Eighteen-year-old Arthur Smith became intoxicated at a New Year’s Eve party. At 11:00 P.M., Smith left the party and began walking home. Police officer Don Czopek saw Smith walking down the center of a road and weaving from side to side. Because Smith was interfering with traffic and placing himself at risk of physical harm, Czopek pulled his patrol car alongside Smith and attempted to talk him into getting off the road. Smith refused, became argumentative, and started shouting. Czopek parked his patrol car, got out, and approached Smith in an effort to calm him down. Smith became increasingly hostile and grabbed Czopek by the lapels of his coat. Officer Herdis Petty then arrived on the scene to assist Czopek. A struggle occurred as the two officers attempted to handcuff Smith and put him into a patrol car. Smith kicked, hit, and bit the officers during this struggle, which continued for a substantial length of time. Czopek suffered frostbite on one of his hands. Petty sustained broken ribs as a result of being kicked by Smith (plus other less serious injuries). Smith was later convicted of assault and battery. He admitted that he intentionally resisted arrest but said that he did not recall hitting or kicking anyone. Officers Czopek and Petty filed a civil suit against Smith’s parents, whose homeowners’ policy with Group Insurance Company of Michigan (GICOM) provided liability coverage to the insureds—a status that, under the policy’s terms, included Arthur Smith—for third parties’ personal injury claims resulting from an “occurrence.” The policy defined “occurrence” as “an accident, including injurious exposure to conditions, which results . . . in bodily injury or property damage.” The policy contained an exclusion from coverage for “bodily injury or property damage which is either expected or intended from the standpoint of the insured.” GICOM filed a declaratory judgment suit in which it asked the court to declare that it had no duty to defend or indemnify Arthur Smith and his parents in connection with the litigation brought by Czopek and Petty. Was GICOM entitled to such a ruling by the court?
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