Justice BEATTY.
Samuel W. Rhodes ("Rhodes") and Piedmont Promotions, Inc. ("Piedmont") sued Marion L. Eadon, d/b/a C & B Fabrication,
The circuit court judge found Eadon was insured by the policy and that all damages, except for the price of the signs, were covered by the policy. After post-trial motions were filed, the Court of Appeals reversed the tort action on the ground that venue was proper in Clarendon County rather than Fairfield County. Rhodes v. Eadon, Op. No. 2006-UP-413 (S.C. Ct.App. filed Dec. 15, 2006). Subsequently, Auto-Owners filed a motion to be relieved from the DJ order as the underlying tort action had been reversed and vacated. The judge denied this motion. On appeal, the Court of Appeals affirmed as modified the DJ order. Auto-Owners Ins. Co. v. Rhodes, 385 S.C. 83, 682 S.E.2d 857 (Ct.App.2009). This Court granted Auto-Owners' petition for a writ of certiorari to review the decision of the Court of Appeals. We affirm in part and reverse in part.
Eadon is the sole owner and shareholder of C & B Fabrication and Low Country Signs, Inc., both of which conducted business under the name C & B Fabrication. Rhodes is the sole owner and shareholder of Piedmont Promotions, Inc., which owns and leases outdoor advertising space in various locations. In 1999, Rhodes contracted with Eadon to design, fabricate, and erect three outdoor advertising signs on property owned by Rhodes that bordered Interstate 77 in Fairfield County. Rhodes obtained the requisite permits from the South Carolina Department of Transportation ("SCDOT") to erect the three signs.
In December 2000, approximately ten months after the installation of the signs, the middle sign was discovered to be leaning toward I-77. Rhodes contacted Eadon to inform him of the problem. Shortly thereafter, Eadon sent a crew to address the issue. On January 20, 2001, three days after the crew visited the site, one of the other signs fell across I-77, blocking both lanes of southbound traffic. Based on its investigation, SCDOT ordered Rhodes to remove the remaining two signs and revoked Piedmont's permits to maintain signs on the property. Rhodes immediately requested that Eadon remove the two remaining signs. Eadon, however, removed only the one sign that was previously leaning and refused to remove the third and final sign.
Following this incident, a General Liability Notice of Occurrence/Claim was forwarded to Auto-Owners from Creech Roddey Watson Insurance, Eadon's insurance company. Upon receipt of this claim, Auto-Owners sent a reservation of rights letter to Eadon regarding the incident, stating it was unsure whether a claim existed under the CGL policy. Over the next few months, Auto-Owners paid several claims for damages caused by the fallen sign, but stated the CGL policy did not cover the majority of the expenses that would be incurred following the loss.
On December 12, 2001, Rhodes and Piedmont filed the tort action against "Marion L. Eadon d/b/a C & B Fabrication," alleging damages to the real estate owned by Rhodes and lost income by Piedmont due to the negligent design, fabrication,
On October 14, 2002, while the tort action was pending, Auto-Owners filed the DJ action to determine whether coverage was provided pursuant to the CGL policy.
The tort action was tried in Fairfield County between August 30 and September 2, 2004. A jury returned a verdict for Rhodes and Piedmont in the amount of 3 million dollars in actual damages and 3.5 million in punitive damages for the negligence cause of action. Eadon appealed this verdict to the Court of Appeals.
While Eadon's appeal was pending, the circuit court judge issued an order in the DJ action on November 7, 2006. The judge found that Auto-Owners was obligated to indemnify Eadon for the judgment rendered in the tort action. In so ruling, the judge found the sign falling on the interstate constituted an "occurrence" that resulted in damages "beyond the defective work" to "property other than the defective work itself." The judge further found "the loss of use of the remaining two signs and the consequential damages flowing therefrom was causally linked to the sign that fell and constituted property damage caused by an occurrence."
Specifically, the judge found coverage for "property damage" based on the physical injury to the real estate, costs to remove the signs, and loss of use of the signs. The judge further found that Rhodes suffered diminution in value of his real property as SCDOT prohibited him from erecting signs in the future. The judge discounted all of the policy exclusions raised by Auto-Owners as Rhodes's claim for damages was based on the consequential damages incurred to his real estate rather than to the signs produced by C & B. However, the judge ruled that the contractual price of the signs was excluded as this fell within the purview of the "your work" exclusion.
