Leafgreen v. American Family Mutual Insurance Co.
South Dakota Supreme Court
393 N.W.2d 275 (1986)
- Written by Rich Walter, JD
Facts
American Family Mutual Insurance Company (American Family) (defendant) insured Floyd and Joyce Leafgreen (plaintiffs). Edmund Arndt was friendly with the Leafgreens and a trusted agent for American Family. Arndt visited the Leafgreens and entered their house in an apparent attempt to sell them additional insurance. Arndt used the occasion to discover where the Leafgreens kept the lockbox in which they stored their valuables. Arndt intentionally disclosed this location to associates whom Arndt knew to be professional burglars. Five weeks later, after Arndt learned from the Leafgreens that they would be out of town and passed that information to the burglars, the burglars broke into the Leafgreens’ house and stole the lockbox. American Family covered the Leafgreens’ loss, and Arndt was arrested and imprisoned for his role in the crime. The Leafgreens held American Family vicariously liable for Arndt’s wrongdoing and sued. The trial court granted American Family’s motion for summary judgment. The Leafgreens appealed to the South Dakota Supreme Court.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Wuest, J.)
Dissent (Sabers, J.)
Dissent (Henderson, J.)
What to do next…
Here's why 832,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
- Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,500 briefs, keyed to 994 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
- The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
- Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
- Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.
