Atlantic Casualty Insurance Co. v. Paradise Club

219 F. Supp. 3d 938, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 153014, 2016 WL 6573978
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Arkansas
DecidedNovember 4, 2016
DocketCase No. 4:15-CV-04103
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 219 F. Supp. 3d 938 (Atlantic Casualty Insurance Co. v. Paradise Club) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Arkansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Atlantic Casualty Insurance Co. v. Paradise Club, 219 F. Supp. 3d 938, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 153014, 2016 WL 6573978 (W.D. Ark. 2016).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

Susan 0. Hickey, United States District Judge

Before the Court is a Motion for Summary Judgment filed by Plaintiff Atlantic [941]*941Casualty Insurance Company (“Atlantic Casualty”). ECF No. 19. Separate Defendant Brandi Coody (ECF No. 22) and Separate Defendants Ismael Aranda and Paradise Club (ECF No. 30) have filed responses. Plaintiff has filed a reply (ECF No. 25) to Separate Defendant Coody’s response. The Court finds this matter ripe for consideration.

I. BACKGROUND

On August 31, 2015, Separate Defendant Brandi Coody filed suit against Separate Defendant Paradise Club in the Circuit Court of Miller County, Arkansas. ECF No. 1-2. In her Complaint, Coody alleges that “[o]n or about May 9, 2015, at approximately 1:47 am, [she] was a business invitee upon the premises of Paradise Club at its place of business” for the purpose of watching her boyfriend take part in the boxing activities hosted by Paradise Club. ECF No. 1-2. Coody alleges that the “occupancy of the Paradise Club exceeded the limit set by the local fire marshal[ ]” and, following an altercation of some type, “[g]unshots were fired, and [Coody] was struck by the gunfire.” ECF No. 1-2. Coody further alleges that Paradise Club “acting by and through its agents, servants, or employees committed acts and omissions constituting negligence which were a direct and proximate cause of the injuries and damages sustained by Coody.” Coody prays for compensatory and punitive damages. ECF No. 1-2.

On October 7, 2015, Plaintiff Atlantic Casualty filed a Complaint for Declaratory Judgment in this Court. ECF No. 1. Plaintiff is a North Carolina company with its principal place of business in North Carolina, doing business in Arkansas as a nonresident insurer. Plaintiff issued insurance policy number M202001243 (the “policy”) to Paradise Club, Aranda Ismael DBA, which covered the period between February 13, 2015, and February 13, 2016. That policy provided, in relevant part:

COMMERCIAL GENERAL LIABILITY COVERAGE FORM
SECTION I—COVERAGES
COVERAGE A BODILY INJURY AND PROPERTY DAMAGE LIABILITY
1. Insuring Agreement
a. We 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. We will have the right and the duty to defend the insured against any “suit” seeking covered damages. We will have the right, but not the duty, to defend the insured against any “suit” for which we dispute coverage. We will have no duty to defend or indemnify the insured against any “suit” seeking damages for “bodily injury” or “property damage” to which this insurance does not apply-
We may look to extrinsic evidence outside of the allegations and/or facts pleaded by any claimant to determine whether we owe a duty to defend or indemnify against a lawsuit seeking “bodily injury” or “property damage,” provided that extrinsic evidence does not contradict a claimant’s pleaded allegation and provided that evidence relates to a discrete coverage issue under the policy and not a merits or liability issue. We may, at our discretion investigate any “occurrence” and settle any claim or “suit” that may result. But:
(1) The amount we will pay for damages is limited as described in [942]*942Section III—LIMITS OF INSURANCE; and
(2) Our right and duty to defend a claim to which this insurance applies ends when we have used up the applicable limit of insurance in the payment of judgments or settlements under COVERAGES A or B or medical expenses under COVERAGE C.
EXCLUSION—PUNITIVE DAMAGES
This insurance does not apply to any claim of or indemnification for punitive, exemplary and/or statutorily enhanced damages, including, but not limited to, multiple damages. If a “suit” seeking compensatory and punitive, exemplary and/or statutorily enhanced damages, including, but not limited to, multiple damages has been brought against you for a claim covered by this policy, we will provide defense for such action. We will not have any obligation to pay for any costs, interests or damages attributable to punitive, exemplary and/or statutorily enhanced damages, including, but not limited to, multiple damages.
EXCLUSION—ASSAULT AND/OR BATTERY
1.This insurance does not apply to and we have no duty to defend any claims or “suits” for “bodily injury”, “property damage” or “personal and advertising injury” arising in whole or in part out of:
a) the actual or threatened assault and/or battery whether caused by or at the instigation or direction of any insured, his employees, patrons or any other person;
b) the failure of any insured or any- ’ one else for whom any insured is legally responsible to prevent or suppress assault and/or battery;
c) the negligent
(i) employment;
(ii) investigation;
(iii) supervision;
(iv) training;
(v) retention
of a person for whom any insured is or ever was legally responsible and whose conduct would be excluded by (a) or (b) above.
d) any actual or alleged injury arises out of any combination of an assault and/or battery-related cause and a non-assault or battery-related cause;
e) any actual or alleged injury arises out of a chain of events which includes assault and/or battery, regardless of whether the assault and/or battery is the initial precipitating event or a substantial cause of injury;
f) any actual or alleged injury arises out of assault and/or battery as a concurrent cause of injury, regardless of whether the assault and/or battery is the proximate cause of injury; or
g) claims arising out of, caused by, resulting from, or alleging, in whole or in part, any insured’s failure to thwart, foil, avoid, hinder, stop, lessen or prevent any attack, fight, assault and/or battery, theft, or crime.
2. For the purposes of this endorsement, the words, “assault and/or battery” are intended to include, but are not limited to, sexual assault.
3. For the purposes of this endorsement, the words, “assault and/or battery” are intended to include, but are not limited to, injury of any kind resulting from the use, or threat-
[943]*943ened use, of a gun, firearm, knife or weapon of any kind.
LIMITATION—DUTY TO DEPEND Where there is no coverage under this policy, there is no duty to defend any insured.

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Bluebook (online)
219 F. Supp. 3d 938, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 153014, 2016 WL 6573978, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/atlantic-casualty-insurance-co-v-paradise-club-arwd-2016.