Auto insurer cleared of liability in murder of child

An auto insurer has been found not liable for damages to a murdered boy’s mother by Alberta’s court, reports the Calgary Sun.
Naomi Manuel, the mother of the victim, attempted to sue the auto insurer, ING Canada, after Grant Harder, her son’s father, picked up their son from her Calgary home on December 1, 2002, drove him to a secluded area in central Alberta and murdered him before turning the gun on himself, reports the paper.
Along the way, Harder stopped at his parents’ Camrose home and picked up the murder weapon.
Justice Patricia Rowbotham found that Harder was using his insured truck when he murdered the two-year-old, reports the Sun.
But, Justice Rowbotham added, “because Harder’s actions were criminal and he intended to commit the harm he caused, ING Canada could not be held liable for his actions.”
According to the Sun, Rowbotham said the actions were related to the normal use of his vehicle and the insurer couldn’t be sued on that basis.