IN THE S U P R E M E C O UR T OF THE ST A T E OF I DA HO

D o c k e t N o. 44117

- 2016

SH AMM IE L. F ISHE R

, )

)

P lain t i ff

- A pp e ll a n t

, )

)

v. )

)

G ARR ISON P R O P E R TY AN D )

CA S UA LTY I N S UR A NC E C O M P ANY

, )

)

De f e ndan t

- Re spond e n t

. )

)

)

) Bois e , A p r il 2017 T erm

2017 Opini o n N o. 48

F il e d: May 26, 2017

S te ph e n W. K e nyon, C l er k

SUBSTITUTE OPINION, THE

COURT’S PRIOR OPINION

DATED April 28, 2017 IS HEREBY

WITHDRAWN.

)

A pp ea l fr om the D ist r i c t Cou r t of the F ou r th Judi c i a l D ist r i c t of the S t a te of

I d a ho, in a nd f o r A da C o un t y

. H on. P a t r i c k H

. O we n, D ist r i c t J ud g e

.

T he jud g m e nt o f the dist r i c t c ou r t is v aca t e d

.

J a m e s G . R e id, Ka u f m a n R e id, P L L C, B ois e

, a r g u e d f or a p p e ll a nt.

J effr e y A

. T homson, E l a m & B u r k e , P. A

., B ois e

, a r g u e d f o r re spon d e nt.

E I SM A N N

, J usti ce.

T his is a n a pp ea l out of A da Coun t y f r om a jud g m e nt dismissing the Pl a inti ff’ s ac tion

s ee king to rec o v e r un d e r a n insu ra n c e poli c y f or t he loss of h e r hou s e ca u s e d w h e n a re nt e r

, w ho

h a d a n option to pu r c h a s e the hous e

, d e molish e d i t. T he dist r i c t c o u r t h e ld th a t c ov e ra g e f or su c h

loss wa s e x c lud e d un d e r the poli c y

. W e v a c a te t h e ju d g m e nt of the dist r i c t c ou r t a nd r e m a nd this

ca se f o r f u r th e r p r o c ee d i n g s th a t a r e c onsist e nt w i th this opinion.

I.

F a c t ual Ba c kg r ound.

T he Pl a inti ff

, Sh a mmie L

. F ish er

, w a s the o w n e r of a house lo ca t e d a t 2510 N

. 34th

St ree t in B ois e

. I t w a s a sin g l e

- sto r y buildi n g th a t h a d b ee n built in 1965 a nd c ont a in e d 1152

squ ar e f e e t w ith a n a tt ac h e d on e

- c a r g a ra g e

. She pu rc h a s e d a poli c y o f insu ra n c e c o v er i n g the

house fr om the Defe n d a nt, Garr ison P r op er t y a n d C a su a l t y I nsu ra n c e Comp a n y

. T he poli c y2 p er iod wa s f r om M arc h 8, 2012, to M arc h 8, 2 0 13, a nd she re n ewe d t h e poli c y f o r the p e r iod

fr om M arc h 8, 2013, to M arc h 8, 2014.

T he Pl a inti f f m arr i e d a n d d ec i de d to s e ll h e r h o us e

. She e nt e re d into a “ R ea l E st a te

Pu rc h a se a nd S a le A g r ee m e nt” (“ Pu rc h a se A g ree m e nt ” ) d a t e d J a nu a r y 23, 2012, w ith Ron

R e y noso. T h e Pu rc h a se A g ree m e nt p r ovid e d th a t M r

. R e y noso w ould pu r c h a se the p r op e r t y f or

$153,000; th a t the p u rc h a se w a s c onting e nt upon him obt a ining f in a n c ing; th a t he int e nd e d to

o cc u p y the p r op e r t y a s h is p r im a r y r e sid e n ce ; th a t the c losing w ould o c c u r no l a t e r th a n M arc h

31, 2013; th a t M r

. R e y noso w ould l ea se the p r op er t y fr om M a r c h 15, 2012, until M arc h 31,

2013; a nd th a t if the he wa s un a ble to c lo s e b ef o r e M a r c h 31, 2013, the Pl a inti f f w ould e x t e nd

the l ea se on a month

- t o

- month b a sis f or a p e r iod up to S e pt e mb e r 1, 2013. T he Pu r c h a se

A g ree m e nt a lso in c lud e d a p r ovision st a tin g : “ B u y e r int e nds to m a ke ce r t a in imp r ov e m e nts to

the p r op e r t y upon poss e s sion, w ith the int e nt to s e ll the p r op er t y f or a p r o f i t w hi c h m i g ht be p r ior

to the e nd o f the l ea s e p er iod. T he b u ye r is re qui re d to g ive a month l y upd a t e f or

pl a ns/up g r a d e s.”

