STATE FARM FIRE AND CASUALTY COMPANY, A FOREIGN INSURANCE COMPANY, APPELLANT,
v.
WILLIAM B. EDGECUMBE AND EVA LUCILLE EDGECUMBE, APPELLEES

Fla. 1st DCA | 1985-06-21
No. AY-493
MILLS and SMITH, JJ., concur.
471 So. 2d 209 Florida District Court of Appeal, First District (1985) Positive Treatment
Cited by 10 cases

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Synopsis

State Farm appealed a declaratory judgment requiring it to defend and provide coverage for Eva Edgecumbe in a malicious prosecution suit. The court reversed, holding that coverage determinations must be based solely on the allegations in the underlying complaint, not extrinsic evidence or actual facts.


Holding

An insurance company's duty to defend must be determined exclusively from the allegations of the complaint brought against the insured. Extrinsic evidence showing that actual facts differ from the allegations cannot be considered, even if such evidence would negate the applicability of policy exclusions. The policy exclusion for injuries expected or intended by the insured applied because the complaint alleged intentional conduct.


Headnotes

[1] An insurer's duty to defend an insured must be determined solely from the allegations contained in the underlying complaint.

[2] Evidence outside the allegations of the complaint is not considered when determining an insurer's duty to defend, even if it tends to show the actual facts differ from th…

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Key Quotes

“Whether an insurance company owes a duty to provide an insured with a defense to proceedings instituted against him must be determined from the allegations of the complaint. This rule applies even if the testimony of the Edgecumbes tended to show that the actual facts are different from the allegations of the complaint.”

Establishes the controlling legal standard that allegations, not actual facts, determine the duty to defend

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Facts & Procedural History

James Smith sued Eva Lucille Edgecumbe alleging she maliciously and with intent to injure swore out a false warrant against him for assault. State Far…

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Opinion of the Court
THOMPSON, Judge.

THOMPSON, Judge.

State Farm Fire and Casualty Company (State Farm) appeals a final declaratory judgment finding that it owed a duty under its policy of insurance to provide Eva Lucille Edgecumbe with a defense to the proceedings filed against her by a third party, and ordering State Farm to pay any judgment rendered therein up to the policy limits of her coverage. We reverse.

James Smith filed suit against Mrs. Ed-gecumbe alleging that she “wickedly and maliciously, intending to injure [him] and bring him in public scandal and disgrace, did ... falsely and maliciously and without probable or reasonable cause, swear out a warrant against [him] and charged [him] with assault_” (Emphasis supplied.) The State Farm policy provides there is no duty to defend claims or suits brought against the insured for “bodily injury or property damage which is expected or intended by the insured.” The same day that the Smith complaint was filed, State Farm filed a suit for declaratory judgment to determine whether it had a duty to defend the Smith suit and whether its policy afforded coverage for the damages proved, if any.

At the hearing on its petition State Farm argued that its duty to defend was to be determined solely by the allegations contained in Smith’s complaint. The Edge-cumbes’ attorney sought to introduce their testimony at the hearing and State Farm’s attorney objected. The trial judge announced he would accept the testimony as a proffer and would rule on it later. Without ever making a ruling on the admissibility of the evidence, the court subsequently entered its final declaratory judgment reciting that after hearing the evidence it found that Mrs. Edgecumbe did not act with malice and that there was probable cause for the arrest of Smith and therefore the injuries and damages sought by the plaintiff did not arise from an incident expected or intended by Mrs. Edgecumbe. The final order made it clear that the judge had relied upon the Edgecumbes’ testimony in reaching his decision.

It was error for the trial judge to consider testimony not admitted into evidence in making the findings and conclusions in his order. It would have been error to consider the testimony even had the trial judge properly admitted it into evidence. Whether an insurance company owes a duty to provide an insured with a defense to proceedings instituted against him must be determined from the allegations of the complaint. This rule applies even if the testimony of the Edgecumbes tended to show that the actual facts are different from the allegations of the complaint. Such evidence should not be considered as the allegations of the complaint are controlling. National Union Fire Insurance Co. v. Lenox Liquors, Inc., 358 So. 2d 533 (Fla.1978); State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co. v. Universal Atlas Cement Co., 406 So. 2d 1184 (Fla. 1st DCA 1982).

The complaint filed against Mrs. Ed-gecumbe specifically alleged that she intended to injure Smith when she swore out a warrant charging him with assault. This allegation clearly brings the claim within the exclusion of the State Farm policy providing no coverage for claims or suits brought against the insured for bodily injury or property damage which is expected or intended by the insured.

The judgment is reversed and the cause remanded for entry of a judgment declaring that State Farm has no duty to defend until such time as the allegations of an amended complaint, if any, remove the cause from the policy exclusion.

MILLS and SMITH, JJ., concur.


Cases With Similar Vibessemantic neighbors from the corpus


Citator

Cited By

  • Grissom v. Commercial Union Ins. Co., 610 So. 2d 1299 (Fla. 1st DCA 1992)
    …d a claim. An insurer’s duty to defend is to be determined from the allegations in the complaint against the insured. National Union Fire Ins. Co. v. Lenox Liquors, [*1307] Inc., 358 So. 2d 533 (Fla.1977); State Farm Fire and Cos. Co. v. Edgecumbe, 471 So. 2d 209 (Fla. 1st DCA1985); Baron Oil Co. v. Nationwide Mut. Fire Ins. Co., 470 So. 2d 810 (Fla. 1st DCA1985). The insurer must defend if the allegations in the complaint could bring the insured within the policy provisions of coverage. State Farm Mutual Au…
    1 / 2
  • Marr Invs., Inc. v. Greco, 621 So. 2d 447 (Fla. 4th DCA 1993)
    …(Fla.1980). Furthermore, in determining if there is a duty to defend, the trial court is restricted to the allegations of the complaint, regardless of what the defendant and others say actually happened. State Farm Fire & Casualty Co. v. Edgecumbe, 471 So. 2d 209 (Fla. 1st DCA1985). As the court stated in Reliance Insurance Company v. Royal Motorcar Corporation, 534 So. 2d 922 (Fla. 4th DCA1988), rev. denied, 544 So. 2d 200 (Fla.1989), relying upon National Union Fire Insurance Co. v. Lenox Liquors, 358 So.…
  • …end a claim: [*458] An insurer’s duty to defend is to be determined from the allegations in the complaint against the insured. National Union Fire Ins. Co. v. Lenox Liquors, Inc., 358 So. 2d 533 (Fla.1977); State Farm Fire and Cas. Co. v. Edgecumbe, 471 So. 2d 209 (Fla. 1st DCA 1985); Baron Oil Co. v. Nationwide Mut. Fire Ins. Co., 470 So. 2d 810 (Fla. 1st DCA 1985). The insurer must defend if the allegations in the complaint could bring the insured within the policy provisions of coverage. State Farm Mutual…

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