Opinion ID: 1688910
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: introduction

Text: WALLER, J., for the Court. ¶ 1. James H. Holt was employed by Prentiss County Board of Education as a school bus driver. While Holt was in the course and scope of his employment with the Board driving a Prentiss County school bus, a motor vehicle accident occurred, and several people, including Charles Beaumont, were injured. ¶ 2. In this case brought under the Mississippi Tort Claims Act (MTCA), Miss. Code Ann. §§ 11-46-1 to 23 (Supp.2001), we consider whether a trial court erred in refusing to reduce an excess judgment against a governmental entity to the amount of its available liability insurance coverage. ¶ 3. Beaumont admits that the Board is a governmental entity as contemplated under the Mississippi Tort Claims Act. See id. § 11-46-1(g) & (i). [1] Pursuant to § 11-46-17(4), [2] the Board purchased an automobile liability insurance policy from the Hartford Casualty Insurance Company with aggregate limits of $1,000,000. Hartford paid out $449,304.47 for settlement of claims other than Beaumont's personal injury claim [3] and arising from the same accident. Beaumont did not wish to settle his personal injury claim, but proceeded to trial on damages only. The Circuit Court of Prentiss County rendered a judgment in favor of Beaumont in the amount of $800,000. Because there was only $550,695.52 left from the $1,000,000 aggregate limits available for this single occurrence in which to pay Beaumont's judgment, the Board and Holt filed a motion to reduce the judgment to $550,695.52. The trial court denied the motion, stating: [T]he voluntary settlement of these other claims by [Hartford] does not reduce the applicable limits stated in the insurance policy as they were not a judgment or verdict against the Prentiss County Board of Education.    The statute in question does not allow for a reduction to the available liability limits as proposed by the defendants, but only as to the extent of such excess liability insurance carried. ¶ 4. The Board and Holt appeal from the trial court's denial of this motion. Since Mississippi is a single occurrence state, and given the explicit language of Miss. Code Ann. § 11-46-15(3) (Supp.2001), requiring the reduction here, we reverse and remand for entry of a new judgment in the amount of available liability insurance coverage.