I n c onjun c tion w ith the Pu rc h a se A g r ee m e nt, the Pl a inti f f a nd M r . R e y no s o e nt e r e d into a

“ R e nt a l A g r e e m e nt” a lso d a t e d J a nu a r y 23, 2012. I t st a t e d th a t the mov e

- in d a te wa s M arc h 1,

2012, a lthou g h a n a dd e n dum to the Pu rc h a se A g ree m e nt c h a n g e d t h e l e a se st ar t d a te to M a rch

15, 2012, w ith the re nt p r o ra t e d a cc o r di n g l y

. T he R e nt a l A g r e e m e nt st a t e d th a t the Pl a in t i f f wa s

obli g a t e d to re nt the p r o p er t y f or a minimum t er m e nding on M a r c h 31, 2013 a nd th a t “Te n a n t

sh a ll re tu r n s a id p re mis e s to Ow n e r is a s g ood c o ndition a s w h e n rece i v e d

, rea son a ble we a r a nd

t ea r e x ce pt e d

. ”

W ithin t w o mo n ths of re nting the p r op e r t y to M r

. R e y noso, the Pl a inti f f l ear n e d t h a t he

h a d d e molish e d the e nti r e house do w n to t h e f o u nd a tion. She c ont ac t e d him, a nd he a g r ee d to

re build a house on the f ound a tion. H e c omm e n ce d doing so, e r ec ti n g some r ou g h f ra mi n g of

some int er ior a nd e x t er ior wa lls, but in A u g ust 2013 he cea s e d w o r ki n g on the house a nd l ef t.

T he Pl a inti f f th e n m a de a c l a im und e r h e r insu ra n c e poli c y

, w hi c h the D ef e nd a nt d e ni e d.

O n M a y 27, 2015, the Pl a inti f f c omm e n ce d this a c tion s ee king to r e c ov e r f or the loss of

h e r house a nd h e r p er s o n a l p r op er t y

. She l a t e r f il e d a motion f or p ar ti a l summ a r y ju d g m e nt,

s ee king a r uli n g th a t h e r loss wa s c ov e re d und e r the poli c y

. I n h e r a ff i d a vit in suppo r t o f th at

motion, she st a t e d th a t she h a d no kno w l e d g e t h a t M r

. R e y noso int e nd e d to d e st r o y t h e hous e ;

th a t the imp r ov e m e nts t h a t he h a d dis c uss e d w ith h e r in c lu d e d n e w f loo r in g

, c oun t er tops, li g ht3 f i x tu re s, p a int, a nd oth e r c osm e tic imp r ov e m e nts; th a t she did n o t a utho r i z e him to p erf o r m a n y

w o r k to re mod e l o r t e a r do w n the house or to p e rf o r m a n y st r u c tu ra l w o r k ; a nd th a t he s a id he

w ould be re sidi n g in the house w hile m a king imp r ov e m e nts.

T he D efe n d a nt c ont e nd e d th a t the Pl a inti ff’ s loss wa s e x c lud e d b y t w o p r ovisions of the

poli c y : ( 1) a n e x c lusion f or int e ntion a l loss a nd ( 2) a n e x c lusion f or fa ul t y , in a d e qu a te or

d e f ec tive w o r k. The Plaintiff moved for partial summary judgment holding that those exclusions

did not apply to the facts of this case, and the Defendant moved for summary judgment seeking

dismissal of the action based upon those exclusions.

T he dist r i c t c ou r t h e ld th a t there was a genuine issue of material fact regarding the

applicability of the intentional loss exclusion

, but t h a t the e x c lusion f or fa ul t y

, in a d e qu a te or

de f ec tive w o r k did a pp l y

. I t d e n i e d the Pl a inti ff’ s motion f or p ar ti a l summ a r y ju d g m e nt, g r a nt e d

the D efe n d a n t ’ s motion f or summ a r y j u d g m e nt, a nd e nt e r e d a jud g m e nt dismissing this l aw suit

w ith p re judi ce

. T he Pl a inti f f th e n tim e l y a pp ea l e d.

II.

D id t he D is tr i c t C ou r t E r r in G r an t ing t he De f e ndan t’ s M o t ion f or S u mm a r y Jud g m e n t ?