On December 15, 2006, the Court of Appeals reversed the verdict in the tort action based on the trial court's failure to grant Eadon's motion to transfer venue to Clarendon County, his county of residence. Rhodes v. Eadon, Op. No.2006-UP413 (S.C. Ct.App. filed Dec. 15, 2006).
Auto-Owners appealed the DJ order to the Court of Appeals. The Court of Appeals affirmed as modified. Auto-Owners Ins. Co. v. Rhodes, 385 S.C. 83, 682 S.E.2d 857 (Ct.App.2009). In so ruling, the court found: (1) the DJ action was ripe for adjudication; (2) Eadon constituted an insured under the policy as he was involved in the procurement of the contract with Rhodes and Piedmont; (3) there was an "occurrence" under the policy because the property damages were the result of the unexpected happening of the sign falling; (4) the policy covered the costs associated with Rhodes's required removal of the final sign as well as the diminution of value to Rhodes's property due to the loss of his permits to erect signs in the future; and (5) none of the policy exclusions relied on by Auto-Owners precluded coverage as the majority of the damages sought by Rhodes were to his business, rather than the actual work product (the signs of C & B), which was properly excluded. Id. at 93-108, 682 S.E.2d at 863-71. Additionally, the court vacated the portions of the judge's order that referenced the jury, verdict, and damages in the tort action as they were "moot in view of the reversal of that verdict." Id. at 96, 682 S.E.2d at 864. This Court granted Auto-Owners' petition for a writ of certiorari to review the decision of the Court of Appeals.
In analyzing this case, we must answer the threshold question of whether the reversal of the underlying tort action affected the propriety of the DJ action. If the requisite judicial controversy is present, we must next determine whether Eadon is an "insured" under the provisions of the
"A suit for declaratory judgment is neither legal nor equitable, but is determined by the nature of the underlying issue." Felts v. Richland County, 303 S.C. 354, 356, 400 S.E.2d 781, 782 (1991). "When the purpose of the underlying dispute is to determine whether coverage exists under an insurance policy, the action is one at law." Crossmann Cmtys. of N.C., Inc. v. Harleysville Mut. Ins. Co., 395 S.C. 40, 46, 717 S.E.2d 589, 592 (2011) (citation omitted).
"In an action at law tried without a jury, the appellate court will not disturb the trial court's findings of fact unless there is no evidence to reasonably support them." Id. at 46-47, 717 S.E.2d at 592 (citation omitted). However, an appellate court may make its own determination on questions of law and need not defer to the trial court's rulings in this regard. Id. at 47, 717 S.E.2d at 592.
Auto-Owners argues the Court of Appeals erred in upholding the judge's denial of its Rule 60(b)(4)
Rule 60(b) provides in relevant part:
Rule 60(b)(5), SCRCP.
Because our appellate courts have not definitively addressed Rule 60(b)(5), we have looked to the federal courts' interpretation as our rule is similar to the federal rule.
With this background in mind, we find the judge and, in turn, the Court of Appeals properly concluded the DJ action was appropriate for judicial determination.
Section 15-53-20 of the South Carolina Code identifies the purpose of the Uniform Declaratory Judgments Act ("the Act") and provides that courts "shall have power to declare rights, status and other legal relations whether or not further relief is or could be claimed." S.C.Code Ann. § 15-53-20 (2005); see Rule 57, SCRCP ("The procedure for obtaining a declaratory judgment pursuant to Code §§ 15-53-10 through 15-53-140, shall be in accordance with these rules, and ... [t]he existence of another adequate remedy does not preclude a judgment for declaratory relief in cases where it is appropriate."). The Act is to be liberally construed and administered to achieve its intended purpose "to settle and to afford relief from uncertainty and insecurity with respect to rights, status and other legal relations." S.C.Code Ann. § 15-53-130 (2005). However, the Act does not require the courts to give purely advisory opinions as to the issues sought to be raised. City of Columbia v. Sanders, 231 S.C. 61, 97 S.E.2d 210 (1957). "[A]n issue that is contingent, hypothetical, or abstract is not ripe for judicial review." Colleton County Taxpayers Ass'n v. Sch. Dist. of Colleton County, 371 S.C. 224, 242, 638 S.E.2d 685, 694 (2006).
