Armco, Inc. v. Reliance National Insurance

19 F. Supp. 2d 807, 1998 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 14318, 1998 WL 612871
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Ohio
DecidedAugust 26, 1998
DocketC-1-96-1149
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 19 F. Supp. 2d 807 (Armco, Inc. v. Reliance National Insurance) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. Ohio primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Armco, Inc. v. Reliance National Insurance, 19 F. Supp. 2d 807, 1998 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 14318, 1998 WL 612871 (S.D. Ohio 1998).

Opinion

ORDER GRANTING IN PART AND DENYING IN PART DEFENDANT HOME INSURANCE COMPANY’S MOTION FOR PARTIAL SUMMARY JUDGMENT AND DENYING IN PART AND DENYING AS MOOT IN PART PLAINTIFF’S MOTIONS FOR PARTIAL SUMMARY JUDGMENT

DLOTT, J.

This matter is before the Court on the Motion for Summary Judgment of Defendant Home Insurance Company (doc. #29), the Motion for Partial Summary Judgment of Plaintiff Armco, Inc. Against Defendant Reliance National Insurance Company (doc. # 30), and the Motion for Partial Summary Judgment of Plaintiff Armco, Inc. Against Defendant Home Insurance Company (doc. # 31). For the reasons stated below, Defendant Home Insurance Company’s Motion for Summary Judgment is hereby GRANTED IN PART AND DENIED IN PART, Plaintiffs Motion for Partial Summary Judgment Against Defendant Reliance National Insurance Company is hereby DENIED IN PART AND DENIED AS MOOT IN PART, and Plaintiffs Motion for Partial Summary Judgment Against Defendant Home Insurance Company is hereby DENIED IN PART AND DENIED AS MOOT IN PART.

I. BACKGROUND

Plaintiff Armco, Inc. (“Armco”) brings this action against Defendants Reliance National Insurance Company (“Reliance”) and Home Insurance Company (“Home”) to recover under insurance policies issued by the Defendants for losses resulting from an interruption in business that arose at one of its facilities on March 1, 1994. Specifically, Armco alleges that Defendants were to provide to it one half of a combined total of $10,000,000 in business interruption insurance. Armco had an insurance policy with Lloyds of London (“Lloyds”), which is not a party to this suit, for $5,000,000 and claims that its policy with Reliance, the primary insurer, and its policy with Home, the secondary insurer, were to provide another $5,000,000 in combined coverage. Through their Motions, the parties seek to establish as a matter of law all or certain issues related to *810 what coverage is owed to Plaintiff by Home and Reliance under these policies.

II. LEGAL STANDARD

Summary judgment is proper “if the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions on file, together with the affidavits, if any, show that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.” Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(c). On a motion for summary judgment, the movant has the burden of showing that no genuine issue of material fact exists, and the evidence, together with all inferences that can permissibly be drawn therefrom, must be read in the light most favorable to the party opposing the motion. Matsushita Elec. Indus. Co. v. Zenith Radio Corp., 475 U.S. 574, 587, 106 S.Ct. 1348, 89 L.Ed.2d 538 (1986).

Summary judgment is not appropriate if the dispute about a material fact is genuine; “that is, if the evidence is such that a reasonable jury could return a verdict for the non-moving party.” Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 248, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986). Summary judgment is appropriate, however, if the opposing party fails to make a showing sufficient to establish the existence of an element essential to that party’s ease and on which that party will bear the burden of proof at trial. Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 322, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986).

III. ANALYSIS

A. Home’s Motion for Summary Judgment

1. The Suit Limitation Clause

Defendant Home first contends that Arm-co’s suit is barred because Armco failed to bring this action within twelve months after its discovery of the business interruption for which it seeks coverage, as required by a suit limitation clause in Armco’s policy with Home. 1 Armco responds that Home should be barred from asserting this defense based upon waiver, estoppel, ambiguity in the contract as to the clause’s applicability, and the unreasonableness of the clause.

The Court agrees with Home that it has not waived this defense because it did not raise the affirmative defense of statute of limitations in its Answer, as Armco claims. This defense arises out of the terms of the policy as contained in the suit limitation clause, rather than state law, and was pled as a defense in its Answer by either the assertion that Armco’s action is “barred by the doctrines of laches, waiver and/or estoppel” or that it is “barred by the terms of the policy.”

Similarly, the Court does not find that Home is estopped from raising this defense based upon its handling and investigation of Plaintiffs claim. Any acknowledgment of liability by an insurer can be seen as inducing an insured to wait in filing suit and serve as the basis for estoppel or waiver. See, e.g., Hounshell v. American States Insurance, 67 Ohio St.2d 427, 429, 424 N.E.2d 311 (1981). Still, “[t]he process of investigation in determining liability by an insurer does not constitute a waiver by that insurer.” Thomas v. Allstate Insurance Co., 974 F.2d 706, 710 (6th Cir.1992). Estoppel is usually a question of law and fact. Andres v. City of Perrysburg, 47 Ohio App.3d 51, 56, 546 N.E.2d 1377 (1988). However, the Court can find no evidence put forth by Plaintiff that would allow a reasonable jury to conclude that any acknowledgments of liability were made within the allowable period of the suit limitation clause—prior to March 1, 1995— and could thus serve as the basis for estop-pel. See Friendly Farms v. Reliance Insurance Co., 79 F.3d 541, 545 (6th Cir.1996) (acts or conduct giving rise to estoppel must have *811 occurred within the suit limitation clause contained in the policy).

Armco also contends that there is an ambiguity in Home’s policy with respect to whether the suit limitation clause even applies and that the ambiguity should be construed against Home and in favor of Arm-co. “Where provisions of a contract of insurance are reasonably susceptible of more than one interpretation, they will be construed strictly against the insurer and liberally in favor of the insured.” Lane v. Grange Mutual Companies, 45 Ohio St.3d 63, 65, 543 N.E.2d 488 (1989).

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19 F. Supp. 2d 807, 1998 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 14318, 1998 WL 612871, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/armco-inc-v-reliance-national-insurance-ohsd-1998.