W h e n re vi ew i n g on a pp e a l the g r a nting o f a motion f or summ a r y ju d g m e n t, w e a pp l y t h e

s a me st a nd ar d us e d b y the t r i a l c ou r t in r uling o n the motion. I nfang e r v

. City of Sal m on

, 137

I d a ho 45, 46

– 47, 44 P. 3 d 1100, 1101

– 02 ( 2002 )

. W e c onst r u e a ll disput e d f ac ts, a nd d r a w a ll

rea son a b l e in fe r e n ce s f r om the rec o r d, in fa v o r of the non

- moving p a r t y

. I d

. a t 47, 44 P.3d a t

1102. Summ a r y ju d g m e nt is a pp r op r i a te on l y if the e vid e n c e in the r ec o r d a nd a n y a dmissions

show th a t th er e is no g e nuine issue of a n y m a t er i a l f a c t r e g a r ding t h e issu e s ra is e d in the

pl ea din g s a nd th a t the m oving p ar t y is e ntitl e d to jud g m e nt a s a m a tt e r of l aw

. I d

.

U nd e r Cov e ra g e A , the insu ra n c e poli c y a ppl i e d to “ the d we lling on the De s cr ib ed

L o c a tion sho w n in the D ec l a r a tions, us e d p r in c ip a l l y f or d we lling pu rpos e s, in c luding st r u c tu r e s

a tt ac h e d to t h e d we lli n g

. ” T he d e s c r ib e d lo c a tion wa s 2510 N

. 34th St ree t

, B ois e

, I d a ho. T hus,

Cov er a g e A a ppli e d to the d we lling a t 2510 N

. 34th St ree t, B oi s e

, I d a ho, w hi c h wa s the

Pl a inti ff’ s hous e

.

T he p er ils insu re d a g a i nst und e r Cov er a ge A wer e “r isk of di r ec t l o ss to p r op er t y

d e s cr ib e d in Cov e r a g e [ ] A . . . if th a t loss is a p h y si ca l loss to p r op er t y .” T hus, the loss must be a

di rec t p h y si ca l loss to the Pl a inti ff’ s hous e

. T he p oli c y th e n st a t e d

ho we v er

, w e do not insu r e loss:

1. involving c oll a ps e , ot h e r th a n a s p r o vid e d in O th e r Cov er a g e s 10:

2. ca us e d b y : [ a list of c a us e s]4 3. e x c lud e d und e r Ge n e r a l E x c lusions.

U nd e r I t e ms 1 a nd 2, a n y e nsuing loss to p r op er t y d e s cr ib e d in

Cov er a g e [] A . . . not e x c lud e d or e x ce pt e d in this poli c y is c o v ere d.

T h er e is no c ont e ntion t h a t the Pl a inti ff’ s loss w o uld be e x c lud e d p u r su a nt to e ith e r I t e m

1 or I t e m 2. T he c ont e ntion is th a t the loss is e x c l ud e d und e r I t e m 3, w hi c h is a li s t of e x c lu s ions

und e r the title “Ge n era l E x c lusions.” T hus, the poli c y w ould c o v e r a di r ec t p h y s i ca l loss to the

Pl a inti ff’ s house if it wa s a loss th a t wa s not e x c lud e d pu r su a nt to the e x c lusions list e d und e r

Ge n e r a l E x c lusions.

I n the dist r i c t c ou r t, the Defe n d a nt c ont e n d e d th a t th er e we r e t w o e x c lusions th a t w ould

a pp l y

. T h e f i r st wa s the i nt e ntion a l

- loss e x c lusion, w hi c h p r ovid e d a s f ollo w s:

1. W e do not insu r e f or loss ca us e d di r e c t l y o r indi rec t l y b y a n y of the f o l lo w in g

. Su c h loss is e x c lud e d re g ar dl e ss o f a n y ot h e r ca use or e v e nt c on t r ibuting

c on c u rr e nt l y o r in a n y s e qu e n c e to the loss.

. . . . h. I nt e ntion a l L oss, m ea ning a n y loss a r ising out of a n y ac t c ommitt e d:

(1) b y or a t the di r ec t i on of y ou o r a n y p e r s o n or

o r g a ni z a tion n a m e d a s a n a ddition a l insu re d; a nd

(2) w ith the int e nt to ca u se a loss.

T he dist r i c t c ou r t h e ld th a t there was a genuine issue of material fact as to whether this

e x c lusion applied

, a nd it denied D efe n d a n t ’s motion for summary judgment based upon this

exclusion

.

