AJC Logistics, LLC v. Economy International Services, Inc.

967 F. Supp. 2d 546, 2013 WL 4804419, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 130822
CourtDistrict Court, D. Puerto Rico
DecidedSeptember 10, 2013
DocketCivil No. 11-1834 (FAB)
StatusPublished

This text of 967 F. Supp. 2d 546 (AJC Logistics, LLC v. Economy International Services, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Puerto Rico primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
AJC Logistics, LLC v. Economy International Services, Inc., 967 F. Supp. 2d 546, 2013 WL 4804419, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 130822 (prd 2013).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

BESOSA, District Judge.

Before the Court is the Report and Recommendation (“R & R”) of Magistrate Judge Camille L. Velez-Rive, (Docket 77). Having made an independent examination of the entire record in this case, the Court ADOPTS IN FULL the magistrate judge’s findings and recommendations.

I. STANDARD

A district court may refer a pending motion to a magistrate judge for a report and recommendation. See 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1)(B); Fed.R.Civ.P. 72(b); Loc. Rule 72(b). Any party adversely affected by the report and recommendation may file written objections within fourteen days of being served with the magistrate judge’s report. Loc. Rule 72(d).1 See 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1). A party that files a timely objection is entitled to a de novo determination of “those portions of the report or specified proposed findings or recommendations to which specific objection is made.” Ramos-Echevarria v. Pichis, Inc., 698 F.Supp.2d 262, 264 (D.P.R.2010); Sylva v. Culebra Dive Shop, 389 F.Supp.2d 189, 191-92 (D.P.R.2005) (citing United States v. Raddatz, 447 U.S. 667, 673,100 S.Ct. 2406, 65 L.Ed.2d 424 (1980)). Failure to comply with this rule precludes further review. See Davet v. Maccarone, [548]*548973 F.2d 22, 30-31 (1st Cir.1992); Borden v. Secretary of H.H.S., 836 F.2d 4, 6 (1st Cir.1987). In conducting its review of the R & R, the Court is free to “accept, reject, or modify, in whole or in part, the findings or recommendations made by the magistrate judge.” 28 U.S.C. § 636(a), (b)(1); Templeman v. Chris Craft Corp., 770 F.2d 245, 247 (1st Cir.1985); Alamo Rodriguez v. Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 286 F.Supp.2d 144, 146 (D.P.R.2003). Furthermore, the Court may accept those parts of the report and recommendation to which the parties do not object. See Hernandez-Mejias v. General Elec., 428 F.Supp.2d 4, 6 (D.P.R.2005) (citing Lacedra v. Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility, 334 F.Supp.2d 114, 125-126 (D.R.I.2004)). A party’s failure to object to an R & R allows the Court to assume that the party agrees with the recommendations in the R & R. Gonzalez-Santos v. Torres-Maldonado, 839 F.Supp.2d 488, 500 (D.P.R.2012).

In this case, the magistrate judge issued a thorough and well-written R & R recommending (1) that plaintiffs’ motion for summary judgment be DENIED; (2) that defendant Triple-S’ request for summary judgment regarding the coverage limit be GRANTED; and (3) that Triple-S’ request to dismiss Lloyd’s claim be GRANTED. (Docket 77.) The parties had until September 5, 2013 to object to the R & R. Although plaintiffs filed a timely objection, (Docket 78), defendant Triple-S did not, waiving its right to further review in the district court. See Davet, 973 F.2d at 30-31. The Court addresses plaintiffs’ objections below.

II. PLAINTIFFS’ OBJECTIONS

A. $25,000 vs. $500,000 Limit of Coverage

Plaintiffs first object to “the magistrate judge’s proposed findings and recommendations that the Triple-S Policy provides a Limit of Insurance of $25,000.00 for the loss sustained by the plaintiffs as a result of the mechanical breakdown at Economy.” (Docket 78 at 6.) They instead contend that the Triple-S Policy provides a limit of $500,000 “for loss suffered under the Personal Property of Others coverage as a result of a mechanical breakdown.” Id. Plaintiffs’ objection is little more than a recitation of the arguments raised before the magistrate judge. Where the objections are repetitive of the arguments already made to the magistrate judge, a de novo review is unwarranted. Westernbank P.R. v. Kachkar, 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 78726, 25, 2009 WL 2871160, 6 (D.P.R. Sept. 1, 2009) (Delgado-Colon, J.) (citing Rivera-Garcia v. United States, 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 60305, 2008 WL 3287236, *1 (D.P.R. Aug. 7, 2008) (Perez-Gimenez, J.)). “Instead, the report and recommendation is reviewed by the district judge for clear error.” Rivera-Garcia, 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 60305, 2008 WL 3287236 (citing Camardo v. Gen. Motors Hourly-Rate Emps. Pension Plan, 806 F.Supp. 380, 382 (W.D.N.Y.1992) (“It is improper for an objecting party to ... submit [ ] papers to a district court which are nothing more than a rehashing of the same arguments and positions taken in the original papers submitted to the [mjagistrate [jjudge. Clearly, parties are not to be afforded a ‘second bite at the apple’ when they file objections to a R & R.”)). After due consideration, the Court finds that the R & R is neither clearly erroneous nor contrary to law, and thus it ADOPTS IN FULL the magistrate judge’s findings.

The R & R included a thorough review of Puerto Rico insurance contract law to explain that the Policy in this case must be construed “according to the entirety of its terms and conditions as set forth in the policy, and as amplified, ex[549]*549tended, or modified by any lawful rider, endorsement, or application attached to and made part of the policy.” (Docket 77 at 559) (citing P.R. Laws Ann. tit. 26 § 1125). That is precisely what the magistrate judge did in the R & R. Consulting the entire insurance contract — including the Building and Personal Property Coverage Form, its Covered Causes of Loss-Special Form, and the Equipment Breakdown Endorsement — the magistrate judge correctly determined that the Policy’s terms, conditions, and exclusions were clear and unambiguous as a matter of law. See MAPFRE P.R. v. Guadalupe-Delgado, 613 F.Supp.2d 213, 217 (D.P.R.2009) (Besosa, J.).

A plain reading of the Policy conflicts with plaintiffs’ invitation to read the Policy as providing a $500,000 coverage limit for loss suffered to “property of others” as a result of a mechanical breakdown — but only providing $25,000 in coverage for the exact same type of loss to property of the “named insured.” The Building and Personal Property Coverage Form does not extend to losses or damages caused by or resulting from mechanical breakdown, because the Causes of Loss-Special Form expressly excludes coverage for that type of loss. (Docket 46-19 at 2; Docket 53-6 at 2.) That means that the Policy initially did not protect any loss that occurred due to a mechanical breakdown — whether the loss was to the property of the named insured or to the property of others. Accordingly, the $500,000 limit for loss to property of others could not have applied to any loss caused by or resulting from a mechanical breakdown.

Precisely because the Causes of Loss-Special Form specifically excluded coverage for equipment breakdown, Economy requested and Triple-S issued the Equipment Breakdown Endorsement.

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Bluebook (online)
967 F. Supp. 2d 546, 2013 WL 4804419, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 130822, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ajc-logistics-llc-v-economy-international-services-inc-prd-2013.