Wright v. Allstate Indem. Co.

618 So. 2d 1296, 1993 WL 168449
CourtMississippi Supreme Court
DecidedMay 20, 1993
Docket89-CA-1167
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 618 So. 2d 1296 (Wright v. Allstate Indem. Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Mississippi Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Wright v. Allstate Indem. Co., 618 So. 2d 1296, 1993 WL 168449 (Mich. 1993).

Opinion

618 So.2d 1296 (1993)

James M. WRIGHT, Louise T. Wright, Billy Ross Wright, George E. Moody and Michael Welch,
v.
ALLSTATE INDEMNITY COMPANY.

No. 89-CA-1167.

Supreme Court of Mississippi.

May 20, 1993.

*1297 Edward J. Bogen, Jr., McGee & Bogen, Leland, Robert S. Crump, III, Jacobs Eddins Povall Meador & Crump, Cleveland, for appellant.

Frank W. Hunger, Marian S. Alexander, Lake Tindall Firm, Greenville, for appellee.

Before DAN M. LEE, P.J., and PITTMAN and BANKS, JJ.

DAN M. LEE, Presiding Justice, for the court:

On January 19, 1989, George E. Moody and Michael Welch (Welch), the sons and wrongful death beneficiaries of Allene D. Welch, brought a wrongful death complaint against Billy Ross Wright in the Circuit Court of Washington County, Mississippi, asking for $500,000.00 in compensatory damages and $500,000.00 in punitive damages. Allstate Indemnity Co. (Allstate) filed a separate action whereby it sought a declaratory judgment under M.R.C.P. 57 contending it had no liability and owed no duty to defend under the terms of a homeowner's policy it had issued to the father and stepmother of Billy Ross Wright.

On September 12, 1989, the Circuit Court of Washington County, Mississippi, entered summary judgment in favor of Allstate against James M. Wright, Louise T. Wright, and Billy Ross Wright. The judgment held that James Wright, who had purchased the homeowner's policy on November 12, 1987, had no insurable interest in the property where the liability in question arose. The judgment further found that no coverage was ever extended to Billy Ross Wright by virtue of the policy.

FACTS

In the fall of 1987, Billy Ross Wright wanted to purchase a house at 753 Kerry Street, Greenville, Mississippi, and successfully negotiated the sale with the real estate agent. Having a poor credit history and being a convicted felon, however, Billy Ross doubted that he would be able to secure a loan in his own name. He therefore arranged to have his father, James M. Wright, and his stepmother, Louise T. Wright, purchase the home on his behalf.

James and Louise Wright lived at 996 Caldwell Drive, Greenville, Mississippi. They took out a loan from State Mutual Federal Savings and Loan and purchased the home for Billy Ross located at 753 Kerry Street, some 3 miles away. Billy Ross agreed to give James the money necessary to make the monetary payments on his behalf and to pay the taxes and insurance. This agreement was not reduced to writing.

James and Louise were told at the savings and loan that in order to secure a loan, they had to procure insurance on the Kerry Street house. The lending institution sent Allstate agent Will Jenkins over to James and Louise's home on 996 Caldwell Drive to sell the elder Wrights the necessary insurance. James and Louise had a separate homeowner's insurance policy on their Caldwell Drive home, with another company. Jenkins had not sold them any insurance prior to this time.

Agent Jenkins asked James and Louise Wright several questions while he was at their Caldwell Drive home and he filled out the application for the homeowner's policy. James and Louise signed the application at the conclusion of the meeting.

Agent Jenkins said that James and Louise told him that they would be moving into the Kerry Street home. Allstate claimed the insureds thus misrepresented their plans to their agent and, accordingly, that it had a right to avoid coverage.

James Wright contended that he told Jenkins that his son, Billy Ross, would be living in the Kerry Street house, and that he and his wife, Louise, had no intention of *1298 moving there themselves. The Wrights claimed that since knowledge imparted to the insurance agent would be imputed to the insurer, Billy Ross is the person for whom the insurance was purchased, and Billy Ross' household is the insured household under the terms of the insurance policy.

On November 13, 1987, Allstate issued homeowner's policy number XXXXXXXXX to James and Louise Wright, covering the house at 753 Kerry Street. The policy was designated "Deluxe Homeowner's — Primary Residence," and premiums were calculated as if James and Louise were the owners and occupants of the Kerry Street house.

The policy provided personal liability coverage for claims made or suits brought against an insured for damages because of bodily injury or property damage, and medical payments to others resulting from an accident to a person off the insured location if the bodily injury was caused by actions of the insured. Policy limits for personal liability were $50,000.00, medical payments to others were $500.00, and the policy term was from November 5, 1987, through November 5, 1988. On the back of the insurance application, Jenkins wrote "Just Moving In," but didn't state whether this notation referred to James and Louise or to Billy Ross.

Billy Ross Wright, his girlfriend, Jewel Cork, and three minor children moved into the Kerry Street house. Each month Billy Ross paid his father, James, a sum greater than the total of the house note, taxes, and insurance payments due. Before this transaction, Billy Ross had been paying his father, James, living expense money every month, allegedly out of love and affection. James said in his deposition that this money, in excess of the house purchase expenses, was a continuation of this prior practice and was not considered by him or by Billy Ross to be rent. James took the money Billy Ross tendered to him and paid the house notes, insurance premiums, and taxes, keeping the excess for himself.

On July 6, 1988, at the request of Billy Ross, James and Louise went to the office of Billy Ross's attorney, Josh Bogen, in Leland. Bogen had drawn up a quitclaim deed from James and Louise to Billy Ross for the Kerry Street house. James and Louise signed the quitclaim deed, and Bogen locked it up in his safe. The deed was never recorded.

In his affidavit, James Wright stated:

The purpose of the execution of the quitclaim deed was to protect Billy in the event something should happen to me or my wife. Both my wife and I have children by different marriages and we did not want the property to get tied up in a dispute between our other children. It was our understanding at the time the quitclaim deed was executed at Mr. Bogen's office that Mr. Bogen would retain the deed in his possession, not to be recorded unless my wife or I died or we otherwise instructed Mr. Bogen to record the deed.
After the deed was executed in Mr. Bogen's office, I have continued to this day to make payments for insurance to Allstate and for property taxes. To this date, we have never instructed Mr. Bogen to record the deed to Billy Ross Wright and we do not have any present intention of doing so, except in the event of our deaths.

On Halloween night, October 31, 1988, Billy Ross Wright stood in the front yard of the Kerry street house and shot at a passing car. He claimed the occupants of the vehicle first shot at him. The bullet traveled across the street and into the home of Allene D. Welch (Mrs. Welch), a 66-year-old widow, who lived at 752 Kerry Street. Mrs. Welch was lying in bed watching television. The bullet struck her in the head and killed her.

On January 19, 1989, George E. Moody and Michael Welch (Welch), the sons and wrongful death beneficiaries of Mrs. Welch, brought a wrongful death complaint against Billy Ross Wright in the Circuit Court of Washington County, Mississippi, asking for $500,000.00 in compensatory damages and $500,000.00 in punitive damages.

*1299

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
618 So. 2d 1296, 1993 WL 168449, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wright-v-allstate-indem-co-miss-1993.