T he s ec ond e x c l u sion ra is e d in the dist r i c t c ou r t wa s the f a ul t y

, i n a d e qu a t e

, or d e fec ti v e

w o r k e x c lusion, w hi c h p r ovid e d a s f ollo w s:

2. W e do not insu r e f or loss to p r op er t y d e s cr i b e d in Cov er a g e s A a nd B

c a us e d b y a n y o f the f ollo w i n g

. H o we v e r

, a n y e nsui n g l o ss to p r op er t y

d e s cr i b e d in Cov er a g e s A a nd B not e x c lud e d or e x ce pt e d in this poli c y is

c ov e r e d.

. . . .

c. F a ul t y , in a d e qu a te or d efec tiv e:

(1) pl a nni n g

, z onin g , d e v e lopm e nt, su r v e y i n g , sitin g ;

(2) d e s i g n, sp ec i f i ca tion s

, w o r km a nship, re p a i r

,

c o nst r u c tion, re nov a tion, re mo d e lin g

, g r a din g

, c omp ac tion;

(3) m a t er i a ls us e d in re p a i r

, c onst r u c tion, re no v a tion

or re mod e lin g ; o r

(4) m a int e n a n ce;

of p ar t or a ll of a n y p r op er t y w h e th e r on or o f f the De s c r ib e d

L o c a tion.

T hus, to be e x c lud e d u n d e r this p r ovision, the di rec t p h y si c a l loss to the Pl a inti ff’ s house must5 h a ve b ee n ca us e d b y fa u lt y

, in a d e q u a t e

, or d e fec t i ve d e si g n, s p ec i f i c a tions, w o r km a nship, re p a i r

,

c onst r u c tion, re nov a tion, re mod e lin g

, g ra di n g

, or c omp ac tion of p ar t of a n y p r op e r t y on or o f f

the d e s cr ib e d l o ca tion.

“ I n c onst r uing a n insu ra n c e poli c y

, the Cou r t must look to the p l a in m ea ni n g o f the w o r ds

to d e t er mine if th e r e a r e a n y a mbi g uiti e s. T his d e t er min a tion is a qu e sti o n of l aw

. I n re solvi n g

this qu e stion of l aw

, the Cou r t must c onst r ue the poli c y ‘a s a w hol e

, not by a n isol a t e d ph r a s e

. ’ ”

Cas c ade A uto G lass, I n c

. v

. I daho F arm B ur e au I ns. Co

., 141 I d a ho 660, 6 63, 115 P.3d 751, 754

( 2005) (c it a tions omitt e d )

. “ A p r ovision in a n in s u ra n c e c ont r ac t must be r ea d w ithin the c on t e x t

in w hi c h it o c c u r s.” D a ve’ s I n c

. v

. Linford

, 1 5 3 I d a ho 7 4 4, 751, 291 P.3d 427, 434 ( 2012 )

.

“U nl e ss a c ont r a r y int e nt is sho w n, c ommon, non

- t ec hni ca l w o r ds ar e g iv e n the m e a ning a ppli e d

b y l a y m e n in d a i l y us a g e

— a s oppos e d to the m ea ni n g d er iv e d f r om l e g a l us a g e

— in o r d e r to

eff e c tu a te t h e int e nt of t he p ar ti e s

. ” H oward v

. O r e gon M ut. I ns. Co.

, 1 37 I d a ho 214, 218, 46

P.3d 510, 514 ( 2002 )

. A n e x c lusion in the po l i c y must be st r i c t l y c o n st r u e d in fa vor o f the

insu re d. M oss v

. M id

- Am

. F ire & M arine I ns. Co.

, 103 I d a ho 298, 3 0 0, 647 P.2d 754, 7 5 6

( 1982 )

.

The l o ss. Defe nd a nt f i r st a ss er ts th a t the ca use of the loss wa s the fa ilu r e of M r

. R e y noso

to c ompl e te the re build i ng o f a house on the f o u nd a tion th a t re m a in e d a f t e r he h a d d e molish e d

the Pl a inti ff’ s hous e

. T h a t wa s c l e a r l y not the lo s s. T he loss, a s d ef in e d in the insu ra n c e poli c y

,

h a d to be a di rec t p h y s i ca l loss to “ the d we lling on the De s cr ib e d L o c a tion.” T he d e s cr i b ed

lo ca tion wa s 2510 N

. 3 4 th St., B ois e

, I d a ho. T h e d we lling on the D e s cr i b e d L o ca tion wa s the

Pl a inti ff’ s hous e

. A n y h ouse th a t M r

. R e y noso i nt e nd e d to build c ould not be the d we lli n g on

the d e s cr ib e d l o ca tion.

