Erie Ins. Exch. v. Moore
Decision Date | 22 November 2017 |
Docket Number | No. 869 WDA 2016,869 WDA 2016 |
Citation | 175 A.3d 999 |
Parties | ERIE INSURANCE EXCHANGE v. Tracy L. MOORE and Harold E. McCutcheon, III, Individually and as Administrators of the Estate of Harold Eugene McCutcheon, Jr., and Richard A. Carly Appeal of: Richard A. Carly |
Court | Pennsylvania Superior Court |
Jerome A. Moschetta, Canonsburg, for appellant.
Allan C. Molotsky, Philadelphia for appellee.
Appellant Richard A. Carly appeals from the summary judgment entered on June 15, 2016, in favor of Appellee Erie Insurance Exchange in Erie's action for a declaration that it is not obligated to defend or indemnify the Estate of Harold Eugene McCutcheon, Jr. in a personal injury action filed by Carly. We reverse.
On September 26, 2013, McCutcheon went to the home of his former wife, Terry L. McCutcheon, killed her, and then committed suicide. Before McCutcheon killed himself, Carly arrived unexpectedly at the home, struggled with McCutcheon, and was seriously injured by shots fired from McCutcheon's gun. Erie contends that policies that it issued to insure McCutcheon do not cover Carly's injuries because McCutcheon inflicted them intentionally. Carly contends that, as alleged in his complaint against McCutcheon's Estate, the discharge of the gun and resulting injuries were unintentional, and Erie therefore is required to provide a defense and indemnity. The trial court agreed with Erie. We reverse because the facts pleaded in Carly's complaint against the Estate allege that Carly's injuries were caused by unintentional conduct.
Carly filed his complaint against McCutcheon's Estate in the Court of Common Pleas of Washington County on February 20, 2014.1 He named as defendants the administrators of the Estate—McCutcheon's children, Tracy Moore and Harold E. McCutcheon, III. The complaint alleged:
Complaint, Carly v. Moore , pp. 2–6. As a result of being shot in the face, Carly suffered "severe, serious and catastrophic injuries." Id. at 6.
On September 26, 2013, the date of the shooting, McCutcheon was an insured under two policies issued by Erie. One, a homeowner's insurance policy ("Homeowner's Policy") stated:
We will pay all sums up to the amount shown on the Declarations which anyone we protect becomes legally obligated to pay as damages because of bodily injury or property damage caused by an occurrence during the policy period. We will pay for only bodily injury or property damage covered by this policy.
Homeowner's Policy at 14 ( ). The Homeowner's Policy defined an "occurrence" as "an accident including continuous or repeated exposure to the same general harmful conditions." Id. at 5. The Policy included the following exclusion:
Id. at 15 ( ).
The other Erie policy was an excess liability policy ("Excess Policy"). This policy stated:
We pay the ultimate net loss which anyone we protect becomes legally obligated to pay as damages because of personal injury or property damage resulting from an occurrence during this policy period. We will pay for only personal injury or property damage covered by this policy. This applies only to damages in excess of the underlying limit or Self–Insured Retention.
Excess Policy at 4 ( ). The Excess Policy defined "occurrence" as "an accident, including continuous or repeated exposure to conditions, which results in personal injury or property damage which is neither expected nor intended." Id. at 3. It included the following exclusion: Id. at 4 ( ).
On August 14, 2014, Erie filed this action for a declaratory judgment to determine whether it was obligated to provide coverage for the claims made against McCutcheon's Estate in Carly's complaint. Trial Ct. Order, 5/31/16, at 3. The declaratory judgment action requested a declaration that Erie "has no duty to provide a defense, indemnity, or other coverage" to Moore, McCutcheon III, or the Estate "for the claims asserted against them in the [Carly's suit], or any other claims arising from the September 26, 2013 incident." Compl., 8/14/14, at 9, ad damnum clause.
On May 13, 2015, after the parties had engaged in discovery, Carly filed a motion for entry of summary judgment in his favor. Mot. for Summ. J., 5/13/...
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Erie Ins. Exch. v. Moore, No. 20 WAP 2018
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