Andrade v. Credit General Insurance Co., Unpublished Decision (11-20-2000)
Andrade v. Credit General Insurance Co., Unpublished Decision (11-20-2000)
Opinion of the Court
OPINION
Defendant-appellant/cross-appellee Credit General Insurance Company appeals from the April 12, 1999, and January 18, 2000, Judgment Entries of the Stark County Court of Common Pleas. Plaintiffs-appellees/cross-appellants Bryan Andrade, Trent Lamp and Eldridge Ingram appeal from the June 30, 1999, and December 28, 1999, Judgment Entries of the Stark County Court of Common Pleas.An "insured car" is defined in the insurance policy as follows: a) a car described in the declaration page but only for coverages for which a premium charge is shown; b) a car you purchase or lease during the policy period, for liability only coverages, if it replaces a car described on the declaration page. It must be of a type similar to a described insured car and you notify us within 30 days following the date of purchase or lease by you. Part III — Car Damage will be transferred, if purchased, subject to the completion of a vehicle inspection report by a representative of our choice; c) any additional car you purchase or lease during the policy period, provided you ask us to insure it. Part III — Car Damage coverage is subject to a vehicle inspection report by a representative of our choice; d) a car, not owned by you or a relative, while being used as a temporary substitute for any other car described in this definition but only if the car is withdrawn from normal use due to: breakdown, repair, servicing, loss or destruction; e) a trailer, for liability coverage only, while being towed behind an insured car; f) a non-owned car while driven by an insured.
The insurance policy also provided that appellant would not cover "[l]iability assumed by an insured under any contract or agreement." Appellees, on July 29, 1996, filed a complaint against Larry Brown in the Stark County Court of Common Pleas (Case No. 1996CV01504). Although it was advised of the lawsuit, appellant Credit General Insurance Company refused to defend Larry Brown in such case, arguing that it had no duty to defend or indemnify Brown under the terms of the subject insurance policy. After Larry Brown filed an answer to appellees' complaint on August 23, 1996, the trial court scheduled a jury trial for February 10, 1997. Thereafter, pursuant to a Judgment Entry filed on February 10, 1997 in such case, appellee Bryan Andrade and appellee Eldridge Ingram were each granted judgment against Larry Brown in the amount of $25,000.00 for compensatory damages and appellee Trent Lamp was granted judgment against Brown in the amount of $200,000.00 for compensatory damages. The February 10, 1997 Judgment Entry was signed and approved by both Larry Brown and counsel for appellees and also signed by the trial court. Previously, on January 6, 1997, Larry Brown and his wife, Elaine Brown, had signed an assignment stating as follows: "For consideration hereby received, the undersigned assigns to Bryan F. Andrade, Trent D. Lamp, and Eldridge B. Ingram all the undersigns' right, title, and interest in and to any cause of action that the undersigned may have against Credit General Insurance Company for Credit General Insurance Company's bad faith breach of contract and refusal to defend Larry W. Brown in an action filed in Stark County Common Pleas Court on July 29, 1996, being Case Number 1996-CV-01504, resulting in a judgment being rendered against Larry W. Brown in said action, with full right to maintain an action, and to settle, compromise, or reassign the cause of action, and to give a release in the undersigns' name and full discharge of the liability under the cause of action."