T he insu ra n c e poli c y h a d a p a g e titl e d “Y o u r H o m e Ch ar a c t er isti c s.” T h e p a ge st a t e d:

O ur mission a t U S A A is to h e lp p r ot ec t y our f in a n c i a l s ec u r i t y

. O ne w a y

w e do this is b y h e lpi n g y o u d e t er mine if y ou ’ r e a d e qu a t e l y c ov e r e d in the e v en t

of a loss. T he e stim a t e d minimum re building c ost of y our home is b a s e d o n y o u r

home c h ar a c t er isti c s, b u t on l y y ou c a n d ec i d e if this is e nou g h c ov er a g e

. O ur

e stim a t e s ar e b a s e d on a v er a g e c onst r u c tion c os t s a nd l a bor c osts f or g e o g r a phic

area s a nd m a y not r e f l ec t the unique fea t u re s of y o ur home or the a re a y ou l ive in.

O n the b ac k o f this p a g e

, y ou ’ ll f ind y our home c h arac t er isti c s.

. . . .

T he a bove quot e d p r ovision of the poli c y re f erre d to “ [ t ] he e stim a t e d m i nimum re building c ost

of y our hom e ” b a s e d up o n “ y our home c h ar a c t er i s ti c s.” O bvious l y

, “ y o u r hom e ” c ould not refe r

to a house th a t M r

. R e y n oso m a y h a v e int e nd e d t o build af t e r he l a t e r d e molish e d the Pl a inti ff’ s

hom e

.6 T he home c h a r a c t er isti c s on the b ac k p a ge w e r e a s f ollo w s:

Y our H ome Ch a r ac t e r isti cs

YEA R B U I L T : 1965

S TO R I E S: 1.0

*S QUA RE F EET : 1152

* T ot a l Squ ar e F oot a g e : I n c lud e s g a r a g e squ a r e f oot a ge if th er e is living sp ac e

th a t is h ea t e d or c ool e d a bove the g ar a g e

. I t do e s not in c lude a f inish e d b a s e m e nt

or a tti c

. F OU N DA T I O N ( S ) : CR A W L SP A CE

S L A B

EXTE R I O R WA LL : W OO D S I D I N G

R OO F C OVE R I NG : T A R AN D G R AV E L

GA R AG E TY P E : ATT A C HE D GA R AG E

– 1 C AR

I N TE R I O R WA L L P A R T I T I ON S: D R Y WA L L

I N TE R I O R WA L L C OV E R I N G S: P A I N T

F L OO R C OVE R I N G S: HA R D W OOD

V I N YL

K I T C HEN : 1 S TAND A RD

B ATH R OO MS: 1 S T A NDA RD

F I R E P L A C E : 1

HEA T & A I R: HEA T I N G

- GAS

C ENT R A L A I R C O N D I T I O N I N G

- S A ME D U CT

W I R E D F O R C ENT R A L A L A RM: NO

A g a in, th e se c h ar a c t er is t i c s d e s cr ib e d th e Pl a inti ff’ s hom e

, not some h o me th a t M r

. R e y noso

l a t e r int e nd e d to build on the p r op er t y

.

T he house th a t M r

. R e y noso int e nd e d to build c ould not ra tion a l l y b e d e s cr ib e d a s a

“ d we lling on the De s cr i b e d L o ca tion.” T h e r e c o u ld be no di rec t p h y si ca l loss to a house th a t d i d

not y e t e x ist. T he Pl a inti ff’ s loss o cc u rre d w h e n M r

. R e y n oso d e molish e d h e r hous e

. T h e r e is

nothing in the insu ra n c e poli c y th a t st a t e s th a t it insu re d a g a inst the fa il u r e of M r

. R e y noso or

a n y o n e e lse to build a n e w house upon the Pl a int i ff’ s lot. T h eref o re

, the l o ss wa s the d e st r u c tion

of the Pl a inti ff’ s hous e

. I t w a s not the fa ilu r e o f M r

. R e y noso to build a h ouse on the f ound a tion

th a t re m a in e d a f t e r h e h a d d e molish e d h e r hous e

.

