American Family Mut. Ins. Co. v. Merrill, s. 16505

Citation454 N.W.2d 555
Decision Date11 September 1989
Docket Number16512,Nos. 16505,s. 16505
PartiesAMERICAN FAMILY MUTUAL INSURANCE COMPANY, Plaintiff and Appellant, v. Larry D. MERRILL, Individually and as Guardian Ad Litem of Tamara Marie Merrill; Andrew A. Wipf, as Administrator of the Estate of Kenneth Andrew Wipf, Deceased; Mark Hattum; Robert Hattum; Beverly Hattum; Todd Hattum; All Nation Insurance Company; Hughes County, South Dakota; Robert Ingle; Robert Meyer; and Continental Insurance Company, Defendants and Appellees. . Considered on Briefs
CourtSupreme Court of South Dakota

Chester A. Groseclose, Jr., of Richardsons, Groseclose, Kornmann & Wyly, Aberdeen, for plaintiff and appellant.

David L. Braun of Gors, Braun and Zastrow, Pierre, Edwin Evans of Davenport, Evans, Hurwitz & Smith, Douglas M. Deibert of Cadwell, Sanford & Deibert, William Taylor of Woods, Fuller, Shultz & Smith, Sioux Falls, Robert B. Anderson of May, Adam, Gerdes & Thompson, Pierre, for defendants and appellees.

BERNDT, Circuit Judge.

On the evening of December 31, 1986, a one vehicle accident occurred on a Hughes County road involving a pickup owned by Kenneth Wipf and driven by Tamara Merrill. The four occupants in the pickup were: Kenneth Wipf, Tamara Merrill, Mark Hattum and Nicolle Hageman. Kenneth Wipf died as a result of the accident and Mark Hattum received serious bodily injuries, leaving him a quadriplegic.

Four lawsuits arose out of the accident. Andrew Wipf, Administrator of the Estate of Kenneth Wipf, brought a wrongful death action against Tamara Merrill and against Hughes County and two county employees for failure to properly maintain the road. Mark Hattum brought a personal injury action against Tamara Merrill, Hughes County, two county employees and Andrew Wipf in his capacity as administrator of Kenneth Wipf's estate. Hattum's parents and brother brought an action against Tamara Merrill, Hughes County, two county employees and Andrew Wipf, Administrator of Kenneth Wipf's estate, for loss of society, services, emotional distress and medical expenses. A fourth suit by Nicolle Hageman was settled and she is no longer a party.

Kenneth Wipf's vehicle was insured under a policy issued by All Nation Insurance Company (All Nation). The policy provided the statutory minimum coverage of $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident for Kenneth Wipf and other persons operating his pickup with permission. All Nation acknowledges primary liability coverage but its limits are insufficient to cover the damages claimed.

Mark Hattum was insured under his parents' policy with Continental Insurance Company (Continental). The policy included underinsured motorist coverage. Under this coverage, Continental agreed to pay to the insured (up to the stated limits) the amount by which a judgment obtained by the insured exceeded the liability coverage of the party against whom the judgment was taken.

Tamara Merrill claimed coverage under two policies issued to her parents (Larry and Carol Merrill) by American Family Mutual Insurance Company (American Family). Each policy provided liability limits of $100,000 per person and $300,000 per accident and medical expense coverage of $10,000 per person. The policies covered family members while operating vehicles not owned by the Merrills or their family as long as the family members were not specifically excluded from American Family's coverage.

The main controversy in this appeal is a determination of the insurance coverage provided to Tamara Merrill by American Family. If any liability attaches to Tamara for her acts while driving, the outcome of this appeal will determine the order in which each insurer will be liable. If coverage is provided by American Family, that insurance applies to Mark Hattum's claim and Continental's coverage will be reduced by the $25,000 available under the All Nation policy and the $100,000 available under the American Family policy. If Tamara is not covered under the American Family policy, Continental's liability will be reduced only by the $25,000 coverage provided by All Nation.

American Family denies any coverage for Tamara. The facts show that the Merrill family has been insured by American Family since the 1970s. In 1983 American Family became aware of the fact that one of the Merrill children had attained driving age. An agent's secretary contacted Larry Merrill by memo stating that some action was necessary regarding his oldest son because he was of driving age. As a result, the oldest son was included in the Merrills' policies for an additional charge in the premium. According to American Family, one of the Merrills' policies lapsed in January of 1985. The policy was reinstated in May 1985, however, the Merrills informed the agent's secretary that there were no longer any household members of driving age because the oldest son was going to college.