Subsequently, appellees, by virtue of the above assignment of rights, filed a complaint (Case No. 1998CV00161) against appellant on January 27, 1998, seeking coverage under the policy of insurance issued by appellant to Elaine Brown, Larry Brown's then wife. Appellees, in their complaint, set forth causes of action sounding in bad faith, breach of contract, and breach of fiduciary duty. Appellees specifically sought punitive damages in the amount of $1,000,000.00 in addition to compensatory damages. On February 25, 1998, appellant filed an answer to appellees' complaint. Thereafter, a Motion for Summary Judgment was filed by appellant on February 5, 1999, to which appellees filed a response on April 5, 1999. Pursuant to a Judgment Entry filed on April 12, 1999, the trial court overruled appellant's Motion for Summary Judgment, holding as follows: The judgment entered against the Defendant's insured, Larry Brown, in Stark County Common Pleas Case No. 1996CV01504 is a valid, enforceable judgment. Defendant elected to not defend Mr. Brown in said litigation and cannot now be heard to raise a defense to or challenge same in the case sub judice. The vehicle driven by Mr. Brown which was involved in the accident on April 13, 1996, under the policy of insurance issued by Defendant. Under said policy, any replacement vehicle with a similar classification is insured so long as the insured notifies the Insurer within thirty (30) days of acquisition of said replacement vehicle. In the instant case, the insured notified the Defendant of the acquisition of said vehicle within said thirty (30) days. Based on the above, the Court finds that Defendant is not entitled to judgment and the Court therefore overrules Defendant's Motion for Summary Judgment.
Subsequently, appellees, on May 24, 1999, filed a Motion for Partial Summary Judgment. Appellees, in their motion, argued that since the trial court, in its April 12, 1999, Judgment Entry, had found the judgment rendered against Larry Brown in Case No. 1996CV01504 a valid and enforceable judgment, "[a]s a matter of law, Defendant [appellant] therefore is obligated to pay the damages to Plaintiffs [appellees] found to have been incurred" in such case. Appellees further argued that, therefore, judgment should be awarded in favor of appellee Bryan Andrade and appellee Eldridge Ingram and against appellant in the amount of $25,000.00 each and in favor of appellee Trent Lamp and against appellant in the amount of $200,000.00. After appellant, on June 10, 1999, filed a response to appellees' motion, the trial court, as memorialized in a Judgment Entry filed on June 30, 1999, denied appellee's Motion for Partial Summary Judgment. The trial court, in its June 30, 1999, entry, stated that appellees' motion was denied "as it asks for judgment in excess of the [$12,500/25,000] policy limits which the Court cannot do, notwithstanding the amount of the judgments rendered. Any excess over the obligated policy limits relates to the claim of bad faith to still be established." Thereafter, a jury trial commenced in this matter on November 29, 1999. The jury, on December 1, 1999, returned with a verdict in favor of appellant. The jury, in responding to Interrogatory A, further found that appellant had not breached its duty to act in good faith in handling Larry Brown's claim, which had been assigned to appellees. For such reason, the trial court, as memorialized in a Judgment Entry filed on December 7, 1999, ordered that judgment was entered in favor of appellant and against appellees "on Plaintiffs' [appellee's] complaint with regard to any alleged bad faith or extracontractual damages." Pursuant to a separate Judgment Entry filed the same day, the trial court dismissed the remaining counts (Counts II and III) in appellees' complaint with prejudice. A Motion for Judgment Notwithstanding the Verdict or, in the Alternative, Motion for New Trial was filed by appellees on December 13, 1999. Eight days later, appellees filed a Motion for Order Pursuant to Ohio Revised Code Section
FIRST ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR
THE TRIAL COURT ERRED AS A MATTER OF LAW WHEN IT DENIED DEFENDANT-APPELLANT'S MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT.
SECOND ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR
THE TRIAL COURT ERRED AS A MATTER OF LAW WHEN IT DETERMINED LARRY BROWN WAS OPERATING AN INSURED VEHICLE AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT.
THIRD ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR
THE TRIAL COURT ERRED AS A MATTER OF LAW WHEN IT DECLARED THE JUDGMENT AGAINST LARRY BROWN AND HIS SUBSEQUENT ASSIGNMENT OF RIGHTS TO BE VALID AND ENFORCEABLE AS AGAINST CREDIT GENERAL.,
Appellees, in their cross-appeal, raise the following assignment of error:
THE TRIAL COURT ERRED IN ITS DENIAL AS A MATTER OF LAW OF APPELLEES/CROSS-APPELLANTS' MOTION FOR PARTIAL SUMMARY JUDGMENT.