The f a u l t y, in a d e q ua te

, or d e f ect ive w o r k e x c l usio n

. T he Defe nd a nt c ont e nds th a t the

loss in this ca se wa s cau s e d b y fa ul t y

, in a d e qu a t e

, o r d e fec tive w o r km a nship, re p a i r

,

c onst r u c tion, re no v a tion a nd/or re mo d e ling o f the d we llin g

. T he issue is w h e th e r a n y of tho s e

w o r ds st a te the c a use of t he di rec t p h y si c a l loss to Pl a inti ff’ s hous e

.7 T he w o r ds “ f a ul t y

, ” “ in a d e qu a t e ,” a nd “ d e f ec tiv e ” a r e a ll ad j ec tiv e s

. 1 B e c a use a d j ec tiv es

modi f y nouns or p r on o uns, the w o r ds th a t f ol l ow th e m a r e nouns

. 2 T h eref o re

, the w o r ds

“w o r km a nship,” “re p a i r

, ” “c onst r u c tion,” “ r e nov a tion” a nd “re mo d e ling” a r e a ll nouns.

Wo r k m anship. T he d e st r u c tion of the P l a inti ff’ s house wa s not ca us e d b y a n y fa ul t y

,

in a d e qu a t e

, or d e f ec tive w o r km a nship on the p ar t of M r

. R e y noso. T he w o r d “w o r km a nship” as

a noun m ea ns:

1. the ar t or skill of a w o r km a n

2. the ar t or skill w ith w hi c h som e thing is m a de or e x ec ut e d

3. the d e g r e e of a r t or skill e x hib i t e d in the f inish e d p r odu c t

4. the pi ec e of w o r k so p r odu ce d [ 3 ]

T h er e is no e vi d e n c e in t he r e c o r d t h a t the loss to the house w a s c a us e d b y M r . R e y noso ’ s l a c k of

skill f uln e ss, ar tis a nship, or e x p er tise in doing his w o r k. I t a pp e ar s th a t he wa s quite a d e pt in

d e molishing the hou s e

. L ik ew i s e

, the on l y pi e c e of w o r k he p r odu c e d wa s some r o u g h f r a min g

,

but, a s e x pl a in e d a bov e

, th a t w o r k wa s not the di rec t ca u s e of the Pl a inti ff’ s loss to h e r hous e

.

He r house h a d b ee n d e m olish e d b ef o r e h e c onst r u c t e d the r o u g h f ra mi n g

.

Re pai r

. T he d e st r u c tion of the Pl a i n ti ff’ s house wa s not ca us e d b y a n y t hi n g th a t M r

.

R e y noso did in p erf o r ming some re p a ir to h e r h o us e

. “ A re p a ir is som e thing th a t y ou do to m e nd

a m ac hin e

, buildin g

, pi e c e of c lothin g

, or oth e r t hing th a t h a s b e e n d a m a g e d or is not w o r ki n g

p r op er l y

. . . . M a n y of the buildin g s ar e in n ee d of re p a i r

. ” 4 T h er e is no e vid enc e in the rec o r d

th a t the Pl a inti ff’ s hou s e wa s in n e e d o f r e p a ir o r t h a t the loss of h e r house wa s c a us e d b y re p a i r s

th a t M r

. R e y noso h a d m a de o r w a s m a ki n g to it. A s m e ntion e d a bov e

, his fa ilu r e to build a

house on the f ound a tion l ef t af t e r he h a d d e molish e d the Pl a inti ff’ s house wa s not the ca u s e of

the loss to h e r hous e

.

C ons tr u ct ion. T he d e st r u c tion of the Pl a i n ti ff’ s house wa s not ca us e d b y a n y

c onst r u c tion done b y M r

. R e y noso th a t wa s fa ul t y

, in a d e q u a t e

, or d ef e c tiv e

. T h e w o r d

“c onst r u c tion” w h e n u s e d a s a noun m e a ns: “ 1. t he p r o c e ss or ac t o f c onst r u c ting o r m a n n e r in

1 C o ll i n s E ng l i s h D i c ti o n a r y

, h tt p s: // ww w .c o ll i n s d i c ti o n ar y .c o m / d i c ti o n a r y / e n g li s h / f

a u l t y

, i n a d e q u a t e, d e f ec t i v e

(acce ss ed A p r i l 15

, 201 7 ).

2 h tt p :/ / ww w

. g r a m m ar boo k .c om / g r a mm ar / a d j A d v

. a s p (acce ss ed A p r i l 15

, 20 1 7 ).

3 C o ll i n s E n g l i s h D i c ti o n a r y

, h tt ps :/ / ww w .c o ll i n s d i c t i o n a r y .c o m / d i c ti o n a r y / e n g li s h / w o r k m a n s h i p (acc e ss ed A p r il

15

, 2 01 7 ).

