Court Opinion

ID: 9674446
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 04:28:52.487784+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:16:27.708401
License: Public Domain

P. A. Hollingsworth, Justice, dissenting. I disagree with the majority that the chancellor’s decree was clearly erroneous. Our holding in Talley v. MFA Mutual Ins. Co., 273 Ark. 269, 620 S.W.2d (1981) was that a fact issue existed where an insured intentionally fired a shotgun in the direction of others he intended to hit or injure. In the case before us, the chancellor found that while McGinnis intended to commit the acts complained of, the appellant had not met its burden of proof in establishing that he either intended or expected any injury or damage to his stepdaughter. The chancellor viewed the evidence in the proceedings before him clearly showing that McGinnis did not intend or expect his stepdaughter to sustain injuries by reason of his acts. In support of Mr. McGinnis’ testimony, Dr. Douglas A. Stevens, who has a Ph.D. in psychology and has encountered numerous cases of this type, testified that males who engage in this type of sexual activity generally perceive it as an intimate and affectional relationship, with positive emotions flowing in both directions. It was Dr. Stevens’ opinion that McGinnis perceived his relationship with his stepdaughter to be an intimate one where both received positive benefits. I agree with the view expressed by the affirming judges in the Court of Appeals in this case that “the only way to find that he intended harm to result would be to find that harm was a natural and foreseeable consequence of his acts, and that approach was specifically rejected in Talley.” I think the chancellor correctly analyzed the evidence and the law, and that his decision was correct. I would affirm.