FILED U.S. COURT OF AP P EALS E LEVEN T HC IRC U IT JAN 10, 2008 THOMAS K. KAH

N CLERK [ DO NO T P UB L I S H] I N THE UN I TE D STATE S C OU RT OF APPE ALS F O R T H E E L E V E N T H C IR C U IT

________________________ N o. 07- 14280 N on -A rgum entC al endar

________________________ D . C . D ocketN o. 06 -030 62 -C V -M H S -1 I N E Z H . R A K E S T R A W , P e titio n e r - A p p e lla n t, v ersu s S O U T H E RN G U A R A N T Y I N S U R A N C E C O M P A N Y O F G E O R G I A , R e s p o n d e n t- A p p e lle e .

________________________ A pp ea l fr om the U ni t ed S t at es D i stri ctC ou rt f o rth e N o rth e rn D is tr ic t o f G e o r g ia

_________________________ ( Jan u ar y 10, 2008) B efo re B IR C H , D U B IN A an d P R Y O R , C i rcu i tJu d g es. P E R C U R I A M: I ne z H . R a ke s tr a w appe a l s the s um m a ry j udgm e ntgr a nt e d i n f a vorof2

S o u th er n G u ar an ty In su ra n ce C o m p an y o f G eo rg ia an d ag ain st R ak es traw ’s com pl ai ntof brea ch of contra ct . R akes traw ar gu es thatthe di stri ctcourterre d w he n i tc onc l ude d tha the ri nj ur i e s w e r e e xc l ude d f r om c ove r a ge unde rthe S o u th e rn G u a r a n ty p o lic y . W e a f f irm . I . B AC KG RO UN D O n O ct ob er19 , 20 05 , R akes traw w as i nj ured w hen a 20 01 D od ge R am pi ckup truck ow ned b y D arre l l B l ankenshi p and dri ven b y hi s s on , D ust i n, struck R a k e s tr a w ’s v e h ic le . D u s tin w a s w o rk in g f o rh is f a th e r ’s b u s in e s s a n d w a s o n h is w a y to p ic ku p ap ie c e o f e q u ip m e n t n e e d e d f

o ru s e a t ajo b s ite . A f

u e l ta n k , a ir c o m p r e s s o r , a n d to o l b o x h a d b e e n p e rm a n e n tly a tta c h e d to th e b e d o f th e tru c k . D ust i n p l anned t o u se the ai r c om pres sor t o rei nfl at e afl att i re on the needed pi ec e o f e q u ip m e n t a n d th e n to w th e e q u ip m e n t b a c kto th e jo b s ite . D a rr e ll B la n k e n s h ip c a rr ie d au to m o b ile liab ility in s u r a n c e is s u e d b y G e o r g ia F a rm B ur e au I ns ur a nc e C om pa ny w i th l i m i t s of l i abi l i ty f

orbodi l y i nj ury of $2 50 , 00 0. B l ankenshi p al so had a com m er ci al generall i abi l i ty i nsurance pol i cy i s s ue d by S outhe rn G ua r a nty w i th l i m i t s of l i abi l i ty f

orbodi l y i nj ury of $2, 000, 000. T he S outhe rn G ua r a nt e e pol i c y e xpr e s s l y e xc l ude d f r om c ove r a ge l i abi l i ty ari si ng ou tof the use of a ny “ aut o”: T h is in s u r a n c e d o e s n o t ap p ly to . . . “B o d ily in ju ry ” o r“p r o p e rty da m a ge ” a r i s i ng outof

the ow ne r s hi p, m a i nt e na nc e , us e or3

e ntrus tm e ntt o othe r s of a ny . . . “ aut o” . . . ow ne d orope r a t e d by or r e nt e d orl oa ne d t o a ny i ns ur e d. S o u th e rn G u a r a n ty p o lic y , s e c . I , p a r a . ( 2 ) ( g ) . T h e au to e x c lu s io n d id “n o t ap p ly to