4 C o lli n s E n g l i s h D i c ti o n a r y

, h tt p s:/ / ww w .c o ll i n s d i c t i o n a r y

. c o m / d i c ti o n a r y/ e n g l i s h / re p a i r ( acce ss ed A p r i l 15

, 2 017 )

.8 w hi c h a thing is c onst r u c t e d 2. the thing c onst r u c t e d; a st r u c tu re

. ” 5 T o “c onst r u c t” som e thing is

“ to put to g e th e r subst a n ce s or p a r ts, e sp s y st e m a ti ca l l y

, in o r d e r to m a k e or build ( a buildin g

,

b r id g e

, e t c) ; a ss e m b l e

. ” 6 T he insu ra n c e poli c y d i d not insu r e the p r o c e ss or ac t of c onst r u c ti n g

the Pl a inti ff’ s hous e

. I t h a d b ee n c onst r u c t e d in 1965 a nd wa s a n e x isti n g st r u c t u re

. I t insu r e d

a g a inst the r isk of loss to h e r house if th a t c onst r u c tion wa s fa ul t y

, in a d e q u a t e

, or d e f ec tiv e

, a nd

th er e is no e vid e n c e th a t it wa s. T h er e is a lso no e vid e n c e in the rec o r d of a n y subs e qu e nt

c onst r u c tion on the hou s e th a t w a s the d i rec t p h y s i ca l ca u s e of the loss. M r

. R e y noso did not

p erf o r m a n y c onst r u c tion on h e r hous e

. A n a nto n y m o f “c onst r u c tion” is “ d e st r u c tion, ” 7 a nd th a t

is w h a t M r

. R e y noso d i d to the Pl a inti ff’ s hou s e

. A s st a t e d a bov e

, the on l y c onst r u c tion he

p erf o r m e d wa s putting up some r ou g h fra mi n g on the f ound a tion r e m a ining af t e r he h a d

d e molish e d h e r hous e

.

Re nova t ion. T he d e st r u c tion of the P l a inti ff’ s house wa s not ca us e d b y M r

. R e y noso ’ s

re nov a tion of h e r hou s e

. T h e w o r d “ re no v a t e ” m e a ns “ to re sto r e ( som e thin g ) to g ood

c ondition. ” 8 T he w o r d “ r e nov a tion” m e a ns, “T h e ac t or p r o ce ss o f r e nov a t i n g ; the st a t e of b e i n g

re nov a t e d o r r e n e w e d. ” 9 T h er e is no e vid e n c e th a t the Pl a inti ff’ s home n ee d e d to be r e sto re d to a

g ood c ondition or th a t M r

. R e y noso did a n y w o r k on h e r house in o r d e r to re sto r e it to a g ood

c ondition. I nst e a d, he d e molish e d it.

R e m od e ling. T he d e st r u c tion of the Pl a inti ff’ s house wa s not ca us e d b y M r

. R e y noso ’ s

re mod e ling o f it. T he w o r d “re mod e li n g ” is a g e r und, w hi c h is the noun f o r m of a v er b. I n this

ca s e

, it is the noun f o r m of the v e r b “re mod e l

. ” T he w o r d “ re mod e li n g ” a s a noun m e a ns “ the

ac t of c h a n g i n g or a lt e r ing the st r u c tu r e

, s t y l e

, or f o r m of som e thing” or the st a te of b e i n g

re mod e l e d

— “ t h e re mod e lling of B a rce lo n a’ s a i rp o r t. ” 1 0 T he w o r d “re mod e lin g ” in this c ont e xt

m ea ns: “ M a king a lt e ra t i ons to a n e x i sting st r u c tu r e su c h th a t it w ill be b e tt e r suit e d to c u rre nt

5 C o lli n s E n g l i s h D i c t i o n a r y

, h tt p s:/ / ww w .c o ll i n s d i c t i o n a r y

. c o m / d i c ti o n a r y/ e n g l i s h / c o n st r u c ti o n (acce ss ed A p r i l 1 5

, 201 7 ).

6 C o ll i n s E ng l i s h D i c ti o n a r y

, h tt p s: // ww w .c o ll i n s d i c ti o n ar y .c o m / d i c ti o n a r y / e n g li s h / c ons t r u ct (acce ss ed A p r i l 15

, 201 7 ).

7 T h e s a u r u s .c o m

. R og e t ’s 21 s t C e n t u r y T he s auru s

, T h ir d E d iti on

. P h il i p L i e f Gr o u p 200 9

. h tt p :/ / ww w

. t h e s a u r u s .c o m / b r o w s e / c on st r u c ti o n (acce ss ed A p r i l 17

, 20 1 7 ).