Pursuant to the above rule, a trial court may not enter a summary judgment if it appears a material fact is genuinely disputed. The party moving for summary judgment bears the initial burden of informing the trial court of the basis for its motion and identifying those portions of the record that demonstrate the absence of a genuine issue of material fact. The moving party may not make a conclusory assertion that the non-moving party has no evidence to prove its case. The moving party must specifically point to some evidence which demonstrates the non-moving party cannot support its claim. If the moving party satisfies this requirement, the burden shifts to the non-moving party to set forth specific facts demonstrating there is a genuine issue of material fact for trial. Vahila v. Hall (1997),
The term "insured car" is defined in the insurance policy as follows: a) a car described in the declaration page but only for coverages for which a premium charge is shown; b) a car you purchase or lease during the policy period, for liability only coverages, if it replaces a car described on the declaration page. It must be of a type similar to a described insured car and you notify us within 30 days following the date of purchase or lease by you. Part III — Car Damage will be transferred, if purchased, subject to the completion of a vehicle inspection report by a representative of our choice; c) any additional car you purchase or lease during the policy period, provided you ask us to insure it. Part III — Car Damage coverage is subject to a vehicle inspection report by a representative of our choice; d) a car, not owned by you or a relative, while being used as a temporary substitute for any other car described in this definition but only if the car is withdrawn from normal use due to: breakdown, repair, servicing, loss or destruction; e) a trailer, for liability coverage only, while being towed behind an insured car; f) a non-owned car while driven by an insured.
The only vehicle listed on the declaration page of the automobile policy issued by appellant to Elaine Brown, Larry Brown's then wife, is a 1980 AMC Concord. The parties in this matter agree that above subsections a, c, d, e, and f are not applicable. What the parties do dispute, however, is whether the 1980 Ford Fairmont that Larry Brown was driving at the time of the April 13, 1996, accident was a "replacement vehicle" as described in subsection b. To constitute a "replacement vehicle" under such subsection, the 1980 Ford Fairmont must have replaced the AMC Concord listed on the declarations page of the insurance policy. Since the term "replace" is not defined in the subject policy, such term must be given its plain and ordinary meaning. Nationwide Mut. Fire Ins. Co. V. Guman Bros. Farm (1995),
The term "you" is defined in the subject insurance policy as including "your spouse or a resident relative if living in your household." Since Larry Brown was married to Elaine Brown at the time of the April 13, 1996, accident, the word "you' would also encompass Larry Brown. To conclude, for the foregoing reasons, we find that the trial court did not err in holding that Larry Brown was operating an insured vehicle at the time of the April 13, 1996, accident. The Ford Fairmont being operated at such time was a "replacement vehicle" for the AMC Concord. The trial court, therefore, did not err in denying appellant's Motion for Summary Judgment. Accordingly, appellant's first and second assignments of error are overruled.
