Bertram v. West American Insurance Co., Unpublished Decision (11-27-2002)
Bertram v. West American Insurance Co., Unpublished Decision (11-27-2002)
Opinion of the Court
{¶ 2} The appellant's complaint states that on March 12, 1999, Susan Bertram was injured in a motor vehicle accident caused by Doreen Hupscher. Hupscher was insured under a policy with a per accident limit of $100,000. At the time of the accident, Ms. Bertram was employed by Eastlake Engine Transmission, Inc. Eastlake is in the business of operating an automobile service garage and is insured by the appellee under a policy effective from April 1, 1998 to April 1, 1999. The appellant asserts that this policy provides uninsured/underinsured motorists coverage of one million dollars as a matter of law. The parties do agree that there was never any offer or rejection of UM/UIM insurance coverage with respect to this policy.
{¶ 3} On the declarations page of the policy in question, it states that there is liability coverage for vehicles described later in the policy under section "29." In the policy the numerical symbol is defined as:
{¶ 4} NON-OWNED "AUTOS" USED IN YOUR GARAGE BUSINESS. Any "auto" you do not own lease, hire, rent or borrow used in connection with your garage business described in the Declarations. This includes "autos" owned by your employees or partners or members of their households while used in your garage business.
{¶ 5} The appellant sets forth two assignments of error both requiring an analysis under Civ.R. 56. This court reviews the lower court's grant of summary judgment de novo. Brown v. Scioto Bd. ofCommrs. (1993),
{¶ 6} In the first assignment of error, the appellant argues that the appellee failed to attach evidence supporting its motion for summary judgment which establishes the effective date of the insurance policy. The appellant posits that the effective date of the policy is required in order to determine which version of R.C.
{¶ 7} The appellant cites to Wolfe v. Wolfe,
{¶ 8} The appellee asserts that the two-year rule arises out of R.C.
{¶ 9} The legislature defined the term "automobile insurance policy" in R.C.
{¶ 10} "As used in sections
3937.30 to3937.39 of the Revised Code, "automobile insurance policy" means an insurance policy delivered or issued in this state or covering a motor vehicle required to be registered in this state which:{¶ 11} "(A) Provides automobile bodily injury or property damage liability, or related coverage, or any combination thereof;
{¶ 12} "(B) Insures as named insured, any of the following:
{¶ 13} "(1) Any one person;
{¶ 14} "(2) A husband and wife resident in the same household;
{¶ 15} "(3) Either a husband or a wife who reside[s] in the same household if an endorsement on the policy excludes the other spouse from coverage under the policy and the spouse excluded signs the endorsement. Nothing in this division (B)(3) shall prevent the issuance of separate policies to each spouse or affect the compliance of the policy with Chapter 4509. of the Revised Code as to the named insured or any additional insured.
{¶ 16} "(C) Insures only private passenger motor vehicles or other four-wheeled motor vehicles which are classified or rated as private passenger vehicles and are not used as public or private livery, or rental conveyances;
{¶ 17} "(D) Does not insure more than four motor vehicles;
{¶ 18} "(E) Does not cover garage, automobile sales agency, repair shop, service station, or public parking operation hazards;
{¶ 19} "(F) Is not issued under an assigned risk plan pursuant to section
4509.70 of the Revised Code."
{¶ 20} The appellee simply points out that R.C.
{¶ 21} While no cases directly on point were located, this court is forced to conclude that the appellee has correctly read and applied R.C.
{¶ 22} The appellant's first assignment of error is overruled.
{¶ 23} In the second assignment of error, the appellant asserts that language of R.C.
{¶ 24} This court begins its discussion by noting that R.C.
{¶ 25} "(L) As used in this section, "automobile liability or motor vehicle liability policy of insurance" means either of the following:
{¶ 26} "(1) Any policy of insurance that serves as proof of financial responsibility, as proof of financial responsibility is defined by division (K) of section
4509.01 of the Revised Code, for owners or operators of the motor vehicles specifically identified in the policy of insurance{¶ 27} "(2) Any umbrella liability policy of insurance."3
{¶ 28} The language in this statute under contention here is the use of the words "specifically identified." The appellant asserts that this language means only that the automobiles in the policy have to fit the description of any auto not owned, leased, hired, rented or borrowed by Eastlake, that is, used in connection with Eastlake's garage business is a covered auto — including autos owned by Eastlake's employees, partners or members of their household's while used in Eastlake's garage business. In contrast, the appellee states that the words "specifically identified" must be interpreted to mean those automobiles which have been precisely, particularly and individually identified in the policy.
{¶ 29} Several appellate courts have reviewed, under various circumstances, whether or not R.C.
{¶ 30} For support of its assertion, the appellant cites toSelander v. Erie Insurance Group (1999),
{¶ 31} The appellant also cites to Davis v. State Farm Fire andCas. Co., Franklin App. No. 00Ap-1458, 2001-Ohio-8884, appeal not accepted for review in
{¶ 32} However, in Lane v. State Auto. Ins. Cos., Miami App. No. 2002-CA-10, 2002-Ohio-5128, the court cited to Gilcreast-Hill, 2002 Ohio 4524, P23 and noted that the Ninth District explicitly rejected the reasoning of the Tenth District Court of Appeals on this issue as unpersuasive. See also Gilcreast-Hill v. Ohio Farmers Ins. Co., Summit App. No. 20983, 2002-Ohio-4524, also finding the reasoning unpersuasive. In Barry v. Cincinnati Ins. Cos., Franklin App. No. 01AP-1437, 2002-Ohio-4898, the court stated that it was not guided in the analysis of this question by the dicta in Davis v. State Farm Fire Cas.Co., Franklin App. No. 00 AP-1458, 2001-Ohio-8884, in which it suggested that R.C.
{¶ 33} While there seems to be a difference of opinion in the appellate courts of Ohio, this court finds that the reasoning set forth inJump, Burkholder, Gilcreast, Berry, Reffit, Lane, Ryan and De Uzhca as set forth is more persuasive. The policy under consideration here is a commercial business owners policy which did not precisely, particularly and individually identify any automobiles to be provided liability insurance coverage. R.C.
{¶ 34} The appellant's second assignment of error is overruled.
Judgment affirmed.
It is ordered that appellee recover of appellant its costs herein taxed.
The court finds there were reasonable grounds for this appeal. It is ordered that a special mandate issue out of this court directing the Common Pleas Court to carry this judgment into execution.
A certified copy of this entry shall constitute the mandate pursuant to Rule 27 of the Rules of Appellate Procedure.
Exceptions.
MICHAEL J. CORRIGAN, J., and FRANK D. CELEBREZZE, Jr., J., CONCUR.
N.B. This entry is an announcement of the court's decision. See App.R. 22(B), 22(D) and 26(A); Loc.App.R. 22. This decision will be journalized and will become the judgment and order of the court pursuant to App.R. 22(E) unless a motion for reconsideration with supporting brief, per App.R. 26(A), is filed within ten (10) days of the announcement of the court's decision. The time period for review by the Supreme Court of Ohio shall begin to run upon the journalization of this court's announcement of decision by the clerk per App.R. 22(E). See, also, S.Ct.Prac.R. II, Section 2(A)(1).
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.