Georgia Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Companyv.Dena Laxton Et Al.
A mule-drawn carriage carrying Dena Claxton was struck by a motor vehicle after a Christmas parade. Georgia Farm Bureau sought declaratory relief concerning two insurance policies: a liability policy issued to the carriage operator and uninsured-motorist policies issued to Claxton. The trial court denied summary judgment on both coverage questions. The Georgia Court of Appeals held that the liability-policy exclusion for rides provided in connection with a fair, charitable function, or similar event was ambiguous as applied to the parade and the post-parade trip, leaving factual questions for a jury. The court therefore affirmed the denial of summary judgment on that policy. It reached the opposite result under Claxton’s uninsured-motorist policies, holding that the carriage was not a covered uninsured motor vehicle because it was designed to be pulled by an animal rather than a car, pickup, or van. The court reversed that portion of the order and affirmed in part and reversed in part.
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