Big Lots Stores, Inc. v. American Guarantee & Liability Insurance Co.

240 F. Supp. 3d 725, 2017 WL 821671, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 29675
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Ohio
DecidedMarch 2, 2017
DocketCase No. 2:14-cv-02635
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 240 F. Supp. 3d 725 (Big Lots Stores, Inc. v. American Guarantee & Liability Insurance Co.) 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
Big Lots Stores, Inc. v. American Guarantee & Liability Insurance Co., 240 F. Supp. 3d 725, 2017 WL 821671, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 29675 (S.D. Ohio 2017).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

ALGENON L, MARBLEY, .UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

This matter is before the Court on the Motion for Summary Judgment (Do'c. 69) of Defendant American Guarantee & Liability Insurance Company (“American Guarantee”) and the Motion for Partial Summary Judgment (Doc. 70) of Plaintiff Big Lots Stores, Inc. (“Big Lots”). For the following reasons, the Court GRANTS in part and DENIES in part American Guarantee’s Motion and GRANTS in part and DENIES in part Big Lots’ Motion.

I. BACKGROUND

A. Factual Background.

1. The Insurance Policies.

Non-party Arch Insurance Company (“Arch”) provides Big Lots with primary-layer commercial general liability insurance, which includes coverage for product [728]*728liability claims. (Second Am. Compl., Doc. 61, ¶2.) The Arch insurance policy (the “Arch Policy”) has limits of $1,000,000 per occurrence and $4,000,000 in the aggregate for product-completed operations. (Id. ¶ 14, Ex. 2.) The Arch Policy also has a self-insured retention (“SIR”)1 of $1,000,000. (Id.)

American Guarantee provides commercial liability umbrella insurance to Big Lots (the “American Guarantee Policy”). (Id. ¶ 15.) The American Guarantee Policy affords Big Lots, among other things, “Excess Follow Form Liability Insurance.” (Id., Ex. 3.) As a follow-form excess insurance policy, the American Guarantee Policy “incorporates the terms and conditions of the underlying insurance,” and defines “underlying insurance” to include the Arch Policy. (Id.) The American Guarantee Policy has a $25,000,000 per occurrence limit and a $25,000,000 aggregate limit. (Id.) Additionally, the American Guarantee Policy has a Maintenance SIR provision. (Id. ¶ 16, Ex. 3, Endorsement No. 14.) The Maintenance SIR is implicated if the Arch Policy’s aggregate limit is reduced or exhausted. (See id., Ex. 3.) According to Big Lots, this has not occurred. (Id. ¶ 17; see also Big Lots’ Mem. Opp’n Am. Guar.’s Mot. Summ. J., Doc. 75, at 17.)

As stated above, the American Guarantee Policy incorporates the Arch Policy’s terms and conditions. (See Doc. 61 ¶ 15.) The American Guarantee Policy defines the term “occurrence” as “a covered event as defined in the underlying insurance.” (Id. ¶ 51, Ex. 3, Section V(B)(4) (emphasis in original).) Pursuant to the underlying Arch Policy, an “occurrence” is “an accident, including continuous or repeated exposure to substantially the same general harmful conditions.” (Id. ¶ 52, Ex. 2, Section V(13).)

2. The Underlying Lawsuits.

This insurance coverage dispute arises from a series of lawsuits filed against Big Lots by plaintiffs in Illinois, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Texas,2 alleging that they suffered personal injuries caused by “large tabletop torches allegedly designed, tested, marketed and sold in combination with allegedly improper fuel by Big Lots to consumers” (the “Torch Cases”). (Id. ¶¶ 3,18.)

The Torch Case plaintiffs’ allegations about the role Big Lots played in their injuries differ. While several of the complaints contain allegations that Big Lots was involved in the design and manufacture of the torches (see N.J. Compl., Doc. 70-7, ¶¶1, 17-18, 25-27; Penn. Compl., Doc. 70-8, ¶¶ 7, 12), the other Torch Case plaintiffs allege that Big Lots only purchased for resale, marketed, distributed and sold the torches. (See Tex. Compl., Doc. 70-5, ¶ 3.5; Ill. Compl., Doc. 70-6, ¶¶ 24, 29.) With the exception of the New Jersey plaintiffs, the Torch Case plaintiffs allege that other parties were also responsible for the torches’ malfunctioning. Specifically, the Torch Case plaintiffs allege [729]*729that Designco designed and manufactured the torches (see Doc. 70-5 ¶ 3.5; Doc. 70-6 ¶¶ 15-16; Doc. 70-8 ¶ 7), that Bureau Ver-itas and the affiliated BV India tested the torches for safety and compliance (see Doc. 70-5 ¶ 3.5; Doc. 70-6 ¶¶ 15-16), and that HOC produced the torch fuel that was incompatible for use with the torches sold by Big Lots. (Doc. 70-8 ¶ 10.) One of the underlying complaints alleges that the actions of Designco, HOC, Bureau Veritas and BV India—in addition to Big Lots’ purported conduct—were proximate causes of the plaintiffs injury. (See Doc. 70-6 ¶¶ 40, 44, 47, 57, 61, 65, 75.)

Two of the Torch Cases (the Texas and Illinois actions) have settled, but the New Jersey and Pennsylvania actions remain pending. (See Doc. 61 ¶¶24, 32, 40, 50.) Before the Texas lawsuit settled, the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas issued an order granting Big Lots partial summary judgment on the plaintiffs product liability claims, holding that Big Lots was a “non-manufacturing seller” of the torches. (See Ex. 1 to Am. Guar.’s Mem. Opp’n Big Lots’ Mot. Part. Summ. J., Doc. 76-1, at 1, 4 (emphasis added).) The Texas federal court also opined that the plaintiff had not provided sufficient evidence to show that Big Lots was in any way involved with the design of the torches. (Id. at 5.)

Currently, Big Lots and American Guarantee disagree about their “respective obligations for payment of the settlement and costs of defense” in the settlement of the Texas action, and American Guarantee has refused to participate in the settlement of the Illinois action. (See id.)

B. Procedural Background

On December 15, 2014, Big Lots filed a complaint for declaratory judgment against Zurich American Insurance Company (“Zurich”). (Doc. 1.) Big Lots amended its complaint in April 2015, adding American Guarantee, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Zurich, as a party. (Doc. 22.) Because American Guarantee ultimately asserted that “it alone was responsible for the claim(s) processing, investigation, payment and/or other business decisions” related to the insurance coverage dispute at issue, in March 2016, the parties stipulated to the dismissal without prejudice of Zurich as a party. (Doc. 59 at 2.)

One month later, in April 2016, Big Lots filed its second amended complaint, bringing claims for declaratory judgment, breach of contract and bad faith against American Guarantee. (Doc. 61.) On June 13, 2016, both parties filed motions for summary judgment. (Docs. 69, 70.) American Guarantee moves for summary judgment on all of Big Lots’ claims against it, while Big Lots moves for partial summary judgment on its declaratory judgment and breach of contract claims.3 Both motions are fully briefed and ripe for review by this Court.

II. LAW AND ANALYSIS

A. Standard of Review

Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 56(a) provides, in relevant part, that summary judgment is appropriate “if the movant shows that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.” A fact is deemed material only if it “might affect the outcome of the lawsuit under the governing substantive law.” Wiley v. United States, 20 F.3d 222, 224 (6th Cir. 1994) (citing Anderson v.

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240 F. Supp. 3d 725, 2017 WL 821671, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 29675, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/big-lots-stores-inc-v-american-guarantee-liability-insurance-co-ohsd-2017.