Wolverine Insurance Company v. Billy Eldridge, Charles Eldridge, Loretta Eldridge and Mayme Hanlon

326 F.2d 748, 1964 U.S. App. LEXIS 6728
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
DecidedJanuary 14, 1964
Docket14206
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 326 F.2d 748 (Wolverine Insurance Company v. Billy Eldridge, Charles Eldridge, Loretta Eldridge and Mayme Hanlon) 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
Wolverine Insurance Company v. Billy Eldridge, Charles Eldridge, Loretta Eldridge and Mayme Hanlon, 326 F.2d 748, 1964 U.S. App. LEXIS 6728 (7th Cir. 1964).

Opinion

ENOCH, Circuit Judge.

Plaintiff, Wolverine Insurance Company, brought this action in the United States District Court for declaratory judgment respecting the rights of plaintiff and defendants under an insurance policy issued by the plaintiff. Jurisdiction was based on diversity of citizenship. Plaintiff was a Michigan corporation with no principal place of business in Illinois. All the defendants were citizens of Illinois.

Leona Eunz Tex, Donald Owens, and John Graham failed to defend this action. They were held in default and the Complaint taken as confessed as to each of them.

In August, 1960, plaintiff issued its public liability policy to defendant Leona Eunz Tex (then Leona Eunz) insuring her automobile. The policy defined the “insured” as:

* * * ^he unqualified word ‘Insured’ includes the Named Insured and, if the Named Insured is an individual, any other resident of the same household and also includes any other person while using the automobile and any person or organization legally responsible for the use thereof, provided the actual use of the automobile is by the Named Insured or spouse or with the permission of either or with the permission *749 of an adult member of the Named Insured’s household other than a chauffeur or domestic servant.”

The insured automobile, while occupied only by defendants John Graham and Donald Owens, with the latter driving, was involved in a collision with an automobile owned by defendant Charles Eldridge, driven by defendant Billy Eldridge, in which defendants Loretta Eldridge and Mayme Hanlon were riding. The Eldridge automobile was damaged. Billy and Loretta Eldridge, Mayme Hanlon, and John Graham suffered personal injuries.

Billy Eldridge, a minor (by his father and next friend, Charles Eldridge), Loretta Eldridge and Mayme Hanlon filed suit in the Circuit Court of Sangamon County, Illinois, against Donald Owens and Leona Kunz Tex. John Graham filed a similar suit. Demand was made on plaintiff to defend Donald Owens. Plaintiff took the position that he was not an insured under the terms of the policy here involved, and sought declaratory judgment in the District Court that plaintiff was under no obligation to defend Donald Owens or to pay any judgments which might be obtained in the suits against him.

The matter was tried by the District Judge sitting without a jury. He found that the only named insured in the policy was Leona Kunz, who was (at all relevant times) unmarried, residing by herself in an apartment separate and distinct from any other apartment, and that there was no other member of her household.

The District Judge also found that the driver Donald Owens, a brother of Leona Kunz, resided with Mr. and Mrs. Donald Prince in an apartment which was separate and distinct from that of Leona Kunz; that Leona Kunz left her automobile with the Princes for their temporary use, that John Graham obtained the keys to the automobile from the Prince apartment, and gave them to Donald Owens, who was driving John Graham on a personal errand of John Graham’s when the collision occurred. The District Judge also found that Donald Owens was driving the automobile without the knowledge, consent or permission, express or implied, of the Princes, or of the owner, and contrary to the latter’s express directions; that he was not the agent or servant of the owner nor engaged in any business for her.

The Court thus concluded that Donald Owens was not an insured under the terms of the policy and that the plaintiff insurance company was entitled to the judgment sought.

The appellants contend that Donald Owens was an “additional insured” legally using his sister’s automobile with the permission of Mrs. Prince, another sister, in whose custody the automobile was placed by the named insured owner Leona Kunz. They also contend that Leona Kunz, the Princes, and Donald Owens, were all members of the same household so that permission to use the automobile was not actually needed. They also argue that the protective cloak of the omnibus clause is paramount to any attempted restriction between the insured and her permittees.

The appellants argue further that the District Judge erroneously applied the family purpose doctrine to the facts of this case. This theory is based on his comments at the hearing on the plaintiff’s motion for judgment. The appellants infer that he assumed that the language of the “omnibus” clause in this policy provided coverage solely where the activities of the operator fell within the family purpose doctrine. We do not agree that the Judge’s casual references to the family purpose doctrine are susceptible of that interpretation.

The contested issues are set out by appellants as:

“1. Were Leona Kunz, the insured, her brother, Donald Owens, and sister and brother-in-law, Marilyn and Donald Prince, all members of the same household at 415 West Second Street, Taylorville, Illinois?
“2. Did Marilyn Prince and/or Donald Prince, who had been given *750 custody of the insured vehicle by Leona Kunz, give permission to Donald Owens to drive the car, on the day in question, and if so, did the permission make Owens an additional assured under the Omnibus clause of the policy, in the face of an earlier prohibition made by the insured ?”

Whether Donald Owens (who was under 21 years of age at this time) was a member of Leona Kunz’s household, whether he had her permission or that of an adult member of her household, or that of another permittee to drive the insured automobile, are questions of fact. Maryland Casualty Co. v. Williams, 5 Cir., 1950, 184 F.2d 983, 985; Whitaker v. Coleman, 5 Cir., 1940, 115 F.2d 305, 306. We may not set aside the findings of fact made by the District Judge who heard the witnesses unless we find them to be clearly erroneous. Rule 52(a), Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.

At the trial in the District Court, Leona Kunz Tex testified that she was living with her son in a 3-room house on Second Street in Taylorville, Illinois, pri- or to August, 1960, and that her sister Marilyn Prince was living in the country. At that time, she was allowing her minor brother Donald Owens to drive her automobile. Early in August, 1960, Leona Kunz’s son went into military service. On August 29, 1960, she took out a new automobile insurance policy, the policy here in question. Although she gave no reason for her decision, she then told her brother Donald that he could no longer drive her automobile. She also told Mr. and Mrs. Prince that her brother Donald was not to drive the automobile.

She testified further that while she was still living in the 3-room house, the Princes moved into the house next door, at 415 W. Second Street. She described that house as containing two apartments.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
326 F.2d 748, 1964 U.S. App. LEXIS 6728, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wolverine-insurance-company-v-billy-eldridge-charles-eldridge-loretta-ca7-1964.