Chatz v. Continental Casualty Co. (In re CFB Liquidating Corp.)

561 B.R. 500
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, N.D. California
DecidedNovember 21, 2016
DocketCase No. 01-45483 rle Jointly Administered; Adversary No. 15-4136
StatusPublished

This text of 561 B.R. 500 (Chatz v. Continental Casualty Co. (In re CFB Liquidating Corp.)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, N.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Chatz v. Continental Casualty Co. (In re CFB Liquidating Corp.), 561 B.R. 500 (Cal. 2016).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM DECISION ON CONTINENTAL CASUALTY COMPANY’S MOTION FOR PARTIAL SUMMARY JUDGMENT

Roger L. Efremsky, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge

I. Introduction

On March 9, 2016, Barry Chatz, as trustee for the CFB/WFB Liquidating Trust [502]*502(the “Trustee” and the “Trust”), filed his First Amended Complaint against Continental Casualty Company (“Continental”). The First Amended Complaint seeks damages for breach of contract and declaratory relief regarding the interpretation of the Joint Chapter 11 Plan of debtors CFB Liquidating Corporation and WFB Liquidating Corporation (the “Plan” and “Debtors”). Continental filed its Answer and a Counterclaim in which Continental also seeks declaratory relief regarding the interpretation of the Plan.1

On May 31, 2016, Continental filed its motion for partial summary judgment on its Counterclaim (the “Summary Judgment Motion”). The Summary Judgment Motion has been fully briefed. For the reasons explained here, the Summary Judgment Motion is denied because Continental’s interpretation of the relevant sections of the Plan is incorrect.

II. Background

a. Background Regarding the Chapter 11 Case

Debtors manufactured and distributed refractory products some of which contained asbestos. As of the October 2001 petition date, Debtors were defendants in numerous personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits in which over 22,000 individuals asserted asbestos personal injury claims against Debtors and their affiliates. Main Case Docket no. 422, p. 7 (June 1, 2012 Disclosure Statement).

Debtors had purchased third party liability insurance policies from a number of insurers. When they filed their chapter 11 cases, Debtors had not yet exhausted their primary and excess insurance policies with coverage periods between November 25, 1959 and January 1, 1987 and these insurance policies were the main assets of the estate. Disclosure Statement, p. 8-9.

During the case, Debtors negotiated “buyback” settlements with three of their primary insurance carriers (Hartford Accident and Indemnity Company, Bituminous Casualty Corporation, and ACE Insurance Company) (the Settlements, Settlement Agreements, and the Settling Insurers). The Debtors obtained approximately $11.5 million from these three Settlements. Debtors did not reach a “buyback” settlement with Continental, their only other primary insurance carrier.2 Disclosure Statement, p. 9-10.

b. Background Regarding the Plan

Debtors’ Plan was filed in June 2012 and confirmed in September 2012. Main Case Docket no. 421 (the Plan), Docket no. 460 (Confirmation Order). Sections 9.1-9.3 of the Plan incorporated the Settlements. Section 8.1 of the Plan described the liquidating trust to which the Settlement proceeds were transferred and through which-allowed asbestos personal injury claims, designated as Class 3 and Class 4 (the “Claims”), were to be paid in accordance with the trust distribution procedures (the “Trust Distribution Procedures”) which were also incorporated into the Plan.

Pursuant to the Settlements, Debtors sold their policies to the Settling Insurers free and clear of any liens, claims, interests, and encumbrances under Bankruptcy [503]*503Code § 363, with any such liens, claims, interests, and encumbrances attaching to the Settlement proceeds with the same priority and validity as they held previously. In exchange, the Settling Insurers were granted certain injunctive relief and releases. Plan, § 7.3, § 7.7, § 9. Each of the Settling Insurers paid in an amount that exceeded its policy limits which were then “preserved for the exclusive benefit” of the holders of asbestos personal injury claims. Plan § 9.1-9.3. Each Settlement Agreement provides, inter alia, that the payment that the Settling Insurer made is the total it is obligated to pay on account of any and all claims relating to its policies, and that all “limits of liability are deemed fully and properly exhausted.” Disclosure Statement, Ex. B, C, D.

c. Treatment of Continental in the Plan

The Plan also incorporated agreed upon treatment of Continental’s insurance obligations. Section 8.3 is entitled “Handling of Claims for which Continental May Have Financial Responsibility.” This section is the focus of the dispute in this Summary Judgment Motion and will be discussed in detail below. In short, it (1) provides that the Trust will give Continental a proposal for the payment of the liquidated value of the Claims the Trust contends Continental is responsible for (the “Proposals”); (2) provides a structure and deadlines for Continental to accept or reject any such Proposals; and (3) sets out the consequences that flow from Continental’s response to a Proposal. Plan, § 8.3.

Section 16.19 of the Plan is entitled “Insurance Neutrality.” It provides, in brief, that nothing in the Plan, the Trust Distribution Procedures, or any Settlement Agreement shall impair an insurer’s rights, Debtors’ rights, and/or the Trust’s rights against the Settling Insurers except to the extent impaired or limited in a Settlement Agreement and/or as expressly provided in § 7.3 of the Plan. Plan, § 16.19.3

d. Background Regarding Continental’s Insurance Policies

Continental sold Debtors three primary-level comprehensive general liability insurance policies which covered asbestos personal injuries occurring from January 1, 1985 to January 1, 1988. Each policy provided $1 million in coverage. Approximately $2.56 million in coverage Under these three policies remained available for payment of the Claims when the Plan was confirmed. AP Docket no. 19, ¶ 5.

The Trust attached copies of three Continental policies to the first amended complaint. AP Docket no. 15, Ex. A-C. These copies of the policies were missing pages, included duplicate pages, and were, in part, illegible. The court requested complete legible, copies. On September 23, 2016, thé parties filed a joint stipulation which attached revised versions of the three policies to be substituted for the original exhibits. AP Docket no. 40, Ex. 1-3. The stipulation states that the parties believe that “certain pages of the insuring agreements of the policies may be missing.” The court notes that there are, in fact, missing pages but whether the missing pages are only the referenced pages of the “insuring agreements” is unknown.4

With respect to bodily injury liability, the record versions of the 1985 and 1986 policies state: “The company will pay on [504]*504behalf of the insured all sums which the insured shall become legally obligated to pay as damages because of bodily injury ... to which this insurance applies, caused by an occurrence...” AP Docket no. 40, Ex. 1, Ex. 2. The record version of the 1987 policy does not include this language as it consists of seven almost completely illegible pages. AP Docket nó. 40, Ex. 3.

The record version of the 1986 policy includes a page defining bodily injury as “bodily injury, sickness or disease sustained by any person which occurs during the policy period, including death at any time resulting therefrom.” AP Docket no. 40, Ex. 2, p. 18.5 The record versions of the 1985 and 1987 policies do not include pages with this language.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
561 B.R. 500, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/chatz-v-continental-casualty-co-in-re-cfb-liquidating-corp-canb-2016.