Altschuler v. Chubb National Insurance Company

District Court, D. Arizona·Decided March 24, 2025·No. 4:21-cv-00119·Unknown

Opinion

WO

Douglas Altschuler, et al., No. CV-21-00119-TUC-JGZ

Plaintiffs, ORDER

v.

Chubb National Insurance Company,

Defendant. Pending before the Court is Defendant Chubb National Insurance Company’s Application for Attorneys’ Fees. (Doc. 226.) The Application has been fully briefed. (Docs. 230, 232.) The Court has reviewed all relevant materials in the docket,1 and for the following reasons, grants the Defendant’s Application in part, awarding the Defendant $252,637.23. I. Background Defendant Chubb National Insurance Company denied Plaintiff’s claims for loss of a Rolex watch and a set of “Andy Mouse” silkscreen prints by Keith Haring. A set of Andy Mouse silkscreens consists of four separate individual prints. (Doc. 169-1 at 93; see Doc. 171 at ¶¶ 6, 9.) Plaintiff alleged that he purchased an Andy Mouse set numbered 3 out of 30 (the “Numbered Edition”) in 1987 from the B1 Gallery in Santa Monica, California. (Doc. 171-

1 On September 9, 2024, this case was assigned to the undersigned. (Doc. 233.) The Court will approve the parties’ Stipulation to Extend Deadline for Defendants’ Reply To Plaintiff’s Opposition to Motion for Attorneys’ Fees. (Doc. 231.) The Reply was filed on July 21, 2024. (Doc. 232.) 1 at 168–70.) Plaintiff’s purchase of the Numbered Edition was attested to by Robert Berman, the owner of the B1 Gallery in 1987, and by Lisa McCollum, Plaintiff’s girlfriend in 1987. (Doc. 171-1 at 353:18-32, 364.) In 2008, Plaintiff purchased insurance coverage from AIG Insurance, in the amount of $250,000.00, for an “Andy Warhol ‘Andy Mouse’ 4 PCS.” (Doc. 171-2 at 414–15.) In 2014, Plaintiff purchased insurance for Andy Mouse artwork through Defendant, and Defendant issued coverage based on an appraisal of the artwork performed sight unseen. (Doc. 169-1 at 72.) The “covered property” schedule described the insured artwork as “ARTS $250,000 ANDY WARHOL AND KEITH HARING ANDY MOUSE, 1986 COLOR SILKSCREENS EDITION OF 30 38x38 INCHES.” (Doc. 169-1 at 64.) In 2018, Plaintiff increased the replacement coverage for the artwork based on an updated appraisal valuing the artwork at $1,500,000. (Doc. 169-1 at 88, 93.) The updated policy identified the covered artwork as “ANDY WARHOL AND KEITH HARING ANDY MOUSE, 1986 COLOR SILKSCREENS EDITION OF 30 38 x 38 INCHES.” (Id. at 88) The appraisal described the artwork as “Edition Number: 3/30,” purchased at B-2 Studio in Santa Monica, California. (Doc. 169-1 at 93; Doc. 169-2 at 15.) The appraisal was also conducted without inspection of the artwork. (Doc. 171-3 at 269–71.) In January 2020, Plaintiff filed an insurance claim with the Defendant for the theft of “Andy Mouse 1986,” stating the artwork had been stolen from his parents’ house in late 2019. (Doc. 169-2 at 27–30.) On May 28, 2020, Plaintiff submitted a sworn Proof of Loss, indicating the loss of “Andy Warhol and Keith Haring Andy Mouse, 1986 Color Silkscreens Edition of 30 38 x 38 inches.” (Id. at 32–33.) Defendant denied coverage because Plaintiff could not establish ownership of the Numbered Edition at the time of loss. (Doc. 169-4 at 2–7.) Evidence showed that, in 2002, Plaintiff traded the Numbered Edition to the James Corcoran Gallery for another piece of art. (Doc. 169-1 at 74.)2

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Altschuler v. Chubb National Insurance Company, (D. Ariz. 2025).

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