8 C o lli n s E n g li s h D i c ti o n a r y

, h tt p s:/ / ww w

. c o lli n s d i c ti o n a r y .c o m / d i c ti o n a r y / e n g li s h / re n o v a t e (acce ss ed A p r i l 15

, 201 7 ).

9 Merr i a m

- W e b st er, h t t p :/ / ww w

. w e b st e r

- d i c ti o n a r y

. n e t / d e f i n iti o n / re n o v a ti o n (acce s s ed A p r i l 15

, 2 017 )

. 10 C o lli n s E n g li s h D i c ti o n a r y

, h tt p s:/ / ww w .c o ll i n s d i c t i o n a r y

. c o m / d i c ti o n a r y/ e n g l i s h / r e m od e li n g (acce ss ed A p r i l 15

, 201 7 ).9 n ee ds. T his t y pe o f w o r k m a y invol v e c h a n g i n g the use of int e r ior sp a c e b y r e positioning w a lls,

re pl ac i n g b a th r oom or k it c h e n f i x tu re s, or oth e r su c h modi f i ca tions. ” 1 1 A s st a t e d a bov e

, the

w o r ds in a n insu ra n c e poli c y a r e to be g iv e n the m ea ning a ppli e d b y l a y p e ople in d a i l y us a g e.

H

oward

, 137 I d a ho a t 2 1 8, 46 P.3d a t 514. M r

. R e y nos o ’ s ac tions in d e m o lishing the Pl a inti ff’ s

house do w n to the f ou n d a tion w ould not be c o n sid ere d b y l a y p e ople a s the r e mod e ling of the

hous e

. H e did not m a ke a lt era tions to a n e x i sting st r u c tu re ; he d e molish e d th a t st r u c tu re

. T h er e

wa s no house l ef t to r e mod e l.

T he Pl a inti f f h a d a utho r i z e d M r

. R e y noso to p er f o r m some re mod e lin g

, s u c h a s inst a lling

n e w f loo r i n g

, c ount er to p s, li g ht f i x tu re s, p a int a n d oth e r c osm e tic imp r ov e m e nts. T h er e is no

e vid e n c e in the r e c o r d th a t he did a n y re mo d e ling a t a ll, mu c h l e ss th a t the di r ec t ca use of t h e

loss of the Pl a inti ff’ s house wa s c a us e d b y a n y r e mod e ling th a t h a d b ee n d on e

.

III.

C on c lusion.

F or the a bove r ea sons, t h e fa ul t y

, in a d e q u a t e

, or d efec tive w o r k e x c lusion do e s not a pp l y

to the loss in this ca s e

. W e v aca te the ju d g m en t a nd r e m a nd this ca s e f o r f u r t h e r p r o cee di n g s

th a t ar e in a cc o r d a n c e w ith this opinion.

T he Pl a inti f f a lso a sks t h a t w e hold th a t the dist r i c t c ou r t e rre d in d e n y i n g h e r motion f or

p ar ti a l summ a r y ju d g m e nt that the intentional loss exclusion did not apply to these facts

. “A n

o r d e r d e n y i ng a motion f or summ a r y ju d g m e nt is a n int er lo c uto r y o r d e r fr om w hi c h no di rec t

a p p ea l m a y b e t a k e n. A dditio n a l l y

, a n o r d e r d e n y i n g a motion f or summ a r y ju d g m e nt is n ot

subj ec t to re vi ew

— e v e n a f t e r the e nt r y of a n a p p ea l a ble f in a l jud g m e nt

. ” D o m i n gu e z e x r e l.

H

a m p v

. E v e rgr ee n R e s., I n c

. , 142 I d a ho 7, 13, 121 P.3d 938, 944 ( 2005) (c it a tio n s omitt e d )

.

W e v aca te the jud g m e nt of the dist r i c t c ou r t a nd w e re m a nd this ca se f or f u r th e r

p r o cee di n g s th a t ar e in ac c o r d a n c e w ith this opinion. W e awar d the A pp e ll a nt c osts on a pp ea l.

Chi e f J u s ti c e B U R D I C K

, a nd J usti ce s J ONE S, BR ODY

, a nd J usti c e P r o Te m K I D W E L L

C ON C U R

.

11 h tt p :/ / ww w

. d i c t i o n a r y o f c on s t r u c ti o n .c o m / d e f i n iti o n / r e m od e li n g

. h t m l (acce s s ed A p r i l 15

, 201 7 ).