Canal Indemnity Co. v. Adair Homes, Inc.

737 F. Supp. 2d 1294, 2010 WL 3385337, 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 87499
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Washington
DecidedAugust 25, 2010
DocketCase C09-5561BHS
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 737 F. Supp. 2d 1294 (Canal Indemnity Co. v. Adair Homes, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Washington primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Canal Indemnity Co. v. Adair Homes, Inc., 737 F. Supp. 2d 1294, 2010 WL 3385337, 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 87499 (W.D. Wash. 2010).

Opinion

ORDER GRANTING CANAL INDEMNITY COMPANY’S MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT ON DECLARATORY JUDGMENT ACTION

BENJAMIN H. SETTLE, District Judge.

This matter comes before the Court on Plaintiff Canal Indemnity Company’s (“Canal”) motion for summary judgment on Canal’s declaratory judgment action, declaring (a) that there is no coverage under the Canal policies issued to Defendant Adair Homes, Inc. (“Adair Homes”) for the claims/lawsuits filed by the Defendants Daniel and Tammy Pearson and K.P., an individual minor, through his parents, Daniel and Tammy Pearson (“the Pear-sons”), against Adair Homes for bodily injury and property damage arising out of Adair Homes’ construction of a home on the Pearsons’ property; and (b) that Canal has no duty to defend or indemnify Adair Homes under the Canal policies with respect to the claims/lawsuits filed by the Pearsons against Adair Homes. Dkt. 42. The Court has considered the pleadings filed in support of and in opposition to the motion, and the remainder of the file, and grants the motion as discussed herein.

I. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND 1

This is a declaratory judgment action filed by Canal to determine whether two commercial general liability policies it issued to Adair Homes, a construction company, provide coverage for claims made by the Pearsons against Adair Homes for faulty construction that allegedly led to water intrusion, property damage and bodily injury claims based on alleged exposure to mold. Canal is providing a defense for Adair Homes in the Pearsons’ litigation under reservation of rights.

On October 2, 2001, the Pearsons entered into a contract with Adair Homes to have Adair Homes build a home on the Pearsons’ property in Rochester, Washington. Under the terms of the contract, Adair Homes was responsible for framing and construction of the home, and the Pearsons were responsible for other items to complete construction of the home, such as interior painting. Adair Homes retained GEM Construction (“GEM”) to perform the framing, siding and installation of windows on the Pearson home, pursuant to a 1999 subcontract GEM had with Adair Homes to construct homes for Adair Homes. GEM performed its work on the Pearsons’ home in February 2002. As part of its window installation, GEM applied a caulk-type sealant around the perimeter of the windows. Construction of the home was completed in May 2002, and the construction improvements were accepted by the Pearsons on May 16, 2002.

The Pearsons moved into the home in May 2002. Subsequently, the Pearsons noticed a strange smell in their son’s bedroom, discovered that water had saturated the carpet in the bedroom, and claim that mold was present in the area. The Pear-sons reported the problems to Adair Homes in January 2003. Adair Homes inspected the home on January 15, 2003, concluding that the problem was caused by cracked caulking around the windows of the bedroom, and that the caulking likely cracked during the warm summer months of 2002. A dispute developed between the Pearsons and Adair Homes regarding the cause and responsibility for the alleged defects, and the scope, nature and extent of the damages allegedly suffered by the Pearsons as a result of the defects.

*1297 On or about May 7, 2003, Daniel and Tammy Pearson filed a lawsuit against Adair Homes in Thurston County Superior Court, Cause No. 03-2-00875-1, alleging bodily injury due to mold exposure and property damage. Specifically, the complaint in that lawsuit (Pearson 2003 Complaint) alleges as follows:

Adair Homes constructed the home. Immediately thereafter, Pearsons performed the actions required of them in the written materials they received from Adair. The home is not water-tight and leaks. This leakage has damaged the home, personal property in the home and has caused the growth of mold and mildew which has caused the Pearson family, especially a young child, to suffer respiratory distress. This respiratory distress is a direct result of the mold and mildew which resulted because of water penetration into the home. This mold and mildew growth makes the home unfit and unsafe to live in violation of the warranty of habitability implied by law and given as a matter of law by Adair to Pearsons.

The Pearson 2003 Complaint further alleges that the water leakage occurred because Adair Homes (a) failed to properly install the windows and doors in openings in the building structure; (b) failed to install proper weather sheathing on the house and under the siding; and (c) failed to install and seal the siding in a proper manner.

On or about January 13, 2006, the Pear-sons, individually and on behalf of their minor son, filed a second lawsuit against Adair Homes in Thurston County Superior Court, Cause No. 06-2-00080-1. The two cases were consolidated by the Thurston County court in April 2006 under Cause No. 06-2-00080-1, and on April 24, 2006, the Pearsons filed their first amended complaint in the consolidated lawsuit, asserting substantially the same -allegations as the 2003 Complaint. The amended complaint also alleges that Adair Homes is liable to the Pearsons for express and implied warranties; that Adair Homes engaged in a pattern of deceptive acts and practices in its sale of homes in violation of the Consumer Protection Act; and that Adair Homes made misrepresentations to the Pearsons in its sale of the home.

Adair Homes filed an answer generally denying these allegations, and filed a third-party complaint against GEM, the subcontractor that was responsible for framing the house and installing and sealing the windows.

Canal issued two commercial general liability insurance policies to Adair Homes that are relevant to this claim, Policy No. CGL014184, which was in effect from 12/15/01 to 12/15/02, and Policy No. CGL018306, which was in effect from 12/15/02 to 12/15/03.

The provisions of the two Canal policies relevant to the question of coverage for Adair Homes, for the Pearsons’ elaims/lawsuits, are largely identical. The coverage provision provides as follows:

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 duty to defend the insured against any “suit” seeking those damages....

b. This insurance applies to “bodily injury” and “property damage” only if:

(1) The “bodily injury” or “property damage” is caused by an “occurrence” *1298 that takes place in the “coverage territory”;

(2) The “bodily injury” or “property damage” occurs during the policy period; ....

Dkt. 43-4 p. 27, Dkt. 43-5 p. 23 The Canal policies also contain the following relevant exclusions:

2. Exclusions

This insurance does not apply to:

* * *

j. Damage to Property

“Property damage” to:

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Bluebook (online)
737 F. Supp. 2d 1294, 2010 WL 3385337, 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 87499, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/canal-indemnity-co-v-adair-homes-inc-wawd-2010.