Although an insurance contract may be construed either before or after a breach occurs, there must be a real or actual controversy between the litigants at the time of the institution of the DJ action. S.C.Code Ann. § 15-53-40 (2005); Nelson v. Ozmint, 390 S.C. 432, 702 S.E.2d 369 (2010).
We find there was a justiciable controversy sufficient to implicate the Act given: (1) Eadon demanded Auto-Owners defend and indemnify the claim; (2) Auto-Owners denied portions of the claim; (3) definite and concrete issues exist regarding the adverse interests of Auto-Owners' and Eadon
Accordingly, we hold the Court of Appeals correctly affirmed the judge's denial of Auto-Owners' Rule 60 motion. See H.A. Wood, Annotation, Application of Declaratory Judgment Acts to Questions in Respect of Insurance Policies, 142 A.L.R. 8, § 3(c) (1943 & Supp.2012) (analyzing state and federal cases involving declaratory judgment actions and stating, "where the controversy is definite and concrete and involves the legal relations of parties who have adverse interests, as regards questions of liability under, and the application of, insurance policies, it has been held in numerous cases that an actual or justiciable controversy existed within the purview of the declaratory judgments acts"); Assoc. Indem. Corp. v. Davis, 45 F.Supp. 118 (D.Pa.1942) (finding declaratory judgment action was not rendered moot where the state supreme court reversed a judgment in favor of injured persons and ordered a new trial in a state court action growing out of an accident resulting from the operation of the insured automobile), overruled on other grounds by, 136 F.2d 71 (3rd Cir.1943).
Despite this ultimate conclusion, we find the DJ decision regarding "property damages" is not proper for our consideration as the resolution of this issue is based on questions of fact that will be presented at trial rather than issues of law to be resolved at this juncture. See 4 Phillip L. Bruner & Patrick J. O'Connor, Jr., Bruner & O'Connor on Construction Law, § 11:84 (2002 & Supp.2012) ("What damages result from or arise out of the `property damage' in any given situation is a question of fact."); Penn Nat'l Sec. Ins. Co. v. Design-Build Corp., No. 2:11-cv-02043-PMD, 2012 WL 2712555 (D.S.C. July 9, 2012) (declining to grant summary judgment to insurer on duty to defend with respect to whether coverage existed for alleged damages for loss of use of the property and loss of profits as these issues were premature); Guar. Nat'l Ins. Co. v. Beeline Stores, Inc., 945 F.Supp. 1510, 1514 (M.D.Ala.1996) ("Although the existence of a duty to defend may be established by the allegations in the injured party's complaint, the insurer's liability to the insured is ultimately established by what is developed at trial. So a determination of the duty to indemnify cannot be made at a
Auto-Owners asserts the Court of Appeals erred in finding that Eadon qualified as an insured under the CGL policy. In support of this assertion, Auto-Owners claims Rhodes and Piedmont should have been judicially estopped from arguing that Eadon was acting on behalf of the corporation when they conversely argued during the tort action that Eadon was subject to individual liability. Auto-Owners further contends that because Eadon was not directly involved in designing, manufacturing, installing, or inspecting the signs, the CGL policy did not provide coverage as any other actions taken by Eadon were performed in his individual rather than his covered, corporate capacity. Specifically, Auto-Owners points to Eadon's trial and deposition testimony wherein he testified that his only role in the corporation was to provide financial resources and procure insurance.
In rejecting Auto-Owners' judicial estoppel contention, the Court of Appeals found it failed to meet the fourth element of the applicable test. Rhodes, 385 S.C. at 99, 682 S.E.2d at 866. Specifically, the court found there was no evidence that any inconsistent position asserted by Rhodes was part of an intentional effort to mislead the court. Id. Additionally, the court found that Rhodes was not in privity with Auto-Owners or Eadon under the CGL policy. Id.
