Albany Insurance v. Rose-Tillmann, Inc.

883 F. Supp. 1459, 1995 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9700, 1995 WL 236614
CourtDistrict Court, D. Oregon
DecidedMarch 31, 1995
DocketCiv. 94-517-JO
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 883 F. Supp. 1459 (Albany Insurance v. Rose-Tillmann, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Oregon primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Albany Insurance v. Rose-Tillmann, Inc., 883 F. Supp. 1459, 1995 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9700, 1995 WL 236614 (D. Or. 1995).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

ROBERT E. JONES, District Judge:

This is an insurance coverage dispute. Ross Bros. Construction Inc. (“Ross Bros”), a construction contractor, brought this diversity action against its insurance agent, Rose-Tillmann, Inc. (“Rose-Tillmann”), and its insurer, Albany Insurance Company (“Albany”), after Albany denied Ross Bros’ claim for loss sustained to a mobile crane in February 1994.

Rose-Tillmann, the agent, in turn, filed a third-party complaint against PWS Group Ltd. (“PWS Group”), PWS North America Ltd. (“PWS North”), and B.A.T. Insurance Services, Inc. (“BAT”), the other insurance agents and brokers allegedly involved in procuring the insurance policy at issue. Rose-Tillmann alleges four claims against the third-party defendants: estoppel, waiver, indemnity, and contribution.

Ross Bros has settled its claim against Albany, and Albany has been substituted as plaintiff in its capacity as the assignee of Ross Bros’ claims against Rose-Tillmann. In effect, therefore, the insurer is suing the agent for the amount the insurer paid to Ross Bros, its own insured. Neither Ross Bros nor anyone else in Oregon has any interest in this litigation. Consequently, this legal battle is entirely between an Illinois insurance agency and foreign parties with no connection to Oregon.

The case is before me on PWS Group’s and PWS North’s motion to dismiss the third-party complaint (# 33), and BAT’s motion for summary judgment (# 37). After considering the arguments of the parties and the evidence, both motions are GRANTED.

I. THE PWS DEFENDANTS’ MOTION TO DISMISS

PWS Group and PWS North move to dismiss the third-party complaint for lack of personal jurisdiction in Oregon. The facts pertinent to their motion are as follows.

PWS Group is a holding company doing business in London, England. PWS Group does not act as an insurance broker. PWS North is an operating company that trades as an insurance broker. PWS North’s shares are owned by PWS Group. Neither of the PWS defendants is or has ever been licensed to do business in Oregon, neither maintains offices or employees in Oregon, and neither owns property or pays taxes or *1463 fees in Oregon. Both PWS Group and PWS North deny ever doing business in Oregon.

The evidence shows that Rose-Tillmann, an Illinois corporation with its principal place of business in Illinois, acted as the retail broker in the insurance placement transaction. PWS North was the wholesale broker; BAT, a California corporation, was an underwriting agent; and Albany, a California company, was the insurer, providing insurance coverage for certain equipment owned by Ross Bros.

The evidence further shows that Rose-Tillmann contacted the PWS defendants in London by facsimile to request assistance in obtaining insurance coverage for Ross Bros. PWS North then contacted BAT in Los An-geles, California, which was a potential market for placement of the insurance. BAT, acting on behalf of Albany, agreed to accept certain coverage for Ross Bros. There is no evidence that PWS Group or PWS North had any contact with Ross Bros, the only Oregon party to the transaction. Indeed, the evidence demonstrates that the PWS defendants’ communications concerning placement of the insurance were accomplished by telephone or facsimile between London and Illinois, where Rose-Tillmann is located, and London and California, where BAT is located.

The PWS defendants argue that under these facts, the exercise of personal jurisdiction over them in Oregon does not comport with due process requirements. Rose-Till-mann responds that jurisdiction in Oregon exists because (1) the PWS defendants agreed to obtain insurance for Ross Bros; (2) the crane that is the subject of the coverage dispute was located in Oregon at the time the insurance was issued; and (3) the loss occurred in Oregon.

A. Standards

The plaintiff bears the burden of establishing jurisdiction. Farmers Ins. Ex. v. Portage La Prairie Mut. Ins. Co., 907 F.2d 911, 912 (9th Cir.1990). Where the court decides the jurisdictional issue based on affidavits and written discovery materials, the plaintiff “is only required to make a prima facie showing of jurisdictional facts in order to defeat a motion to dismiss.” Farmers Ins. Ex., 907 F.2d at 912 (citation omitted); see also Judge William W. Schwarzer, Judge A. Wallace Tashima, & James M. Wagstaffe, Federal Civil Procedure Before Trial ¶¶ 9:116-118, at 9-25 (1994) (herein, ‘Wag-staffe”) (“[i]n this context, a ‘prima facie’ showing means that plaintiff has produced admissible evidence which, if believed, would be sufficient to establish the existence of personal jurisdiction” (citation omitted; emphasis in original)).

To establish personal jurisdiction, the plaintiff must show both that the forum state’s long-arm statute confers personal jurisdiction over the nonresident defendant and that the exercise of jurisdiction comports with federal due process. See, e.g., Gray & Co. v. Firstenberg Machinery Co., Inc., 913 F.2d 758, 760 (9th Cir.1990); Hirsch v. Blue Cross, Blue Shield of Kansas City, 800 F.2d 1474, 1477 (9th Cir.1986). The Oregon long-arm statute confers jurisdiction “to the extent permitted by due process.” Gray & Co., 913 F.2d at 760; see O.R.C.P. 4 L.

Due process requires that a defendant have a “minimum level of contacts with the forum before personal jurisdiction may be exercised.” Farmers Ins. Ex., 907 F.2d at 913, citing International Shoe Co. v. Washington, 326 U.S. 310, 316, 66 S.Ct. 154, 158, 90 L.Ed. 95 (1945). If a nonresident defendant’s activities in the forum state are substantial or continuous and systematic, the court may assert general jurisdiction over a claim, even if the claim is unrelated to the defendant’s forum activities. Hirsch, 800 F.2d at 1477. If the defendant’s contacts are neither substantial nor continuous and systematic, the court must determine if “specific” or “limited” jurisdiction exists. Farmers Ins. Ex., 907 F.2d at 913; Hirsch, 800 F.2d at 1477.

B. Discussion

Nothing in the record suggests that the PWS defendants engaged in substantial or continuous and systematic activities in Oregon. I must, therefore, determine whether specific jurisdiction exists in Oregon. To do so, I apply the following three-part test:

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Bluebook (online)
883 F. Supp. 1459, 1995 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9700, 1995 WL 236614, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/albany-insurance-v-rose-tillmann-inc-ord-1995.