Baldwin Academy, Inc. v. Markel Insurance Company

District Court, S.D. California·Decided December 17, 2021·No. 3:20-cv-02004·Unknown

Opinion

BALDWIN ACADEMY, INC. and Case No.: 3:20-cv-02004-H-AGS PERICO HOLDINGS USA, LLC, ORDER DENYING PLAINTIFFS’ Plaintiffs, v. SUMMARY JUDGMENT

MARKEL INSURANCE COMPANY and [Doc. No. 40.] DOES 1 through 10, inclusive,

Defendants. ORDER GRANTING DEFENDANT’S JUDGMENT

[Doc. No. 41.]

On October 4, 2021, Plaintiffs Baldwin Academy, Inc. and Perico Holdings USA, LLC (“Plaintiffs”) filed a motion for partial summary judgment, (Doc. No. 40), and Defendant Markel Insurance Company (“Defendant”) filed a motion for summary judgment. (Doc. No. 41.) On November 1, 2021, the parties filed their responses. (Doc. Nos. 42, 43.) On November 8, 2021, the parties filed their replies. (Doc. Nos. 46, 47.) On December 6, 2021, the Court held a hearing on the motions. Laleaque Grad appeared on behalf of Plaintiffs. (Doc. No. 49.) Bennett Evan Cooper appeared on behalf of Defendant. (Id.) For the following reasons, the Court denies Plaintiffs’ motion for partial summary judgment and grants Defendant’s motion for summary judgment. Background This action involves an insurance dispute between Plaintiffs and Defendant. Plaintiff Baldwin Academy (“Baldwin”) is a preschool in the Pacific Beach community of San Diego County, California. (Doc. No. 40-1 at 1.) Defendant issued an insurance policy, Policy No. CCP20038076-02 (the “Policy”), to Baldwin for the policy period of June 12, 2019 to June 12, 2020. (Id. at 3, SUF 5, Ex. A.) In early March 2020, San Diego County reported its first confirmed positive cases of COVID-19. (Doc. No. 40-1 at 5–6, SUF 24.) As of Friday, March 13, 2020, Baldwin was not aware of any cases of COVID-19 among anyone who had visited Baldwin’s campus. (Doc. No. 40-1 at 6, SUF 25.) That same day, Baldwin staff notified parents that it would remain open for the week commencing Monday, March 16, 2020. (Doc. No. 40-1 at 6, SUF 27.) On Saturday, March 14, 2020, the parent of one of Baldwin’s students notified Baldwin staff by email that she and the student’s grandfather had tested positive for COVID-19. (Doc. No. 40-1 at 6, SUF 28.) The infected parent and other members of the same household had allegedly dropped off and picked up the student at Baldwin’s campus several times during the preceding two weeks. (Doc. No. 40-1 at 7; SUF 35, 37; Ex. Q.) The following day, on Sunday, March 15, 2020, Baldwin staff notified its families by email that Baldwin would be closed until the morning of Sunday, March 29, 2020. (Doc. No. 40-1 at 8, SUF 34.) During the week commencing Monday, March 16, 2020, state and local government agencies issued several orders and guidelines related to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Doc. No. 40-1 at 8–9; SUF 40–44; Ex. S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, OO.) Baldwin remained closed from March 16, 2020 through July 1, 2020. (SUF 68.) On March 16, 2020, Baldwin initiated a business income loss claim under the Policy with Defendant. (Doc. No. 40-1 at 10, SUF 51.) On April 20, 2020, Defendant denied Baldwin’s claim. (Doc. No. 40-1 at 12, SUF 60.) Baldwin appealed the denial three times, and Defendant reaffirmed its denial each time. (Doc. No. 40-1 at 12, SUF 61–67.) On September 9, 2020, Plaintiffs filed a complaint against Defendant in California state court for (1) breach of contract, (2) breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, and (3) declaratory relief. (Doc. No. 1-3, Ex. 2, Compl.) On October 13, 2020, Defendant removed the action to federal court on the basis of diversity jurisdiction. (Doc. No. 1.) On October 23, 2020, Defendant filed a motion to dismiss Plaintiffs’ compliant pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6). (Doc. No. 7.) On December 21, 2020, the Court denied Defendant’s motion to dismiss. (Doc. No. 16.) By the present motions, Plaintiffs move for partial summary judgment and Defendant moves for summary judgment pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 56. (Doc. Nos. 40, 41.) Discussion I. Legal Standards A. Motion for Summary Judgment Summary judgment is appropriate under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 56 if the moving party demonstrates that there is no genuine issue of material fact and that it is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(a); Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 322 (1986). A fact is material when, under the governing substantive law, it could affect the outcome of the case. Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 248 (1986); Fortune Dynamic, Inc. v. Victoria’s Secret Stores Brand Mgmt., Inc., 618 F.3d 1025, 1031 (9th Cir. 2010). “A genuine issue of material fact exists when the evidence is such that a reasonable jury could return a verdict for the nonmoving party.” Fortune Dynamic, 618 F.3d at 1031 (internal quotation marks and citations omitted); accord Anderson, 477 U.S. at 248. “Disputes over irrelevant or unnecessary facts will not preclude a grant of summary judgment.” T.W. Elec. Serv., Inc. v. Pac. Elec. Contractors Ass’n, 809 F.2d 626, 630 (9th Cir. 1987). A party seeking summary judgment always bears the initial burden of establishing the absence of a genuine issue of material fact. Celotex, 477 U.S. at 323. The moving party can satisfy this burden in two ways: (1) by presenting evidence that negates an essential element of the nonmoving party’s case; or (2) by demonstrating that the nonmoving party failed to establish an essential element of the nonmoving party’s case that the nonmoving party bears the burden of proving at trial. Id. at 322–23; Jones v. Williams, 791 F.3d 1023, 1030 (9th Cir. 2015). Once the moving party establishes the absence of a genuine issue of material fact, the burden shifts to the nonmoving party to “set forth, by affidavit or as otherwise provided in Rule 56, ‘specific facts showing that there is a genuine issue for trial.’” T.W. Elec. Serv., 809 F.2d at 630 (quoting former Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(e)); accord Horphag Research Ltd. v. Garcia, 475 F.3d 1029, 1035 (9th Cir. 2007). To carry this burden, the nonmoving party “may not rest upon mere allegation or denials of his pleadings.” Anderson, 477 U.S. at 256; see also Behrens v. Pelletier, 516 U.S. 299, 309 (1996) (“On summary judgment, . . . the plaintiff can no longer rest on the pleadings.”). Rather, the nonmoving party “must present affirmative evidence . . . from which a jury might return a verdict in his favor.” Anderson, 477 U.S. at 256. When ruling on a summary judgment motion, the court must view the facts and draw all reasonable inferences in the light most favorable to the nonmoving party. Scott v. Harris, 550 U.S. 372, 378 (2007). The court should not weigh the evidence or make credibility determinations. See Anderson, 477 U.S. at 255. “The evidence of the non-movant is to be believed.” Id. Further, the Court may consider other materials in the record not cited to by the parties, but it is not required to do so. See Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(c)(3); Simmons v. Navajo Cnty.,

Baldwin Academy, Inc. v. Markel Insurance Company, (S.D. Cal. 2021).

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