London & Lancashire Indemnity Co. of America v. Duryea
London & Lancashire Indemnity Co. of America v. Duryea
Opinion of the Court
The plaintiff issued to Rose Duryea an owners’ and tenants’ liability policy, effective May 5, 1952, to cover premises on Main Street in the town of Colchester which were used for a restaurant where intoxicating liquors were sold. The policy contained the following agreements: “1. Coverage A — Bodily Injury Liability. To pay on behalf of the Insured all sums which the Insured shall become obligated to pay by reason of the liability imposed upon him by law for damages . . . because of bodily injury, including death at any time resulting therefrom, sustained by any person or persons, caused by accident and arising out of such of the hazards hereinafter defined as are indicated by specific premium charge or charges. . . .” The hazards covered were defined as follows: “Division 1. Premises — Operations. The ownership, maintenance or use, for the purposes stated in the Declarations, of the premises and all operations during the policy period which are necessary or incidental to such purposes.” The purposes of use stated in the declarations were: “Restaurants— et al. Code 1318.” The specific premium charge in the declarations was for bodily injury liability.
On March 9, 1953, Margaret E. Young, individually and as administratrix of the estate of Clifford W. Young, and Margaret S. Young, executrix of the estate of Clifford E. Young, brought an action against Rose Duryea to recover damages for bodily injuries sustained by Margaret E. Young and for the deaths of Clifford E. Young and Clifford W. Young. They alleged that the injuries and deaths
The plaintiff brought the present action for a judgment declaring that the cause of action alleged in the complaint in the Young suit, described in the preceding paragraph, is not within the coverage of the insurance policy issued by the plaintiff to Rose Duryea. The defendants in the present action are Rose Duryea, who is the plaintiff’s insured, and the plaintiffs in the Young suit, that is, Margaret E. Young, individually and as administratrix, and Margaret S. Young, executrix. The instant case was presented by the parties and tried by the court upon the theory that the complaint in the Young suit stated a cause of action under § 4307 of the General Statutes.
Section 4307 was enacted in 1933 following the repeal of the eighteenth (prohibition) amendment to the federal constitution.
By the plain terms of the policy, the plaintiff agrees to pay on behalf of its insured all sums which the insured may become obligated to pay by reason of the liability imposed upon her by law for damages “because of bodily injury, including death at any time resulting therefrom, sustained by any person or persons, caused by accident and arising out of” the hazard covered in the policy. That hazard is defined as the “oAvnership, maintenance or use” of the described premises for a restaurant, which includes, though it is not expressly so stated, the sale
The delict defined by § 4307 is not the sale of liquor to create a condition of intoxication. It is rather the sale of liquor to one who is already intoxicated. Accordingly, the damages for which it is claimed that Bose Duryea is liable are those resulting from injuries which were inflicted in consequence of the intoxication of Bennett — an intoxication which existed before Mrs. Duryea did any wrongful act. The injuries therefore did not arise out of her delict. The policy insures only such liability as comes into being if some delict on the part of the insured proximately causes an injury. It does not insure a liability, such as that stated in § 4307, which eventuates without any causal connection between the delict and the injury.
It is true that the complaint in the Young suit against Mrs. Duryea alleges a causal connection between the serving of the liquor and the collision which resulted in the injuries and deaths. Even so, it does not state a cause of action at common law. Howleit v. Doglio, 402 Ill. 311, 318, 83 N.E.2d 708; 30 Am. Jur. 576, §612; see Noonan v. Galick, 19 Conn. Sup. 308, 309, 112 A.2d 892. The plaintiffs in
There is error, the judgment is set aside and the case is remanded with direction to render a judgment declaring that the cause of action alleged in the suit brought by Margaret E. Young and Margaret S. Young against Rose Duryea by writ and complaint dated March 9, 1953, and made returnable to the Superior Court in Hartford County on the first Tuesday of April, 1953, is not within the coverage provided by the owners’ and tenants’ liability policy No. HN1058831, issued by the plaintiff to the defendant Rose Duryea.
In this opinion Inglis, C. J., O’Sullivan and Daly, Js., concurred.
“See. 4307. liquor seller liable for damage by intoxicated person. If any person, by himself or his agent, shall sell any alcoholic liquor to an intoxicated person, and such purchaser, in consequence of such intoxication, shall thereafter injure the person or property of another, such seller shall pay just damages to the person injured, to be recovered in an action under this section.”
The genesis of § 4307 is found in Public Acts 1882, c. 107, pt. 6, 5 12. The wording of this act continued substantially unchanged
“Sec. 2815. LIQUOR SELLER liable for damage by intoxicated person. Every person who by himself or his agent shall sell any spirituous and intoxicating liquor to any other person, to be drunk on the premises, who thereby becomes intoxicated, and who while so intoxicated, shall in consequence of said intoxication injure the person or property of another, shall pay just damages to the person injured, to be recovered in an action under this section.”
Dissenting Opinion
(dissenting). In my opinion we should hold that it is sound public policy which creates a civil cause of action under the Liquor Control Act which was not known at common law. The language in the insurance policy under scrutiny obviously comprehends the sale of intoxicating liquors under circumstances which impose liability under the statute. The dilemma facing insurance companies is an underwriting one rather than a legal one. And I believe that innocent people who are grievously injured through someone’s intoxication, or the estate of one whose life has been snuffed out under similar circumstances, ought to have a cause of action that is not an empty sham.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- The London and Lancashire Indemnity Company of America v. Rose Duryea Et Al.
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- 39 cases
- Status
- Published