Court Opinion

ID: 9777663
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-29 20:18:43.120527+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:32:58.414080
License: Public Domain

POPE, Justice
(dissenting).
I respectfully dissent. There is evidence which supports the jury’s answers to the controlling issues. The opinion of the court of civil appeals has summarized that evidence, and it need not again be repeated. I also disagree with the majority’s discussion about the correct manner of submitting issues in a case concerning the separation of damages caused by an included risk from those caused by an excluded risk.
This case was tried upon issues used in Fidelity Southern Fire Ins. Co. v. Crow, 390 S.W.2d 788 (Tex.Civ.App.196S, writ ref. n. r. e.). In that case an unnecessary issue was submitted which inquired whether the included risk was the dominant efficient cause of the damages. The holding of the court, however, was not grounded upon that finding, as the majority mistakenly states. The issue and the finding were unnecessary to the judgment because the insured also obtained findings which separated the damages caused by the included risk from those caused by the excluded risk. This is the holding in Crow:
The rule in Texas is that where a loss is occasioned by a risk which is within the coverage of the policy, and a risk which is within the exclusion of the policy, that plaintiff may recover if plaintiff is able to segregate the damages oc*164casioned by the covered risk from the damage occasioned by the excluded risk within the exclusion of his policy. (This the jury did). See Franklin Fire Ins. Co. of Philadelphia v. Smith, Tex.Civ.App., 103 S.W.2d 470; 93 A.L.R.2d 145, p. 165, 166-171. We also think that the rule in Texas is to the effect that where a loss occurs under a standard fire, windstorm and extended coverage policy within the coverage of the policy, and such loss is contributed to by an excluded risk of the policy, the plaintiff may, nevertheless, recover if plaintiff proves that the dominant efficient cause of the loss is the covered risk.
The court in Crow said that the finding on dominant efficient cause was an additional reason for upholding the judgment. I agree that the statement is not a correct statement of the law, but that was not the controlling holding of the court. The issue and the finding were immaterial to the result. The same is true in this case in which McKillip, following Crow as the best available guide, requested issues and obtained findings which (1) separated the damages and (2) inquired about the dominant efficient cause. As in Crow, the finding about dominant efficient cause was immaterial.
This court, writing in Paulson v. Fire Insurance Exchange, 393 S.W.2d 316 (1965) expressed the view that an insured had the burden of separating damages, and that this could be done in either of two ways. We then wrote:
It is essential that the insured produce evidence which will afford a reasonable basis for estimating the amount of damage or the proportionate part of the damage caused by a risk covered by the insurance policy. This was not done in this case. (Emphasis added).
I would affirm the judgments of the courts below.