Later in 1985, Larry's wife, Carol, contacted the agent's secretary concerning coverage rates for their two oldest children, including Tamara. The rate information was conveyed to Mrs. Merrill and it was decided to include both children in the policies. In December 1985, the premium notice arrived including an additional charge for the two oldest children. Larry Merrill informed American Family, through its agent, that he was not going to pay the premium and wanted the children removed from coverage.

American Family contends that its agent sent the Merrills declaration pages showing the requested exclusion of the children and exclusion forms for Larry Merrill's signature. Merrill recalls receiving some forms but does not recall what they contained. In any event, no signed, written agreement excluding Tamara from coverage was ever returned to American Family by the Merrills.

When the present matter arose, American Family brought a declaratory judgment action seeking a trial court determination that the policies issued to the Merrills provided no liability coverage for Tamara. American Family based its position on Larry Merrill's requested exclusion of his two oldest children from coverage. Larry Merrill contended that the children were covered under the policies as household members for no additional premium. Continental, which provides underinsured coverage for the Hattums, claimed that the alleged exclusion of the Merrill children was invalid because there was no written agreement signed by the Merrills to support the exclusion. Continental moved for summary judgment on the basis that SDCL 58-11-9.3 requires that a written agreement signed by the insured be obtained by an insurer to support such an exclusion of coverage. The trial court agreed and granted summary judgment against American Family finding that no signed, written exclusion agreement had ever been obtained.

Two issues are raised on appeal:

(1) Whether SDCL 58-11-9.3 requires a signed, written agreement between an insurer and insured in order to exclude from coverage a person who would otherwise be covered under an automobile insurance policy? The trial court held that it does and granted summary judgment. We affirm.

(2) Whether the trial court erroneously refused to award Larry Merrill attorney fees incurred by him as a result of his successful defense of this declaratory judgment action? The trial court held in the negative. We affirm.

Prior to reaching the merits of these issues, it is necessary to determine the scope of review for this case. This is a summary judgment action.

Our scope of review on appeal is not under the 'clearly erroneous' doctrine, but rather under the strict standards attendant upon entry of summary judgment as delineated in [Wilson v. Great Northern Railway Co., 83 S.D. 207, 157 N.W.2d 19 (1968) ]:

(1) Evidence must be viewed most favorable to the nonmoving party;

(2) The burden of proof is on the movant to show clearly that there is no genuine issue of material fact and that he is entitled to judgment as a matter of law;

(3) Summary judgment is not a substitute for a court trial or for trial by jury where any genuine issue of material fact exists;

(4) Surmise that a party will not prevail upon trial is not sufficient basis to grant summary judgment on issues which are not shown to be sham, frivolous or so unsubstantial that it is obvious that it would be futile to try them.

(5) Summary judgment is an extreme remedy which should be awarded only when the truth is clear and reasonable doubts touching the existence of a genuine issue as to material fact should be resolved against the movant;

(6) When no genuine issue of fact exists, summary judgment is looked upon with favor and is particularly adaptable to expose sham claims and defenses.

First Western Bank v. Livestock Yards, 444 N.W.2d 387, 389 (S.D.1989) (quoting Nizielski v. Tvinnereim, 429 N.W.2d 483, 485 (S.D.1988)).

Our resolution of the first issue in this case is dependent upon the proper interpretation of SDCL 58-11-9.3. This court has never had an opportunity to interpret this statute and, therefore, this is a case of first impression. SDCL 58-11-9.3 reads as follows:

An insurance policy covering a private passenger automobile or other motor vehicle registered or principally garaged in this state may by written agreement with the named insured exclude a named individual from coverage or contain a restrictive endorsement reducing the limits of liability or collision coverage when the vehicle is operated by a named person or class of persons, provided, however, that the liability coverage may not be less than the minimum prescribed by chapter 32-35 as amended. (emphasis added).

The trial court interpreted the statute to mean that a written agreement must be signed by the insured in order to exclude an individual otherwise insured from coverage. We agree.

In determining the meaning of a statute, it is necessary to follow the general rules of statutory construction. "The intent of a statute must be derived from the statute as a whole, from its language,...

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