Alco Iron & Metal Co. v. American International Specialty Lines Insurance

911 F. Supp. 2d 844, 2012 WL 5878391, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 166692
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. California
DecidedNovember 21, 2012
DocketNo. C 11-5181 CW
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 911 F. Supp. 2d 844 (Alco Iron & Metal Co. v. American International Specialty Lines Insurance) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Alco Iron & Metal Co. v. American International Specialty Lines Insurance, 911 F. Supp. 2d 844, 2012 WL 5878391, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 166692 (N.D. Cal. 2012).

Opinion

ORDER GRANTING DEFENDANT’S MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT AND DENYING PLAINTIFF’S CROSS-MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT (Docket Nos. 25 and 31)

CLAUDIA WILKEN, District Judge.

Plaintiff Aleo Iron & Metal Company (Aleo) brings claims against Defendant American International Specialty Lines Insurance Company, now known as Chartis Specialty Insurance Company (Chartis), for breach of an insurance contract, breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing and declaratory relief. The parties have filed cross-motions for summary judgment. Having considered the papers filed by the parties and their arguments at the hearing on this motion, the Court GRANTS Chartis’s motion for summary judgment and DENIES Alco’s cross-motion.

BACKGROUND

The parties agree on all facts material to these cross motions.

[846]*846On May 1, 2009, Caicos Investments, Inc. filed suit against Aleo in the Mendocino County Superior Court. Chartis’s Request for Judicial Notice (CRJN) ¶ 1, Ex. A (Compl., Caicos Investments, Inc. v. Aleo Iron & Metal Co., Case No. SC-WL-CV-G-09-0053821). In that action, Caicos alleged that, between March and June 2008, Aleo entered its property under an oral license from Caicos’s tenant, removed rail spurs from the property and sold them to a third party as scrap metal. Id. at ¶¶ 7-9. Caicos asserted claims for conversion and trespass. Id. at ¶¶ 5-20.

On June 19, 2009, Aleo tendered defense of the Caicos action to Chartis and provided a copy of the complaint to it. Fredette Decl. ¶ 3, Ex. A. From August 9, 2007 through August 9, 2008, Aleo had insurance coverage, under a Commercial General Liability and Pollution Legal Liability insurance policy issued by Chartis under policy number EG 2602101. Perry Decl. ¶ 3, Docket No. 25-2. . Only Coverages A and B of the policy are at issue here.

Coverage A of the policy provided coverage for “bodily injury and property damage liability.” Perry Decl. ¶ 3, Ex. A (Policy), ALC0000378. The insuring agreement stated that Chartis “will pay those sums that the insured, becomes legally obligated to pay as damages because of bodily injury or property damage to which this insurance applies,” and that it “will have the right and duty to defend the insured against any suit seeking those damages,” but that it “will have no duty to defend the insured against any suit seeking damages for bodily injury or property damage to which this insurance does not apply.” Id. (emphasis in bold in original). It further provided, “This insurance applies to bodily injury and property damage only if: ... The bodily injury or property damage is caused by an occurrence that takes place in the coverage territory.” Id. (emphasis in bold in original). It had an exclusion for “Expected or Intended Injury,” providing that the insurance does not apply to “Bodily injury or property damage expected or intended from the standpoint of the insured.” Id. at ALC0000379 (emphasis in bold in original).

Coverage R of the policy provided coverage for “personal and advertising injury liability.” Id. at ALC0000384. Similar to that in Coverage A, the insuring agreement for Coverage B stated that Chartis “will pay those sums that the insured becomes legally obligated to pay as damages because of personal and advertising injury to which this insurance applies,” and that it “will have the right and duty to defend the insured against-any suit seeking those damages,” but that it “will have no duty to defend the insured against any suit seeking damages for personal and advertising injury to which this insurance does not apply.” Id. at ALC0000384-85 (emphasis in bold in original).

Section VI of the insurance policy set forth definitions. It defined “bodily injury” to mean “bodily injury, physical injury, sickness, disease, mental anguish or emotional distress, sustained by any person, including death resulting from any of these at any time.” Id. at ALC0000412. It defined “occurrence” to mean “an accident, including continuous or repeated exposure to substantially the same general harmful conditions.” Id. at ALC0000417. It defined “personal and advertising injury” as injury, including consequential bodily injury, arising out of one or more of the following offenses:

c. The wrongful eviction from, wrongful entry into, or invasion of the right of private occupancy of a room, dwelling or premises that a person occupies, committed by or on behalf of its owner, landlord or lessor;
[847]*847d. Oral or written publication, in any manner, of material that slanders or libels a person or organization or disparages a person’s or organization’s goods, products or services;
h. Discrimination or humiliation that results in injury to the feelings or reputation of a natural person ...

Id. at ACL0000417-18 (emphasis in bold in original).

On July 10, 2009, Aleo filed an answer to Caicos’s complaint, denying any liability. Alco’s Request for Judicial Notice (ARJN) ¶ 1, Ex. A. Aleo also filed a cross-complaint against Caicos’s tenant, Sparetime Supply, Inc., ARJN ¶2, Ex. B. Aleo alleged that Sparetime had represented that it was authorized to negotiate the terms of Alco’s use of the property, and asserted causes of action for contribution and indemnity against Sparetime. Id. at ¶¶ 10-14.

On August 5, 2009, Chartis sent Aleo a letter denying the tender of defense and stating that there was no coverage under the policy for the Caicos action. Fredette Decl. ¶ 3, Ex. B.

On October 21, 2009 and again on March 4, 2010, Aleo sent Chartis letters asking it to reconsider the tender of defense and indemnity. Norma Decl., Exs. A and B.

On or about June 24, 2010, Caicos filed a first amended complaint (1AC), adding two causes of action against Aleo for negligence and negligence per se under California Penal Code section 496a. CRJN ¶ 2, Ex. B.

On July 2, 2010, Aleo again tendered defense of the Caicos action to Chartis, stating that, in light of the negligence cause of action in the 1AC, “there is undoubtedly a potential for liability covered by the policy of insurance.” Fredette Decl. ¶ 5, Ex. C.

On July 29, 2010, Chartis sent a letter to Aleo denying the tender of defense of the Caicos action. The denial was made on the basis that the 1AC did not allege an “occurrence” under the policy and that there was no coverage for “personal injury” based on “wrongful entry” because the subject premises were not occupied by a “natural person.” Fredette Decl. ¶ 6, Ex. D.

On August 9, 2010, the trial court sustained Alco’s demurrer to both negligence causes of action. CRJN ¶ 3, Ex. C, 2.

Prior to trial, Sparetime settled with Caicos for $50,000. Id. at 5 n.. 1. At the conclusion of trial, the jury found in favor of Caicos and against Aleo on the trespass cause of action. ARJN ¶ 3, Ex. C, 1-2. The jury found in favor of Aleo on the conversion cause of action, finding that Alco’s conduct was not “a substantial factor in causing CAICOS’s harm.” Id. at 3. The jury awarded Caicos damages in the amount of $14,000. Id. at 2. Due to the settlement amount Sparetime had paid, the court reduced the damages award to zero.

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Bluebook (online)
911 F. Supp. 2d 844, 2012 WL 5878391, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 166692, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/alco-iron-metal-co-v-american-international-specialty-lines-insurance-cand-2012.