We find that the "contractual exclusion clause" contained in the automobile insurance policy issued to Elaine Brown by appellant in the case sub judice is not applicable since Larry Brown, appellant's insured, did not assume liability which did not exist but for the agreed Judgment Entry. This is not a case in which Larry Brown's liability to appellees would not exist except for such agreed Judgment Entry. Appellant, in its brief, also asserts that Larry Brown's assignment of his rights to appellees for any cause of action Larry Brown had against appellant for appellant's failure to defend Larry Brown was invalid since appellant did not consent to the same. Larry Brown and Elaine Brown, pursuant to an assignment dated January 6, 1997, in Case No. 1994CV00504 had assigned all of their "right, title, and interest in and to any cause of action that the undersigned may have against Credit General Insurance Company for Credit General Insurance Company's bad faith breach of contract and refusal to defend Larry W. Brown" in such case. The insurance policy issued by appellant to the Browns in the case sub judice states under General Provisions that any "[i]nterest in this policy may not be assigned without our written consent." The trial court, in its June 30, 1999, Judgment Entry denying appellees' Motion for Partial Summary Judgment, held that the assignment by Larry Brown to appellees "was not an assignment of the policy, which would have been prohibited by the policy, but an assignment of the rights of the insured arising out of a claim of bad faith . . ." We agree. Had the policy itself been assigned, appellees would "have in effect become the insured" and would have the right to coverage under the insurance contract. See Fiorentino v. Lightning Road Mut. Ins. (1996),
Id. at 192. The same holds true with respect to the assignment to appellees of Larry Brown's causes of action against appellant in the case sub judice. Despite the assignment, Larry Brown remained the insured under the subject policy. Furthermore, we believe that Larry Brown's causes of action against appellant were not an "interest" in Brown's policy. Appellant, in its third assignment of error, also argues that the judgment entered into in Case No. 1196CV01504 on February 10, 1997, against Larry Brown, was collusive and, thus, not enforceable against appellant. Appellant stresses that such judgment was rendered against Larry Brown "without appropriate hearing and without even any consideration of corporate negligence issues or valuation of the medical records." Appellant further maintains that the judgment was rendered solely at the discretion of appellees' counsel and the trial court and that Larry Brown, who signed the February 10, 1997, Judgment Entry, had no opportunity to refute the alleged damages. However, appellant cannot challenge the effect of the underlying judgment in Case No. 1996CV01504 because it was a consent judgment. The Judgment Entry filed on February 10, 1997, in such case was approved and signed by Larry Brown after an in-chambers meeting with the trial judge and appellees' counsel. Under Ohio law, "a consent judgment has the same binding effect as one entered by the court after summary adjudication or full trial." Columbus v. Alden E. Stilson Assoc. (1993),
CROSS-APPEAL, Appellees, in the sole assignment of error in their cross-appeal, argue that the trial court erred in denying appellees' Motion for Partial Summary Judgment. We disagree. Appellees, in their May 24, 1999, Motion for Partial Summary Judgment, had moved the trial court for summary judgment on their first cause of action, which was for breach of contract. Appellees also had requested that the trial court award them a total of $250,000.00 in compensatory damages on their first cause of action. The $250,000.00 represented the total amount of the consent judgment entered in Case No. 1996CV01504. However, the trial court, pursuant to a Judgment Entry filed on June 30, 1999, denied appellees' motion "as it asks for judgment in excess of the [$12,500/25,000] policy limits which the Court cannot do, notwithstanding the amount of the judgments rendered." The trial court further noted that any excess over the policy limits "relates to the claim of bad faith still to be established." Appellees, in their sole assignment of error, maintain that since the trial court, in its June 30, 1999, Judgment Entry, found that appellant breached its contract of insurance with Larry Brown, appellees were entitled to an award of damages in excess of the policy limits. Appellees specifically argue as follows: Since Credit General [appellant] refused to provide coverage as well as provide a defense for Brown, Brown suffered damages. In order to place Larry Brown in the same position he would have been in had Credit General [appellant] not breached its contract, i.e. without the liability of a $250,000.00 judgment, Brown, and hence Appellees/Cross-Appellants as Brown's assignees, were damaged in the amount of $250,000.00.
However, as this Court held in Sanders v. McGarry Ins. Agency, Inc. (Dec. 19, 1990), Tusc. App. No. 90AP050035, unreported, the measure of damages in a breach of insurance contract case is the amount that an insurer would have owed under the policy. With respect to their breach of contract claim against appellant, appellees, therefore, are bound by the subject insurance policy limits of $12,500.00 per person/ $25,000.00 per accident. Appellees, in their assignment, also contend that the trial court erred in denying their Motion for Partial Summary Judgment since there was no genuine issue of material fact as to appellant's bad faith in failing to provide coverage and/or refusing to defend Larry Brown in the underlying action. The standard for a bad faith claim was announced in Zoppo v. Homestead Ins. Co. (1994),
Accordingly, appellees' sole assignment of error is overruled. The judgment of the Stark County Court of Common Pleas is affirmed.
By Edwards, J. Hoffman, P.J. and Farmer, J. concurs
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