. . . ‘ B odi l y i nj ury ’ or‘ pr ope rty da m a ge ’ a r i s i ng outof the ope r a t i on of

a ny of the e qui pm e ntl i s t e d i n P a r a gr aph f. (2) or f . ( 3) o f th e d e f in itio n o f ‘m o b ile e q u ip m e n t.’” I d . a t p a r a . ( 2 ) ( g ) ( 5 ) . P a r a g r ap h f o f th e d e f in itio n o f “m o b ile e qui pm e nt ” s t a t e d tha t“ s e l f - pr ope l l e d ve hi c l e s w i th the f ol l ow i ng type s of perm anent l y a tt ac hed equ i pm entar e not‘ m ob i l e e qu i pm ent ’ bu tw i l l be consi dere d ‘au to s ’: . . . ( 3) A i r c om pres sors . . . . ” R a k e s tr a w s u e d th e B la n k e n s h ip s to r e c o v e rd a m a g e s f o rh e rin ju r ie s . A f in a l ju d g m e n t w a s e n te r e d in h e rf a v o rin th e a m o u n t o f

$ 1 ,2 2 4 ,2 6 3 .8 9 . G e o r g ia F a rm B ur e au pa i d $250, 000 of the a w a r d, l e a vi ng a n unpa i d ba l a nc e of $974, 263. 89, pl us i nt e r e s t . S outhe rn G ua r a nt e e de ni e d c ove r a ge unde rthe c o m m e r c ia l p o lic y . T h e B la n k e n s h ip s a s s ig n e d to R a k e s tr a w a ll th e ira s s ig n ab le ri g h t s ag ai n stS o u th ern G u aran ty. R ak estraw th en fi l ed th i s l aw su i tag ai n st S ou thern G uaranty f

or breac h o f c on tra ctand sou gh tt o rec ov erthe bal ance ow ed on the j ud gm ent , pl us i nt er es tand att orney’ s f ee s. T he di stri ctcourtconcl ud ed that R a k e s tr a w ’s in

ju r ie s w e r e e x c lu d e d f

r o m c o v e r a g e u n d e rth e S o u th e rn G u a r a n ty p o lic y a n d g r a n te d s u m m a ry ju d g m e n t in f a v o ro f S o u th e rn G u a r a n ty . I I . STA N D A R D O F R EVI EW4

W e r e v ie w th e g r a n t o f

s u m m a ry ju d g m e n t b y ad is tr ic t c o u rt d e n o v o . T w in C ity F ir e I n s . C o . v . O h io C a s . I n s . C o ., 4 8 0 F .3 d 1 2 5 4 , 1 2 5 8 ( 1 1 th C ir . 2 0 0 7 ) . S um m a ry j udgm e nti s appr opr i a t e w he n “ the r e i s no ge nui ne i s s ue a s t o a ny m a te r ia l f

a c t” a n d “th e m o v in g p a rty is e n title d to aju d g m e n t a s am a tte ro f la w .” F ed. R . C i v. P . 56 (c ). I I I . DI S CUS S I ON R a ke s tr a w a r gue s tha tthe di s tr i c tc ourte rr e d w he n i tc onc l ude d tha tthe S ou thern G uaranty pol i cyexcl ud ed her i nj uri es fr om i t s c ov er age. R akes traw c ont e nds tha tthe e xc e pt i on t o the aut o e xc l us i on f or“ ‘ [ b] odi l y i nj ury ’ a r i s i ng out of the ope r a t i on of

a ny of the e qui pm e ntl i s t e d i n P a r a gr aph f. (2) or f . ( 3) of the d e f in itio n o f ‘m o b ile e q u ip m e n t’” ap p lie d to e x c e p t h e rin ju r ie s f r o m e x c lu s io n . R a ke s tr a w a r gue s tha tthe di s tr i c tc ourte rr e d w he n i tc onc l ude d tha tthe “e q u ip m e n t lis te d in P a r a g r ap h . . . ( f ) . ( 3) ” i nc l ude d “ [ a ] i rc om pr e s s or s ” a nd not

