Encompass Ins. Co. v. Coast Nat’l Ins. Co.

Encompass filed suit against Mid-Century and Coast National seeking contribution or subrogation for the expenses Encompass incurred in its defense and indemnification of its insured, Lisa Torti, in an underlying lawsuit. Alexandra Van Horn was a passenger in a wrecked car and, Torti, fearing that Van Horn might be in danger, grabbed Van Horn and physically removed her from the car. Van Horn suffered severe spinal injuries after the accident and became a paraplegic. Van Horn sued Torti, alleging that Torti caused her injuries when she removed her from the wrecked car. At issue on appeal was whether unloading an injured passenger from a motor vehicle constitutes "use" of that motor vehicle under California law. The court concluded that it does. As used in Mid-Century's and Coast National's insurance policies, the term "use" is defined by California Insurance Code 11580.06(g). As defined by California Insurance Code 11580.06(g), "use" of an automobile includes unloading that automobile. In this case, Torti "used" the vehicle when she unloaded Van Horn from that car. Accordingly, the court reversed the judgment of the district court in favor of Mid-Century and Coast National and remanded for further proceedings. View "Encompass Ins. Co. v. Coast Nat'l Ins. Co." on Justia Law