"Judicial estoppel is an equitable concept that prevents a litigant from asserting a position inconsistent with, or in conflict with, one the litigant has previously asserted in the same or related proceeding." Cothran v. Brown, 357 S.C. 210, 215, 592 S.E.2d 629, 631 (2004). "The purpose of the doctrine is to ensure the integrity of the judicial process, not to protect
For the doctrine of judicial estoppel to apply, the following elements must be satisfied: (1) two inconsistent positions taken by the same party or parties in privity with one another; (2) the positions must be taken in the same or related proceedings involving the same party or parties in privity with each other; (3) the party taking the position must have been successful in maintaining that position and have received some benefit; (4) the inconsistency must be part of an intentional effort to mislead the court; and (5) the two positions must be totally inconsistent. Id. at 215-16, 592 S.E.2d at 632.
We agree with the Court of Appeals that the doctrine of judicial estoppel was inapplicable in the instant case because there was no privity of contract between Rhodes and Auto-Owners. See Young v. Smith, 168 S.C. 362, 167 S.E. 669 (1933) (recognizing that no privity of contract exists between an insurance company and a third party who may benefit from indemnification unless the insurance contract specifically lists the third party as a beneficiary). Moreover, Auto-Owners cannot rely on Rhodes's "inconsistent" theories as the decision in the tort action has been reversed and, thus, the proceeding vacated. Accordingly, any reference to Rhodes's trial testimony, the jury charge, or the jury's verdict to support the contention that Eadon was subject to individual liability is misplaced.
The CGL policy, which lists C & B Fabrications, Inc. and Low Country Signs, Inc., as its insureds on the Declarations page, provides:
In interpreting this policy provision, the Court adheres to the general rules of contract construction. M & M Corp. of S.C. v. Auto-Owners Ins. Co., 390 S.C. 255, 259, 701 S.E.2d 33, 35 (2010). "The cardinal rule of contract interpretation is to ascertain and give legal effect to the parties' intentions as determined by the contract language." McGill v. Moore, 381 S.C. 179, 185, 672 S.E.2d 571, 574 (2009). "`Courts must enforce, not write, contracts of insurance, and their language must be given its plain, ordinary and popular meaning.'" USAA Prop. & Cas. Ins. Co. v. Clegg, 377 S.C. 643, 655, 661 S.E.2d 791, 797 (2008) (quoting Sloan Constr. Co. v. Cent. Nat'l Ins. Co. of Omaha, 269 S.C. 183, 185, 236 S.E.2d 818, 819 (1977)).
Significantly, during the DJ action, the parties entered into a stipulation to resolve any ambiguity regarding the names of the business entities intended by the parties to be covered by the CGL policy. This stipulation provided:
In view of this stipulation and the plain terms of the CGL policy, we agree with the conclusion of the Court of Appeals that Eadon was an insured. However, in reaching this conclusion, we find it was unnecessary for the court to consider a distinction between the actions of "executive officers and directors" and "employees" for the purposes of the CGL policy.
Auto-Owners asserts the Court of Appeals erred in finding the removal of the two signs that did not fall constituted an "occurrence" as defined by the policy. The policy states, in pertinent part:
Although not defined by the policy, this Court in a case involving an identical CGL policy defined "accident" as "[a]n unexpected happening or event, which occurs by chance and usually suddenly, with harmful result, not intended or designed by the person suffering the harm or hurt." Green v. United Ins. Co. of Am., 254 S.C. 202, 206, 174 S.E.2d 400, 402 (1970).
In finding an "occurrence," both the judge and the Court of Appeals referenced this Court's decision in L-J, Inc. v. Bituminous Fire and Marine Insurance Company, 366 S.C. 117, 621 S.E.2d 33 (2005) and cases cited therein, particularly High Country Associates v. New Hampshire Insurance Company, 139 N.H. 39, 648 A.2d 474 (1994).
As noted by the judge, Auto-Owners conceded that the falling of the first sign constituted an "occurrence." The parties diverge as to whether this occurrence precipitated the removal of the two remaining signs. In other words, was the loss of the remaining two signs and the consequential damages flowing therefrom causally linked to the sign that fell and, thus, constituted property damage caused by an occurrence under the policy. In analyzing these divergent positions, it is necessary to review the case law progression of L-J and its progeny.
