard family automobile policy and contained the usual provisions and exclusions. The applicable provisions of such policy may be summarized as follows: (a) Leandro C. Contreras was the named insured; (b) such policy covers bodily injury liability and property damage liability, within policy limits, arising out of the ownership, maintenance or ¿ise of the owned automobile or any non-owned automobile, as therein defined; (c) the owned automobile is described as a 1950 Chevrolet, 2 Door Sedan; (d) an owned automobile is defined as including a temporary substitute automobile; (e) a temporary substitute automobile is defined as an automobile not owned by the named insured, while temporarily used with the permission of the owner as a substitute for the owned automobile when withdrawn from normal use because of its breakdown, repair, servicing, loss or destruction.

Appellants assert, by their first point of error, that the policy of insurance by virtue of being a certified or absolute policy under the Texas Safety Responsibility Law (Art. 6701h, Vernon’s Ann.Civ. St.) does not permit the appellee to avoid coverage, 1 and rely chiefly on Lumbermens Mutual Ins. Co. v. Grayson, 422 S.W.2d 755 (Tex.Civ.App.—Waco 1967, writ ref’d n. r. e.), and Phoenix Indemnity Co. *769 v. Conwell, 94 N.H. 146, 47 A.2d 827, 1 A.L.R.2d 819 (1946), in support of that contention.

In Lumbermens the Court stated that liability policies required by the Safety Responsibility Act are absolute and are not subject to defenses that the insured breached provisions of the policy. That case involved a breach of a policy provision, after an accident, the insured having failed to notify and forward the suit papers to the insurance company as required by the policy. It is appellee’s contention, and we agree, that the case here on appeal is distinguishable from Lumbermens in that it does not involve a breach of a policy provision, but involves a question of whether the insured had any coverage as to such accident, due to the policy provision providing coverage of a temporary substitute automobile only when the operation of such automobile is with the permission of the owner. An exclusion is not something forbidden or required, it is simply a limit of coverage.

In Phoenix Indemnity Co. v. Conwell the Supreme Court of New Hampshire held that under the New Hampshire statute a policy could not be avoided by reason of any violations, exclusions, or other limitations as to coverage as long as the liability policy was in force and effect. The New Hampshire statute differs from the Texas Safety Responsibility Act in that the New Hampshire statute contains a provision that no violations of exclusions, conditions, other terms or language contained in the policy, and no unauthorized use or unlawful use of the vehicle shall operate to defeat or avoid the policy so as to bar recovery for accidents within limits of liability. The Texas statute does not contain this provision.

Appellants’ contention that this type of policy, being a certified policy under the statute, is absolute and cannot be contested on any grounds has been decided adversely to their contention in State Farm Mutual Automobile Ins. Co. v. Chatham, 318 S.W.2d 684 (Tex.Civ.App.—Dallas 1958, no writ), and Swinney v. Pioneer Casualty Co., 348 S.W.2d 462 (Tex.Civ.App.—Dallas 1961, no writ). See also 7 Am.Jur., Automobile Insurance, § 7, at pp. 301-302, where several illustrations are given of activities not covered by policies issued pursuant to financial responsibility laws. Appellants’ Point of Error No. 1 is overruled.

Appellants’ second point of error is that the trial court erred in failing to hold that Leandro C. Contreras was operating his brother’s automobile with his permission at the time of said accident.

Leandro’s permission to use his brother’s car was very limited and restricted. The only testimony relating thereto is in the deposition of Leandro C. Contreras and in the deposition of Ramon Contreras. Leandro testified that prior to October 10, 1965, he had used his brother’s car when his brother loaned it to him and when Ramon gave him permission; that he would get it now and then when Ramon loaned it to him; that he always had to have Ramon’s permission to use the car, and that Ramon would sometimes let him use it for business, to ride around in town and to bring groceries. He further testified that Ramon told him not to take the car when he went out drinking, and not to use it to go to bars.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Progressive County Mutual Insurance Co. v. Sink
107 S.W.3d 547 (Texas Supreme Court, 2003)
Sink v. Progressive County Mutual Insurance Co.
47 S.W.3d 715 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2001)
Coronado v. Employers' National Insurance Co.
596 S.W.2d 502 (Texas Supreme Court, 1979)
Tristan v. Government Employees Insurance Co.
489 S.W.2d 365 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1972)
Kahla v. Travelers Insurance Company
482 S.W.2d 928 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1972)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
444 S.W.2d 767, 1969 Tex. App. LEXIS 1971, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/vidaurri-v-maryland-casualty-company-texapp-1969.