Villa v. Michigan Mut. Ins. Co., Unpublished Decision (5-20-2004)
Villa v. Michigan Mut. Ins. Co., Unpublished Decision (5-20-2004)
Opinion of the Court
{¶ 2} In March 1996, Melissa, a passenger in a vehicle driven by Sharon Honacker ("Honacker") and owned by Casey Marie Davis ("Davis"), was injured when Honacker lost control of the car when Davis grabbed the steering wheel and the vehicle collided into a parked car. At the time of the accident, Melissa resided with her mother, Maria, who was a member of the United Auto, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America, Local 425 ("Local 425").2 In effect at the time of the accident was an insurance policy issued by Buckeye to Local 425.
{¶ 3} Here, it is undisputed that neither Maria nor Melissa were employees of Local 425 and neither were acting in the course and scope of their employment at the time of the accident. Because neither Maria nor Melissa were acting within the course or scope of their employment at the time the accident occurred, appellants cannot maintain a Scott-Pontzer action. SeeWestfield Ins. Co. v. Galatis,
{¶ 4} Moreover, the previous expansion of Scott-Pontzer
claims to resident relatives of an employee, such as the theory that Melissa seeks coverage under her mother's union carrier, has been precisely overruled by the Ohio Supreme Court. See Galatis
at ¶ 61 ("[w]e overrule Ezawa v. Yasuda Fire Marine Ins. Co.of Am., [
{¶ 5} The judgment is affirmed.
Judgment affirmed.
Cooney and Karpinski, JJ., concur.
It is ordered that appellee recover of appellants 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.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.