Young Men's Christian Ass'n of Metropolitan Fort Worth v. Commercial Standard Insurance Co.

552 S.W.2d 497, 1977 Tex. App. LEXIS 2794
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMarch 25, 1977
Docket17776
StatusPublished
Cited by30 cases

This text of 552 S.W.2d 497 (Young Men's Christian Ass'n of Metropolitan Fort Worth v. Commercial Standard Insurance Co.) 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
Young Men's Christian Ass'n of Metropolitan Fort Worth v. Commercial Standard Insurance Co., 552 S.W.2d 497, 1977 Tex. App. LEXIS 2794 (Tex. Ct. App. 1977).

Opinions

OPINION

SPURLOCK, Justice.

Defendant insurance carrier’s motion for summary judgment was granted in a case brought by the injured parties and the insured against the insurance carrier following a judgment obtained by the injured parties against the insured. The summary judgment was granted on the grounds that the injured parties and the insured had entered into a covenant in which the injured parties agreed not to levy execution on the assets of YMCA, the judgment debt- or; and the insured, YMCA, had breached a non-waiver agreement with the insurer, thereby denying the insurer its right to defend the insured. The injured parties and insured appeal.

We reverse and remand.

The event giving rise to this litigation is an accident occurring on July 20, 1967, at a summer camp called Camp Carter, which was then operated by the Young Men’s Christian Association of Fort Worth and Tarrant County. The name has since been changed to Young Men’s Christian Association of Metropolitan Fort Worth, and will hereafter be referred to as YMCA. Johnny Howie, then nine years of age, was injured * by another young camper. He was fishing .■from a crowded dock on a lake at Camp Carter when the other camper caused either a fish hook or a sinker to strike his eye. As * a result, Johnny eventually lost his vision in that eye. YMCA learned of the accident the day it occurred, and notified George Medina, the insurance agent who had issued a general liability insurance policy insuring YMCA with Commercial Standard Insurance Company. Medina had also issued YMCA a hospitalization policy with another company.

The agent received the notice in writing, containing ad the information required by both policies, the following day. The notice was apparently sent on the form provided for notifying the agent in order for the child to obtain medical treatment. About August 26, 1968, the injured boy’s father inquired of YMCA whether it had liability insurance. YMCA that day notified the same agent, George Medina, of this inquiry, again giving ad the facts in writing. It was received by the agent August 27, 1968.

[499]*499NON-WAIVER AGREEMENT

The following day, August 28, 1968, YMCA and Commercial Standard entered into a standard “Non-Waiver Agreement,” in which the insurer acknowledged it had issued its policy to the insured. The parties also agreed that any action taken by the insurer in investigating the above-described accident

“. . . shall not in any way change, waive, invalidate or forfeit any of the terms, conditions and requirements of said policy or any of the rights of either of the parties hereto under said policy; and in the event any suit has been or shall be filed against the Insured, growing out of said accident, should the Company elect to defend said suit or participate therein, said defense or participation therein by it shall not be construed to change, waive, invalidate or forfeit any of the terms and conditions of said policy or any of its rights thereunder. No act of the Company, done by way of said investigation or defense, shall be construed as an admission of liability under said policy.
“It is the intention of this agreement to permit a full investigation of said accident and a defense of any suit brought on account of said accident, should the Company elect to defend, without in any way affecting, impairing or waiving any of the rights of either party hereto, except that the Insured waives the right to insist that such investigation or defense by the Company shall constitute an admission of liability under said policy.” (Emphasis added.)

The summary judgment evidence shows without dispute that neither YMCA nor its personal attorney was ever informed by Commercial Standard that the carrier would be claiming a late-notice defense. The insured was not informed until April 14, 1972 (almost four years later) that the attorneys selected by Commercial Standard had a possible conflict of interest in representing both Commercial Standard and YMCA.

The Dallas firm of Strasburger, Price, Kelton, Martin & Unis was retained by Commercial Standard to defend the claim. It notified YMCA by letter dated June 26, 1969, that it was defending the case under a reservation of rights, without ever explaining to the YMCA what was meant by this term or that there was a question of late notice or conflict of interest. This letter further stated: “Of course, it is understood that none of your rights or contentions under your policy is waived.” (Emphasis added.)

The insurance policy provided that the insurer would not “use as a defense the fact that the Y.M.C.A. of Ft. Worth is non-profit and Charitable Membership organization except in such instances as the Y.M.C.A. Board of Directors gives its permission to do so”, and except when the verdict or judgment is in excess of the limits of liability stated in the policy (in this instance, $100,000.00).

Although the record does not disclose whether the Board of Directors of the YMCA ever gave its insurer permission to claim charitable immunity, YMCA filed a motion for summary judgment based solely upon this defense. We take judicial knowledge of the records of this court in Howle v. Camp Amon Carter, 462 S.W.2d 624 (Tex.Civ.App.—Fort Worth, 1971 rev’d). YMCA attached a certified copy of its charter to its motion, showing that it was a non-profit organization supported by paying members, fees collected, and donations. The summary judgment was granted, affirmed by this court, and then reversed by the supreme court. Howle v. Camp Amon Carter, 470 S.W.2d 629 (Tex.1971).

THE ORIGINAL SUIT

In the personal injury suit, it was alleged that in 1967 Johnny Howie was struck in the eye by a sinker or hook attached to a fishing line cast by a fellow camper, Gary Post. Johnny lost the sight of one eye. Suit was brought by Johnny and his father against the other camper and YMCA. They alleged that the damages sustained were caused by, among other things, the negligence of employees of YMCA in failing to [500]*500supervise Gary properly and prevent his casting in the area where the accident occurred. The supreme court held that YMCA was not relieved from liability under the doctrine of charitable immunity and that a charitable enterprise is subject to vicarious liability under the rule of respon-deat superior applicable to business organizations operated for profit. This case was remanded.

(a)Notice of Late-Notice Defense

After remand, but before the case was retried, by letter of April 14, 1972, the Strasburger firm notified George Crowley, the personal attorney for YMCA, that the plaintiffs had amended their petition and were now suing for at least $220,000.00, an amount in excess of the limits of the YMCA’s policy. In that letter the insurance company’s attorney for the first time notified the personal attorney for YMCA that they were defending the suit under the non-waiver agreement because of the insurer’s belief that it had not been furnished notice of the incident in question as promptly as required by the terms of the policy.

The letter confirmed a telephone conversation between these attorneys two days earlier, in which Crowley had indicated that under these circumstances he desired to become an attorney of record for YMCA.

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Bluebook (online)
552 S.W.2d 497, 1977 Tex. App. LEXIS 2794, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/young-mens-christian-assn-of-metropolitan-fort-worth-v-commercial-texapp-1977.