“ se l f- prop el l ed vehi cl es w i th . . . perm anent l y a tt ac hed [ai r c om pres sors ] . ” R a k e s tr a w a ls o a r g u e s th a t e v e n if th e e x c e p tio n ap p lie d o n ly to o p e r a tio n o f th e a ir c om pr e s s or , the tr a ns port a t i on of the a i rc om pr e s s orc ons t i tut e d i t s “ ope r a t i on” a nd the t e rm “ ope r a t i on” w a s a m bi guous . W e di s a gr e e a nd a f f i rm the j udgm e ntof

the d is tr ic t c o u rt. U nd erG eorgi a l aw , an i nsurance po l i cyi s i nt erpret ed the sa m e a s any other5

c ontr a c t . R L I I ns . C o. v. H i ghl a nds on P onc e , L L C , 280 G a . A pp. 798, 800, 635 S . E . 2d 168, 170–71 ( 2006) ( c i t i ng H unni c uttv. S . F a rm B ur e au L i f e I ns . C o. , 256 G a . 611, 612, 351 S . E . 2d 638, 640 ( 1987) ) . I f the pol i c y i s “ c l e a ra nd una m bi guous ” the c ourte nf or c e s the c ontr a c ta c c or di ng t o i t s t e rm s . S c hw a rt z v. H a rr i s W a s t e M gm t . G r oup, 237 G a . A pp. 656, 660, 516 S . E . 2d 371, 374 ( C t . A pp. 1999) ( c i t i ng C a r e A m e r i c av. S . C a r e C orp. , 229 G a . A pp. 878, 880, 494 S . E . 2d 7 2 0 , 7 2 2 ( C t. A p p . 1 9 9 7 ) ) . “A c o n tr a c t is n o t a m b ig u o u s , e v e n th o u g h d if f ic u lt to c ons true , unl e s s a nd unt i l a n appl i c a t i on of the pe rt i ne ntrul e s of

i nt e rpr e t a t i on l e a ve s i tunc e rt a i n a s t o w hi c h of tw o orm or e pos s i bl e m e a ni ngs r e pr e s e nt s the true i nt e nt i on of

the pa rt i e s . ” C i nc i nna t i I ns . C o. v. D a vi s , 153 G a . A pp. 291, 294, 265 S . E . 2d 102, 105 ( C t . A pp. 1980) ( c i t i ng V i l l a ge E nt e r s . v. G a . R . R . B a nk & T ru s t C o ., 1 1 7 G a . A p p . 7 7 3 , 7 7 4 , 1 6 1 S .E .2 d 9 0 1 , 9 0 3 ( C t. A p p . 1 9 6 8 ) ) . T h e d is tr ic t c o u rt c o rr e c tly c o n c lu d e d th a t th e e x c e p tio n to th e au to e xc l us i on appl i e d t o i nj ury a r i s i ng f r om the ope r a t i on of

the a i rc om pr e s s or , a nd n o t to in ju ry a r is in g f

r o m th e o p e r a tio n o f

“s e lf - p r o p e lle d v e h ic le s . . . w ith pe rm a ne nt l y a tt a c he d [ a i rc om pr e s s or s ] . ” T he pol i c y i s una m bi guous . T he exce pt i on t o the aut o excl usi on i ncl ud ed ai r c om pres sors bu tno tthe se l f- prop el l ed v e h ic le s to w h ic h a n a irc o m p r e s s o rw a s a tta c h e d . T h e tr a n s p o rta tio n o f th e a ir com pres sor di d n otconst i tut e i t s “ op er at i on . ”6

B ec ause R akes traw ’ s i nj uri es ar ose f rom the use of a n “ aut o, ” they w er e excl ud ed fr om coverage under the S ou thern G uaranty pol i cy . B ec ause the i nj uri es d id n o t a r is e f

r o m th e o p e r a tio n o f

th e a irc o m p r e s s o r , th e e x c e p tio n to th e au to e x c lu s io n d id n o t ap p ly . S o u th e rn G u a r a n ty d id n o t b r e a c h its c o n tr a c t w h e n it d en i ed co v erag e fo r R ak estraw ’ s i n j u ri es. I V . CONCL US I ON T h e s u m m ary ju d g m e n t in f a v o ro f S o u th e rn G u a r an ty is A FFI R M ED .