Scheaffer v. Balboa Insurance Co.
Scheaffer v. Balboa Insurance Co.
Opinion of the Court
| ¡This appeal was filed pro se by plaintiff, Gabriela Harper Scheaffer, individually and on behalf of her husband, Bryan Anthony Scheaffer. Subsequently, the defendant/appellees, Newport Insurance Company (Newport) and Countrywide Home Loans, Inc. (Countrywide), filed a “Motion for Partial Dismissal of Appeal.” After review of the record in light of the applicable law and arguments of the parties, the trial court’s judgment of June 4, 2008, is affirmed and the appellee’s motion for partial dismissal of the appeal is denied as moot.
Relevant Facts and Procedural History
This litigation arises out of damages to the plaintiffs’ residence
YOU ARE NOT AN INSURED UNDER THIS POLICY, AND YOU ARE NOT ENTITLED TO RECEIVE THE PROCEEDS FROM THIS POLICY IN THE EVENT OF LOSS OR DAMAGE TO YOUR PROPERTY. THIS POLICY PROTECTS ONLY THE MORTGAGEE’S INTEREST IN THE DESCRIBED LOCATION.
The plaintiffs’ home sustained massive damage as a result of Hurricane Katrina and after an unsuccessful attempt to make a claim on the Newport insurance policy, the plaintiffs filed suit on August 24, 2006, against Countrywide and Newport
|sThe plaintiffs filed a supplemental and amending petition on June 26, 2007, alleging that Countrywide breached a fiduciary duty by refusing to assist them in procuring funds from Newport for repairs to the property and by conspiring with Newport “to suppress the recovery plaintiffs can produce against the insurance policy.” Further, the plaintiffs alleged that Newport breached the express terms and conditions of the policy it issued to Countrywide pertaining to their property and that Newport breached a duty of good faith and fair dealing in handling the plaintiffs’ claim. Finally, the plaintiffs sought a declaratory judgment that La. Rev. Stat. 22:265 was applicable to the policy at issue and that they were entitled to specific performance of the homeowner’s insurance policy between Countrywide and Newport.
Countrywide filed a “Peremptory Exception of No Cause of Action, or in the Alternative, Motion for Summary Judgment” on August 9, 2007. After a hearing on December 7, 2007, the trial court signed the judgment on December 12, 2007, granting Countrywide’s motion for summary judgment and specifically certifying that the judgment was a final judgment which provides the plaintiffs with a right of appeal. The notice of judgment was mailed to the plaintiffs on December 13, 2007. Neither the plaintiffs counsel of record nor the plaintiffs filed a timely notice of and motion for appeal of this judgment.
On March 11, 2008, Newport filed a peremptory exception of no right of action, arguing that the plaintiffs were not insured parties under its policy with Countrywide and, accordingly, the lack of privity between the plaintiffs and Newport entitled Newport to a judgment as a matter of law and dismissing the plaintiffs’ claims against Newport. The trial court sustained Newport’s exception, Rsigning a final judgment dismissing the plaintiffs’ claims against Newport with prejudice on June 4, 2008.
On July 2, 2008, the plaintiffs’ counsel filed a motion to withdraw as counsel of record, attaching a copy of his letter to the plaintiffs dated June 9, 2008, wherein he advised the plaintiffs of the court’s ruling that Newport had no duty to cover their losses because they were not the named insured parties and that, based upon his research, a motion to reconsider or an appeal would not be successful. On that same day, the plaintiff filed a pro se Notice of and Motion for Appeal for both the judgment of December 7, 2007 (dismissing plaintiffs’ claims against Countrywide) and the judgment of June 4, 2008, (dismissing plaintiffs’ claims against Newport). The trial court signed the plaintiffs’ “Notice of and Motion for Appeal” on July 2, 2008.
On August 12, 2008, the appellees filed a Motion for Partial Dismissal of Appeal, arguing that to the extent that the plaintiffs’ appeal sought dismissal of the December 12, 2007, judgment, it should be dismissed.
Assignment of Error No. 1
First, the plaintiffs assert that they have a cause of action against Countrywide for breach of its fiduciary obligation to them.
In accordance with La.Code Civ. Proc. art.1915, the December 12, 2007, judgment which dismissed all of the plaintiffs’ claims against Countrywide was a final and appealable judgment. Thus, pursuant to La.Code Civ. Proc. art.1915, the deadline for the plaintiffs to appeal that judgment would have been sixty days following the “expiration of the delay for applying for a new trial or judgment not
Because the appeal as it pertained to the December 12, 2007, judgment was a nullity, the appellees’ motion for partial dismissal of the appeal
Assignment of Error No. 2
The plaintiffs argue that as third-party beneficiaries to the insurance contract between Countrywide and Newport, they have a right and/or cause of action against Newport. The judgment at issue in this case pertains only to Newport’s peremptory exception of no right of action and, accordingly, that is the only issue properly before the court in this appeal.
