Carrier v. RLI Insurance

854 F. Supp. 2d 1324, 2010 WL 8567735, 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 144483
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Georgia
DecidedOctober 18, 2010
DocketNo. CV 208-155
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 854 F. Supp. 2d 1324 (Carrier v. RLI Insurance) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. Georgia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Carrier v. RLI Insurance, 854 F. Supp. 2d 1324, 2010 WL 8567735, 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 144483 (S.D. Ga. 2010).

Opinion

ORDER

LISA GODBEY WOOD, Chief Judge.

Presently before the Court are Defendant RLI Insurance Company’s Motion for Summary Judgment and Plaintiff Guy J. Carrier’s Motion for Partial Summary Judgment. Upon due consideration, Defendant’s Motion for Summary Judgment is GRANTED, and Plaintiffs Motion for Partial Summary Judgment is DENIED. BACKGROUND

A. Facts

Plaintiff Guy J. Carrier and his wife purchased a fifty-foot Aventure Power Catamaran (the “Vessel”) on or about May 17, 2008, from the manufacturers of the Vessel, Tim Jordaan and Aventure Catamarans, Limited. Plaintiff also purchased an insurance policy (the “Policy”) for the Vessel from Defendant RLI Insurance Company. As Plaintiff sailed the Vessel on her maiden voyage on the morning of May 20, 2008, the Vessel began taking on water and sank. Plaintiff filed a claim with Defendant under the Policy shortly thereafter.

Plaintiff and Defendant each sent surveyors to inspect the Vessel following the sinking. Defendant’s surveyor concluded that the Vessel had sunk because the manufacturers of the Vessel had improperly installed an escape hatch on the hull of the Vessel. See Def.’s Mot. Summ. J. 6-7. Plaintiffs surveyor agreed that the defective escape hatch caused the sinking and concluded that Jordaan and Aventure Catamarans had improperly manufactured the hatch. See Pl.’s Mot. Part. Summ. J. 6.

After the inspections, Defendant informed Plaintiff that it would deny Plaintiffs insurance claim arising from the Vessel’s sinking. Plaintiff filed this lawsuit on November 20, 2008, alleging that Defendant breached the terms of the Policy. The parties filed the cross-motions for summary judgment currently under review on January 22, 2010.

B. The Policy

The Policy purports to cover losses resulting from (1) damage to the Vessel’s hull, machinery, and equipment; (2) dam[1326]*1326age to the trailer or cradle used for the storage and/or transportation of the Vessel; (3) damage to a tender, a small boat “used primarily to service and maintain the Vessel”; (4) costs associated with towing the Vessel where the Vessel has become disabled; and (5) damage to personal effects onboard the Vessel. See Compl. Ex A. Recovery for such losses, however, is subject to a number of exclusions, three of which are relevant here. The Policy’s section on Exclusions states:

“We” will not pay ... for loss or damage caused by or resulting from any of the following, regardless of whether any other cause or event contributed concurrently or in any sequence:
2. Inherent vice, manufacturer’s defects or defects in design;
3. Resulting from faulty workmanship or damage during installations, upgrades or repairs; ...
4. The cost of replacing or repairing any item having a “Latent Defect” that causes damage to ‘your’ insured property; however, resulting damage would be covered;

APPLICABLE LAN

A. Standard for Summary Judgment

Summary judgment is appropriate only when the pleadings, depositions, and affidavits submitted by the parties show that no genuine issue of material fact exists and that the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(c). The court must view the evidence and draw all inferences in the light most favorable to the nonmovant. Adickes v. S.H. Kress & Co. 398 U.S. 144, 157, 90 S.Ct. 1598, 26 L.Ed.2d 142 (1970). The party seeking summary judgment must first identify grounds that show the absence of a genuine issue of material fact. Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 323-24, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986). To discharge this burden, the movant must show the court that there is an absence of evidence to support the nonmoving party’s case. Id. at 325, 106 S.Ct. 2548. The burden then shifts to the nonmovant to go beyond the pleadings and present affirmative evidence to show that a genuine issue of fact does exist. Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 257, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986). The nonmoving party “may not rest upon the mere allegations or denials of the adverse party’s pleadings,” but must come forward with “specific facts showing that there is a genuine issue for trial.” Fed R. Civ. P. 56(e)(2).

B. Governing Law

The Policy states, and the parties do not dispute, that United States maritime law governs the Policy. See Compl. Ex. A. Under federal maritime law, state law governs maritime contracts in the absence of a controlling federal rule. See Wilburn Boat Co. v. Fireman’s Fund Ins. Co., 348 U.S. 310, 322-24, 75 S.Ct. 368, 99 L.Ed. 337 (1955). Given the paucity of federal rules governing maritime contracts, “the application of the Wilburn Boat doctrine means that marine insurance in the United States will be dominated by state law rules.” 2 Thomas J. Schoenbaum, Admiralty & Maritime Law § 19-6 (4th ed.).

In determining which state’s law governs, courts look to the “state in which the policy was formed” or “the state in which the policy was issued and delivered.” Albany Ins. Co. v. Anh Thi Kieu, 927 F.2d 882, 890-91 (5th Cir.1991). Between those states, the “law of the state with the greatest interest” applies. Id. The parties in the present case agree that the law of New York — where the Policy was formed — or the law of Virginia — where the Policy was [1327]*1327issued and delivered — should apply. See Pl.’s Mot. Part. Summ. J. 12. The parties further agree that the laws of New York and Virginia do not differ in a way that necessitates a determination of which state’s law applies. See Pl.’s Mot. Part. Summ. J. 13. The Court has discovered no difference in Virginia and New York law as applied to this case and will therefore rely on the laws of both New York and Virginia.

DISCUSSION

A. Plaintiffs Coverage Under the Policy

Defendant’s Motion for Summary Judgment argues that the loss of the Vessel resulted from a defective hatch manufactured, designed, and installed by the Vessel’s manufacturer. See Def.’s Mot. Summ. J. 13. Because the Policy contains exclusions for losses arising out of “manufacturer’s defects or defects in design” and “faulty workmanship or damage during installations,” Defendant argues that the Policy does not cover Plaintiffs claim as a matter of law. Id.

Plaintiff, on the other hand, characterizes the defective hatch as a “latent defect,” such that the “latent defect” exclusion controls the claim. See Pl.’s Mot. Summ. J. 14-19. The “latent defect exclusion” provides that the Policy does not cover the cost of replacing or repairing an item having a latent defect. Compl. Ex. A.

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Bluebook (online)
854 F. Supp. 2d 1324, 2010 WL 8567735, 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 144483, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/carrier-v-rli-insurance-gasd-2010.