Alabama State Docks v. Dewey M. Saxon and

HOUSTON, JUSTICE. Dewey M. Saxon and his wife, Edna Saxon, sued the Alabama State Docks; its director, John Dutton; its safety director, Frank
Daniels; and the State Docks' liability insurance carriers, Lloyd's Underwriters and various other insurance companies, seeking
damages for personal injuries Dewey Saxon claimed to have sustained while he was delivering computer equipment to a building
owned by the State Docks. 1 Edna Saxon sought damages for loss of consortium. The Saxons alleged negligence and wantonness
on the part of the State Docks, Dutton, and Daniels; they sought to recover insurance proceeds directly from the insurance
carriers pursuant to Ala. Code 1975, § 33-1-25. 2 The State Docks, Dutton, and Daniels moved for a summary judgment,
invoking the doctrine of sovereign immunity under Article I, § 14, Alabama Constitution, as a defense to the Saxons'
claims. Lloyd's Underwriters and the other insurance carriers also moved for a summary judgment, arguing that the State Docks'
liability insurance policy did not authorize a direct action against them. The trial court denied these motions, and we granted
the defendants' requests for permission to appeal. See Rule 5, Ala.R.App.P. 3