Quick v. Ronald Adams Contractor, Inc.

• Decision Date: 25 November 2003
• Docket Number: No. 03-CA-751.,03-CA-751.
• Citation: 861 So.2d 278
• Parties: Steven J. QUICK and Lisa R. Quick, His Wife, Individually and on Behalf of their Minor Children Bradley, Jake and Bryce Quick v. RONALD ADAMS CONTRACTOR, INC., and Presco Amphibious Equipment, Inc.
• Court: Court of Appeal of Louisiana — District of US

861 So.2d 278

Steven J. QUICK and Lisa R. Quick, His Wife, Individually and on Behalf of their Minor Children Bradley, Jake and Bryce Quick v. RONALD ADAMS CONTRACTOR, INC., and Presco Amphibious Equipment, Inc.

No. 03-CA-751.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Fifth Circuit.

November 25, 2003.

Order Granting Rehearing in Part December 15, 2003.

Brian J. Marceaux, Julius P. Hebert, Jr., Herbert & Marceaux, Houma, LA, Counsel for Plaintiff/Appellant, Presco Amphibious Equipment, Inc.

John Nickerson Chappuis, Ginger H. Welborn, Voorhies & Labbe, Lafayette, LA, Counsel for Defendant/Appellee, Eagle Pacific Insurance Company.

Panel composed of Judges THOMAS F. DALEY, MARION F. EDWARDS, and WALTER J. ROTHSCHILD.

THOMAS F. DALEY, Judge.

Presco Amphibious Equipment, Inc. (Presco), third party plaintiff, appeals the grant of summary judgment in favor of third party defendant, Eagle Pacific Insurance Company (Eagle), on the issue of duty to defend. After thorough consideration of the law and evidence, we reverse, finding that Eagle owed Presco a defense to this suit.

Eagle issued Presco both a Workers' Compensation Liability policy and an Employers Liability Insurance Policy. Plaintiff, Steven Quick (Quick), sued his employer, Presco, in tort for injuries he allegedly received while working in the course and scope of his employment. Quick previously claimed and was awarded Workers' Compensation benefits under Presco's Workers' Compensation Liability Policy with Eagle, after which he filed the tort suit against Presco alleging tort liability based on negligence and intentional tort. Presco filed a Third Party Demand against Eagle, alleging the existence of an Employers Liability Insurance Policy that provided coverage for the alleged incident, and arguing that Eagle owed Presco the duty to defend the Quick tort suit. Eagle filed a Motion for Summary Judgment, alleging two coverage exclusions in the Employers Liability Insurance Policy it issued to Presco; one exclusion for matters covered under workers' compensation, and another exclusion based upon intentional acts. Eagle argued that since there was no coverage for the alleged incident, it owed no duty to defend.

The trial court granted Eagle's Motion for Summary Judgment on June 6, 2002. The Notice of Judgment was sent to an old address for Presco's counsel, not the current address that appeared on all pleadings in this case. Presco filed a Motion for Summary Judgment on November 25, 2002, which was denied considering the Summary Judgment granted in favor of Eagle on June 6, 2002. Presco filed a Motion for New Trial for Re-Argument purposes only on December 3, 2002, which was denied on February 7, 2003.

ANALYSIS

As this court recently stated in Houghtaling v. Richardson, 01-208 (La. App. 5 Cir. 10/17/01), 800 So.2d 1012:

Generally, the insurer's obligation to defend suits against its insured is broader than its liability for damage claims. Yount v. Maisano, [627 So.2d 148 (la.1993)]supra. The insurer's duty to defend suits brought against its insureds is determined by the allegations of the plaintiff's petition, and the insurer is obligated to defend the insured, unless the petition unambiguously excludes coverage. The allegations in the petition are to be construed liberally to determine whether they state grounds bringing the claims within the scope of the insurer's duty to defend. Assuming all the allegations of the petition to be true, if there would be coverage under the policy and also liability to the plaintiff, the insurer must defend the suit, regardless of the outcome of the suit. The duty to defend arises whenever the pleadings against the insured disclose even a possibility of liability under the policy. The duty to defend is determined solely from the plaintiff's pleadings and the face of the policy, without consideration of extraneous evidence. Yount v. Maisano, supra; KLL Consultants, Inc. [ v. Aetna Cas. & Sur. Co. of Illinois, 99-14(La.App. 5 Cir. 6/1/99), 738 So.2d 691], supra.

Eagle sold Presco both a Workers' Compensation Liability Policy and an Employers' General Liability Policy. We find that Eagle had a duty to defend Presco against Quick's suit, and that this duty arises out of the Workers' Compensation Liability Policy itself.

Quick's Petition alleged that he was an employee of Presco, and was instructed to change the motor that powered the tree cutter on one of Presco's swamp buggies. He alleged that the motor weighed approximately 200 pounds, and he was not provided any manual or mechanical assistance to remove and lift the motor. He alleged that the swamp buggy crews were shorthanded and that the labor shortage was known to Presco. He further alleged that Presco knew or should have known that the cutter mowers were breaking frequently on the job and needed to be replaced with regularity, and that the shorthanded personnel were sometimes required to change the 200 pound motors without assistance. Quick alleged that Presco knew not to require him, who was 5'2" and weighed only 114 pounds, to "manhandle" a motor without assistance, which Quick alleged was "substantially certain" to result in injury to him.

Quick alleged that his injuries were caused "solely, proximately and directly by the...