In L-J, this Court adhered to the majority rule that "faulty workmanship standing alone, resulting in damage only to the work product itself, does not constitute an occurrence under a CGL policy." L-J, Inc., 366 S.C. at 121, 621 S.E.2d at 35. The Court reasoned that "faulty workmanship is not something that is typically caused by an accident or by exposure to the same general harmful conditions." Id. at 123, 621 S.E.2d at 36. The Court noted that a "CGL policy may, however, provide coverage in cases where faulty workmanship causes a third party bodily injury or damage to other property, not in cases where faulty workmanship damages the work product alone." Id. at 123 n. 4, 621 S.E.2d at 36 n. 4.
Four years later, the Court decided Auto Owners Insurance Company, Inc. v. Newman, 385 S.C. 187, 684 S.E.2d 541 (2009), wherein it relied on the analysis in L-J and found that a "subcontractor's negligence resulted in an `occurrence' falling within the CGL policy's initial grant of coverage for the resulting `property damage' to the [home]." Id. at 194, 684 S.E.2d at 545. In so ruling, the Court gave effect to the subcontractor exception to the "your work" exclusion in the standard CGL policy and recognized that this exclusion did not apply "if the damaged work or the work out of which the
Recently, in Crossmann Communities of North Carolina, Inc. v. Harleysville Mutual Insurance Company, 395 S.C. 40, 717 S.E.2d 589 (2011), this Court adhered to its decision in Newman and clarified that "negligent or defective construction resulting in damage to otherwise non-defective components may constitute `property damage,' but the defective construction would not." Id. at 50, 717 S.E.2d at 594. The Court further found that, "the expanded definition of `occurrence' is ambiguous and must be construed in favor of the insured." Id.
Based on this line of cases, we are now confronted with the question of whether Crossmann's expansive view of an "occurrence" is limited to progressive property damage cases. Unlike the "normal" defective construction case where damage from faulty workmanship is obvious and directly related, the mandated removal of the two additional signs in the instant case is more tangential.
After careful consideration of the implications of Crossman, we find there was an "occurrence" that triggered coverage under the CGL policy. In reaching this conclusion, we view the fallen sign and the removal of the remaining two signs under a continuum of an "occurrence," as this is analogous to the CGL cases involving "continuous or repeated exposure to substantially the same general harmful conditions."
Stated another way, we find the existence of an "occurrence" as the removal of the remaining two signs would not have occurred "but for" the fallen sign as this accident precipitated the mandate issued by the SCDOT. Furthermore, because the signs were simultaneously constructed, we view this as a single occurrence with progressive damage. Thus, the degree of "fortuity" is present and, in turn, the potential for coverage under the CGL policy. See D.R. Sherry Const., Ltd. v. Am. Family Mut. Ins. Co., 316 S.W.3d 899 (Mo.2010) (noting that the determinative inquiry into whether there was an "occurrence" or "accident," for purpose of coverage under a liability insurance policy, is whether the insured foresaw or expected the injury or damages); see also Yakima Cement Prods. Co. v. Great Am. Ins. Co., 93 Wn.2d 210, 608 P.2d 254
Although we find an "occurrence," which implicates coverage under the policy, we emphasize that this decision does not express our opinion regarding "property damages" as the presentation of different evidence on retrial may establish new coverage issues, including policy exclusions.
Based on the foregoing, we find the Court of Appeals correctly affirmed the judge's denial of Auto-Owners' motion pursuant to Rule 60(b), SCRCP. We hold the declaratory judgment action was procedurally proper save for a ruling on issues regarding property damages as there are related questions of fact that must be decided by a jury on retrial. Additionally, we affirm the Court of Appeals' determination that Auto-Owners has a duty to indemnify Eadon as he is an insured under the policy. Finally, we agree with the Court of Appeals that the removal of the remaining two signs constituted an "occurrence" for purposes of the policy as the "occurrence" of the first fallen sign, which was stipulated to by Auto-Owners, precipitated their removal. Accordingly, the decision of the Court of Appeals is
KITTREDGE, J., Acting Justices James E. Moore and William P. Keesley, concur. PLEICONES, J., concurring in result only.