The function of an exception of no right of action is to determine whether the plaintiff has any interest in the judicially enforced right asserted and, if not, to terminate the suit brought by one who has no judicial right to enforce the right | (¡asserted in the lawsuit. Because the determination of whether a plaintiff has a right of action is a question of law, we review exceptions of no right of action de novo. Mississippi Land Co. v. S & A Properties II, Inc., 01-1623, pp. 2-3 (La.App. 3 Cir. 5/8/02), 817 So.2d 1200, 1202-03 (citations omitted).
In support of its exception of no right of action, Newport attached (1) a copy of the insurance policy at issue; (2) the certificate of coverage placement which was sent to Mr. Scheaffer
A review of the policy at issue indicates that it very specifically and unambiguously was issued to protect only Countrywide’s interest in the property; 17that Countrywide is the only party listed as an insured party, and, thus, that it created contractual obligations only between Newport and Countrywide. Even accepting arguendo that the plaintiffs did not receive the notices submitted by Countrywide advising the plaintiffs of the insurance policy, the plaintiffs were certainly aware that their own insurance policy had lapsed and, accordingly, they were on notice to ascertain whether (as they allege) insurance had been obtained on their behalf.
Moreover, there is no merit in the plaintiffs’ argument that because they were forced to pay premiums for the insurance contract between Newport and Countrywide, they are third-party beneficiaries of the insurance policy. Under Louisiana law, a contract for the benefit of a third party is referred to as a stipulation pour autri, see, e.g. Whitney National Bank v. Howard Weil Financial Corp., 93-1568, (La.App. 4 Cir. 1/27/94), 631 So.2d 1308, 1310, and requires a clear expression of intent to benefit the third party. Thus, in order to constitute a stipulation pour au-tri, a contract must be “in writing and clearly manifest an intention to confer a benefit upon a third party.” DePaul Hospital v. Mutual Life Ins. Co. of New York, 487 So.2d 143, 146 (La.App. 4 Cir. 1986); see also State, In re Adoption of S.R.P., 555 So.2d 612, 618 (La.App. 4 Cir. 1989), unit denied, 556 So.2d 1288 (La. 1990). Clearly, nothing in the record supports the plaintiffs’ allegation that they are the third party beneficiaries to the insurance contract between Newport and Countrywide.
|8 Conclusion
After de novo review, the trial court judgment granting the exceptions of no right of action is affirmed. The appellees’s motion for partial dismissal of the appeal is denied as moot.
JUDGMENT AFFIRMED; MOTION DENIED AS MOOT.
McKAY, J., Concurs in part and dissents in part.
. Specifically, the residence was located at 2137 Brigade Drive in Chalmette, Louisiana, 70043.
. Initially, the plaintiffs named Countrywide’s insurer as "Balboa Insurance Company aka Newport Insurance Company.”
. Although Judge Manuel Fernandez, Division "B” of the 34th Judicial District, was the trial judge in this matter, the notice of and motion for appeal was signed by Judge Wayne Cre-sap.
. Notably, the appellees failed to alert the trial court in a timely manner of the error in the judgment submitted by the pro se plaintiff which was signed by the judge.
.The certificate of coverage placement, dated July 13, 2005, is addressed to Bryan Scheaf-fer.
. The plaintiffs admit that they received this notice.
Concurring in Part
Concurs in part and dissents in part.
Iil concur with the majority that the plaintiffs’ appeal of the December 12, 2007 judgment granting Countrywide’s motion for summary judgment was a nullity because it was not timely appealed. I do, however, believe that had the appeal been timely that genuine issues of fact concerning Countrywide’s dealings with the Scheaffers would have precluded summary judgment.
With regards to the majority’s affirming of the trial court’s granting of Newport’s exception of no right of action, I respectfully dissent. The essential function of the peremptory exception of no right of action is to test whether the plaintiff has a real and actual interest in the suit. La. C.C.P. art 927(A)(5). Its purpose is to determine whether the plaintiff belongs to the class of persons to whom the law grants the cause of action asserted in the suit. It assumes that the petition states a valid
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Bryan Anthony SCHEAFFER and Gabriela Harper Scheaffer v. BALBOA INSURANCE COMPANY A/K/A Newport Insurance Company and Countrywide Home Loans
- Cited By
- 6 cases
- Status
- Published