WPC 2# U: % 0 4, 0?; 0Dz  w@ 0J 0T\ 0^ 0h 0rv 0| 0d 0 1uz 0d 0@S D3 B U* B) DC6 AMy AQ 0D 0D! D/e Bv~ovHP LaserJet 4SiHPPCL5MS,,,,,,0nLH,  AZ"Arial RegularX(H=$  HTR[A' Legal[A' LegalA' LegalA' LegalTX_XXX7XXdXXd7zz!#3|x#((3$$ H=!  HTR[A' Legal3'A' Legal3'TXXXX7XXdd7   `   0  (#$  0  HH EӀ #2 0Indent123  2" 0Indent20 23  2, 0Indent30 0 23  26 0Indent40 0 0 23  2@ 0Indent50 0 0 0 23  2J 0Indent60 0 0 0 0 23  2T 0Indent70 0 0 0 0 0 23  2^ 0Indent80 0 0 0 0 0 0 23   ?AGMSYaioIndent0I.A.1.a.(1)(a)i)a)P 8Mac DefaultMac Default ` X("$    $$$$'dxd d<  9p`(Arial% Line 7 d&&&&7Border 1dd* 'C << G*+ ,-C<< CLevel 1Level 2Level 3Level 4Level 5(3$ !  ($$   1  ..' dxdP Pd  !  #d#%    H \RA'\#d#  +"  %   YYY FILED%X June27,1997CecilCrowson,Jr.%AppellateCourtClerk PtPtHH(FG(HH(d'hStyl{WP}01  HH  2$HH  Geneva  <Px443!#4$*$$*$ KK  Geneva  Geneva .,6 Geneva   h HD: Geneva  h HD: Geneva ! . %    H \RA'\#Xd##Xd#          ӛ INTHECOURTOFAPPEALSOFTENNESSEEWESTERNSECTIONATJACKSON̄  ROBERTHAROLDPILGRIMand ) wife,FRANCESPILGRIM,   )̜*R(/'A1-j||` . `@Rߛ      ) DyerChancery Plaintiffs/Appellants  ) CaseNo.91244v.      )       ) EDWARDH.FRAZIER,    ) AppealNo.02A019611CV00294      ) Defendant/Appellee  )  APPEALFROMTHECHANCERYCOURTOFDYERCOUNTYATDYERSBURG,TENNESSEETHEHONORABLEJOEG.RILEY,CHANCELLOR  JOHNW.PALMER    MARKD.JOHNSTONThePalmerLawFirm     217W.MarketSt.116W.CourtSt.     Dyersburg,TN380251326P.O.Box746     AttorneyforAppelleeDyersburg,TN38025AttorneyforAppellants      AFFIRMED          WILLIAMH.INMAN,SENIORJUDGE CONCUR:̜DAVIDR.FARMER,JUDGE%  %  ԛALANE.HIGHERS,JUDGE @ OPINION  TheplaintiffsfiledsuitonOctober15,1991againstthedefendantfordamagesresultingfromatrafficaccident.AnanswertothecomplaintwasfiledDecember16,1991. ThecaseapparentlylaydormantuntilApril17,1994whentheplaintiffsfiledamotionseekingtheissuanceofasummonsuponTennesseeFarmersMutualInsuranceCompany,theirunderinsuredcarrier,allegingthattheywereinformedonMarch25,1994,bythedefendantsattorney,thatthedefendantsliabilitycoveragewas$25,000.00andthusmarkedlyinadequatetocompensatetheplaintiffs. ThemotionwasgrantedbyorderenteredMay2,1994andacopyofthesummonsandcomplaintwasservedonTennesseeFarmersMutualInsuranceCompanyonMay3,1994,whichfileditsanswerthattheplaintiffspolicyprovideduninsured/underinsuredcoveragefortheminalimitedamount.Thepolicyrequiredtheplaintiffsto:0 1.Notifyusassoonaspossibleoftheirintentiontoseeksuchcoverage. TennesseeFarmersMutualfiledamotionforsummaryjudgmentonOctober2,1995,basedonthedelayof42monthsaftertheaccidentand31monthsafterthecommencementofthecase,allegingthatthenotificationtoseekunderinsuredcoverageunderthepolicywasnot assoonaspossible.ThemotionwassupportedbytheaffidavitofJohnWashburn,aclaimsrepresentative,whodeposedthathiscompanyhadnonoticeoftheinsuredsintentiontoseekunderinsuredcoverageuntilMay3,1994whensuchpaperswereserved. Theplaintiffsfiledonlytheaffidavitoftheirattorneyincontraventionofthemotion.Inhisaffidavit,counselfortheplaintiffsdeposedthatthedefendantsattorneyadvisedthemofthepolicylimitsonMarch25,1994and,untilthatdate, theyhadnowayofknowingthatthedefendantwasunderinsured,and hadnoreasontobelievethatthedefendanthadminimumliabilityinsurance. Themotionforsummaryjudgmentwasgranted,andtheplaintiffsappeal,presentingforappellatereviewtheissueoftheproprietyofthedismissaloftheinsurancecompany. Thestandardsgoverningourreviewofatrialcourtsactiononamotionforsummaryjudgmentarewellsettled.Sinceourinquiryinvolvespurelyaquestionoflaw,nopresumptionofcorrectnessattachestothetrialcourtsjudgment,andourtaskisconfinedtoreviewingtherecordtodeterminewhethertherequirementsofTenn.R.Civ.P.56havebeenmet.Carvellv.Bottoms,900S.W.2d23,26(Tenn.1995);Cowdenv.SovranBank/CentralSouth,816S.W.2d741,744(Tenn.1991);Foleyv.St.ThomasHosp.,906S.W.2d446,452(Tenn.Ct.App.1995);Brennerv.TextronAerostructures,874S.W.2d579,582(Tenn.Ct.App.1993).Tenn.R.Civ.P.56.03providesthatsummaryjudgmentisappropriateonlywhere(1)thereisnogenuineissueofmaterialfactrelevanttotheclaimordefensecontainedinthemotion,and(2)themovingpartyisentitledtoajudgmentasamatteroflawontheundisputedfacts.Carvell,900S.W.2dat26;Byrdv.Hall,847S.W.2d208,210(Tenn.1993);Andersonv.StandardRegisterCo.,857S.W.2d555,559(Tenn.1993).Themovingpartyhastheburdenofprovingthatthemotionsatisfiestheserequirements.Downenv.AllstateIns.Co.,811S.W.2d523,524(Tenn.1991). Whilethesummaryjudgmentprocedureisnotasubstitutefortrial,itgoestothemeritsofthecomplaintandshouldnotbetakenlightly.Byrd,847S.W.2dat210;Jonesv.HomeIndem.Ins.Co.,651S.W.2d213,214(Tenn.1983);Fowlerv.HappyGoodmanFamily,575S.W.2d496,498(Tenn.1978);Foley,906S.W.2dat452.Ithasbeenrepeatedlystatedbytheappellatecourtsofthisstatethatthepurposeofasummaryjudgmentproceedingisnotthefindingoffacts,theresolutionofdisputedfactualissues,orthedeterminationofconflictinginferencesreasonablytobedrawnfromthefacts.Bellamyv.FederalExpressCorp.,749S.W.2d31,33(Tenn.1988).Rather,thepurposeofsummaryjudgmentistoresolvecontrollingissuesoflaw.Id. Inevaluatingtheproprietyofamotionforsummaryjudgment,weviewtheevidenceinthelightmostfavorabletothenonmovingpartyanddrawallreasonableinferencesinthenonmovingpartysfavor.Byrd,847S.W.2dat21011.Amotionforsummaryjudgmentshouldonlybegrantedwhenboththefactsandtheconclusionsdrawnfromthefactspermitareasonablepersontoreachonlyoneconclusion.Id. Withtheforegoingprinciplesinmind,wethinkthiscaseiscontrolledbyarecentdecisionofthisCourt,Whaleyv.Underwood,922S.W.2d110(Tenn.Ct.App.1995). InWhaley,thepolicyprovidedunderinsuredmotoristcoverage,andtheinsuredswerecontractuallyrequiredtopersonallysendcopiesofthelegalpapersintheirsuitagainstUnderwood.SuitwasfiledJanuary17,1989and,twoyearsϜlater,theyascertainedthattheUnderwoodsliabilitywasinadequatetocovertheclaim.WhaleysattorneysentalettertotheinsurancecompanyonApril2,1991,informingitthathemightissueasummonsandcomplaint withinthenextfewdaysandenclosingacopyofthecomplainthehadfiledagainstUnderwood.ButnosummonsorcomplaintwasserveduntilDecember30,1992,nearlyfouryearsaftertheactionwasfiled,and20monthsafterthecompanywasnotifiedofapossibleunderinsuredmotoristclaim. TheissuewaswhetherthetransmittalofthecomplaintonApril2,1991satisfiedthepolicyrequirementthattheinsuredseekingunderinsuredmotoristcoveragemustalso promptlysenduscopiesofthelegalpapersifasuitisbrought. QuotingfromAllstateIns.Co.v.Wilson,856S.W.2D706(Tenn.Ct.App.1992),weheldthat0 [a]requirementinapolicyfor promptor immediatenotice,orthatnoticemustbegiven immediately, atonce, forthwith, assoonaspracticable,or assoonaspossiblegenerallymeansthatthenoticemustbegivenwithinareasonabletimeunderthecircumstancesofthecase.quotingAm.Jur.2d.Insurance1330. WeheldthatWhaleydidnotactwithinareasonabletime,becausea27monthdelaywastoolongandsignificantlythat0 [t]hefactthat[theWhaleys]didnotlearnuntilmidFebruary,1991,thattheϜUnderwoodswereunderinsuredisnotsufficient,standingalone,tocondoneafailuretonotifytheUMcarrier....TheWhaleysfailedtoshowwhyittooksolongbeforetheydeterminedthattheUnderwoodswereunderinsured.TheyofferednofactsreflectingthattheytookreasonablestepstosatisfythemselvesthattheUnderwoodshadadequatecoverage.Todefeattheinsurancecompanysmotion, itmustbeshownthattheclaimantexercisedduediligenceandreasonablecareinascertainingthattherewascoverageunderthepolicy.Whaley,922S.W.2Dat11415(quotingLeev.Lee,732S.W.2d275,276(Tenn.1987)). Aswehaveshown,theplaintiffsofferedonlytheaffidavitoftheirattorneythatthey hadnowayofknowingthedefendantscoverageand noreasontobelievehewasunderinsured.Theysimplyreliedupontheattorneyforthedefendanttotellthemabouttheamountofcoverage;they offerednofactsreflectingthattheytookreasonablestepstosatisfythemselvesthatthedefendanthadadequatecoverage.Whaley,supra,andtheyofferednoevidencethattheyexercisedduediligenceandreasonablecaretoascertaintheamountofthecoverage.Theaffidavitofcounselmanifestlydoesnotsatisfytheserequirements.Adelayof31monthsissimplyunreasonableandviolativeofthecontractualrequirementofnotice assoonaspossible. Thejudgmentisaffirmedatthecostsoftheappellant.      ________________________________      WilliamH.Inman,SeniorJudgeCONCUR:______________________________̜AlanE.Highers,Judge%  ԛ______________________________DavidR.Farmer,Judge