American Casualty Co. of Reading, PA. v. Hotel & Restaurant Employees & Bartenders International Union Welfare Fund

894 P.2d 371, 111 Nev. 591, 1995 Nev. LEXIS 51
CourtNevada Supreme Court
DecidedApril 27, 1995
DocketNo. 24290
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 894 P.2d 371 (American Casualty Co. of Reading, PA. v. Hotel & Restaurant Employees & Bartenders International Union Welfare Fund) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Nevada Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
American Casualty Co. of Reading, PA. v. Hotel & Restaurant Employees & Bartenders International Union Welfare Fund, 894 P.2d 371, 111 Nev. 591, 1995 Nev. LEXIS 51 (Neb. 1995).

Opinion

[592]*592OPINION

Per Curiam:

The issue in this case is whether respondents were entitled to indemnification under an insurance policy issued by appellant American Casualty (American) for a judgment respondents were required to pay when they breached a contract. The parties stipulated that Illinois law governs this case since both the insurer and insured are domiciled in Illinois, and since the contract was negotiated and consummated there. See M & R Inv. Co., Inc. v. Fitzsimmons, 484 F. Supp. 1041 (D. Nev. 1980), aff’d, 685 F.2d 283 (9th Cir. 1982).

FACTS

Respondent, Hotel and Restaurant Employees and Bartenders International Union Welfare Fund (the Fund), was formed as an umbrella organization for various health and welfare trusts from around the United States to increase culinary union members’ purchasing power insofar as health and welfare services are concerned.

Pursuant to a declaration and agreement establishing the Fund (the Trust Agreement), the Fund is governed by appointed trustees (the Trustees). Paragraphs 9.01-9.04 of the Trust Agreement provide that the Trustees be indemnified by the Fund for actions taken and decisions made on behalf of the Fund provided that the Trustees do not violate the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). As further protection for the Trustees, the Trust Agreement requires the Fund to purchase fiduciary liability insurance to cover the Trustees’ acts or omissions in violation of their fiduciary duties. To that end, the Fund purchased from American a “Trustees Protective Liability Insurance Policy” (the Policy) to cover claims made against the Trustees for “wrongful acts.”

On October 7, 1980, prior to the purchase of the Policy, the Trustees entered into an agreement (the Merger Agreement) with the trustees of the Southern Nevada Hotel and Restaurant [593]*593Employees and Bartenders Union Welfare Fund (the Local Fund). Under this merger agreement, the assets of the Local Fund were added to the Fund. The Merger Agreement also provided that the Trustees indemnify the Trustees of the Local Fund (the Local Trustees) for any losses, damages or claims brought against the Local Trustees, so long as the Local Trustees did not violate ERISA.

The Local Trustees were subsequently sued on the basis that they had violated ERISA. Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, the Local Trustees sought indemnification from the Fund. The Fund refused to indemnify the Local Trustees, claiming that the Local Trustees had potentially violated ERISA and that under the terms of the Merger Agreement, the Fund was not obligated to indemnify them. The Local Trustees brought an action against the Trustees of the Fund, claiming that they were entitled to indemnb fication.

On March 25, 1983, the Fund, through its attorney, Jack Reynolds, made a written demand upon American to defend the Trustees in the Local Trustees’ action against them. In response to this demand, American took various actions in the lawsuit on behalf of the Fund trustees without reserving any rights. However, on December 21, 1983, American provided the Fund with a detailed reservation of rights indicating that a defense would be provided but that, under the Policy, the Fund was not entitled to indemnification for damages as a result of the lawsuit.

In May 1988, judgment was entered in favor of the Local Trustees against the trustees of the Fund for breach of contract. The Fund subsequently settled with the Local Trustees for $750,000. The Fund then brought suit in federal district court in Nevada against American, seeking a declaration that it was entitled to indemnification under the Policy, or, alternatively, that coverage existed based upon a theory of estoppel. The federal district court dismissed the lawsuit without prejudice for lack of complete diversity.

American then sought a declaratory judgment in the state district court against the Fund and its Trustees, claiming that there was no coverage under the terms of the Policy and Illinois law. The Fund counterclaimed, asserting the same arguments it had asserted in federal court. Both sides moved for summary judgment, which the district court granted in the Fund’s favor. American appeals.

DISCUSSION

The district court found that American incorrectly denied coverage under the Policy and therefore granted summary judgment [594]*594in favor of the Fund. Summary judgment is appropriate when, after reviewing the record in the light most favorable to the non-moving party, no issues of material fact remain. Butler v. Bogdanovich, 101 Nev. 449, 451, 705 P.2d 662, 663 (1985). This court’s review of a summary judgment order is de novo. Tore, Ltd. v. Church, 105 Nev. 183, 185, 772 P.2d 1281, 1282 (1989).

We note that under Illinois law, the court’s primary concern in interpreting an insurance policy is to effectuate the intent of the parties as expressed by the contract. State Farm Fire & Cas. Co. v. Moore, 430 N.E.2d 641, 646 (Ill. App. Ct. 1981). Where the terms of a policy are clear and unambiguous, its plain and obvious import will be given effect. Id. If, however, the policy language is ambiguous, the ambiguity is construed against the insurer and in favor of the insured, since the insurer drafted the policy. Id.

American argues that the district court erred in granting summary judgment in favor of the Fund because the liability was incurred by the Fund, which was not covered under the terms of the Policy; under the Policy, only the Trustees are covered. We first examine whether the Policy insured the Fund and then determine whether the liability was incurred by the Fund.

American contends that the Policy only provided coverage to the Trustees, not to the Fund. We agree. The Policy provides that “‘insureds’ shall mean: (1) the Trustees, their predecessors, or their legal successors, individually or collectively, of the Trust [i.e., the Fund] (2) any employees of the Trust under the Policy, the Trustees are insured for claims brought against them where they have committed any “wrongful act.”1 A “wrongful act” is “any actual or alleged error or misstatement or misleading statement or act or omission or neglect or breach of duty by the Insureds in the discharge of their duties, individually or collectively, on behalf of the Trust.” The language of the Policy clearly indicates that it protects the Trustees from losses occasioned by a breach of their fiduciary duties.

That the Policy protects the Trustees from these losses is further emphasized by the title of the Policy, “Trustees Protective Liability Insurance Policy,” and by a provision in the Trust Agreement which requires the Fund to purchase the Policy. The Fund purchased the Policy pursuant to paragraph 9.07 of the [595]*595Trust Agreement, which provides, “[t]he Welfare Fund shall purchase insurance, with recourse against the Trustees, in favor of the Fund insuring against any acts or omissions of the Trustees in violation of their fiduciary duties.” This language also supports American’s contention that the Policy was designed to protect the Trustees, and not the Fund.

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894 P.2d 371, 111 Nev. 591, 1995 Nev. LEXIS 51, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/american-casualty-co-of-reading-pa-v-hotel-restaurant-employees-nev-1995.