Christmas v. Nationwide Mutual Insurance

30 F. Supp. 3d 435, 2014 WL 3110021, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 91735
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. North Carolina
DecidedJuly 7, 2014
DocketNo. 5:12-CV-88-F
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 30 F. Supp. 3d 435 (Christmas v. Nationwide Mutual Insurance) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. North Carolina primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Christmas v. Nationwide Mutual Insurance, 30 F. Supp. 3d 435, 2014 WL 3110021, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 91735 (E.D.N.C. 2014).

Opinion

ORDER

JAMES C. FOX, Senior District Judge.

This matter is before the court on the parties’ cross motions for summary judgment [DE-45, -49] and various evidentiary motions [DE-55, -70, -72], The motions have been fully briefed and are ripe for resolution. For the reasons that follow, the Plaintiffs motion for summary judgment [DE-49] is ALLOWED in part and DENIED in part and the Defendant’s motion for summary judgment [DE-45] is ALLOWED in part and DENIED in part. Plaintiffs-motion to file evidentiary documents out of time [DE-55] is ALLOWED, but her motion to deem statements admitted by Nationwide [DE-70] is DENIED. Plaintiffs motion to exclude affidavit and testimony of Defendant’s experts [DE-72] is DENIED.

I, FACTUAL BACKGROUND

On March 12, 2009, Plaintiff Barbara Christmas’s home was partially destroyed in a fire. The Franklinton, North Carolina home had four bedrooms, three baths and was over 2,447 square feet. The parties dispute whether the home was a total loss. Before the fire, Christmas purchased home insurance coverage from Nationwide and she was current on her premiums at the time of the fire. The policy provided for a total dwelling cost replacement limit of $213,905, as well as coverage for living expenses and personal property. Christmas promptly notified Nationwide of the fire, who examined the property and assigned a replacement value of $94,842.88.

Christmas inherited the residence from her mother, Gladys Davis. Prior to her [438]*438death, Ms. Davis obtained a reverse mortgage from Financial Freedom, which became due upon Ms. Davis’s death. When Christmas inherited the property, she failed to make any payments on the mortgage debt and Financial Freedom began foreclosure proceedings. The foreclosure sale was set for July 29, 2009, over four months after the fire. Inexplicably, Financial Freedom bid the full amount of the outstanding debt ($129,222.00) at the foreclosure sale, thereby extinguishing any interest it had in the property.

Before the foreclosure sale, Nationwide issued a check in the amount of $94,842.89, payable to both Financial Freedom and Christmas to cover the replacement cost of the home. The check stated it would be valid for 180 days. At some point after receiving the check, Christmas contacted Nationwide and asked it to remove Financial Freedom’s name from the check. This aroused Nationwide’s suspicions, and upon further investigation Nationwide discovered the home was in foreclosure.

When Nationwide received this information, it stopped payment on the check prior to the 180-day expiration period and initiated an investigation regarding how the dwelling replacement payment should be distributed. Nationwide ultimately determined Christmas was not entitled to the replacement cost payment. Nationwide reasoned that because the mortgage debt exceeded the replacement cost, Christmas had no insurable interest in the property at the time of the loss. Nationwide noted that Financial Freedom would have been entitled to the proceeds, but since it extinguished its interest in the property after the fire, Nationwide was not required to pay the dwelling cost replacement to anyone. Nationwide did pay Christmas approximately $91,600 for the loss of her personal property and for living expenses. However, Nationwide, after approximately seven months, stopped providing the living expenses payments. While awaiting resolution of this matter, Christmas has been living with various relatives. Christmas has been forced to live apart from her husband because their relatives are not able to accommodate both of them in the same residence. When Nationwide ultimately informed Christmas that she would not receive the dwelling replacement payment, this breach of contract and unfair and deceptive trade practices suit followed. Christmas seeks compensatory and punitive damages, as well as attorney’s fees.

II. DISCUSSION

A. Standard of Review

At summary judgment, the court must examine the evidence presented by both parties and determine if there is a need for trial. Matsushita Elec. Indus. Co. v. Zenith Radio Corp., 475 U.S. 574, 587, 106 S.Ct. 1348, 89 L.Ed.2d 538 (1986); Greater Balt. Ctr. for Pregnancy Concerns, Inc. v. Mayor & City Council of Balt., 721 F.3d 264, 283 (4th Cir.2013). The court examines “whether the evidence presents a sufficient disagreement to require submission to a jury or whether it is so one-sided that one party must prevail as a matter of law.” Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 251-52, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986). Where the moving party shows that the evidence is so one-sided that it should prevail as a matter of law, the burden shifts to the nonmoving party to come forward with affidavits, depositions, answers to interrogatories, or other evidence demonstrating that there is a genuine issue of material fact that requires trial. Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 324-25, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986); Matsushita, 475 U.S. at 587, 106 S.Ct. 1348; Pension Benefit Guar. Corp. v. Beverley, 404 F.3d 243, 246-47 (4th Cir.2005). An issue of fact is genuine if a [439]*439reasonable jury could find for the nonmov-ing party. Liberty Lobby, 477 U.S. at 248, 106 S.Ct. 2505. A fact is material if proof of the fact might affect the outcome of the case under the substantive law. Id. The facts should be viewed in the light most favorable to the nonmoving party and all reasonable inferences should be made in favor of the nonmoving party. Id. at 255, 106 S.Ct. 2505; Smith v. Va. Commonwealth Univ., 84 F.3d 672, 675 (4th Cir.1996).

B. The Contract Language and the Parties’ Insurable Interests

This case presents the issue of who (if anyone) receives the dwelling replacement insurance payment in the event a home in foreclosure is destroyed in a fire but the mortgagee nevertheless bids the full amount of the mortgage debt at a subsequent foreclosure sale, thereby extinguishing its interest in the property. Nationwide argues that under the insurance contract, Christmas’s recovery is limited to her insurable interest at the time of the loss. At that time, according to Nationwide, Christmas had no insurable interest in the property because she owed more on the property than Nationwide’s adjuster determined was the replacement cost. The insurance contract contains both a “mortgage clause” and an “insurable interest clause.” The mortgage clause provides, “if a mortgagee is named in this policy, any loss payable under Coverage A or B will be paid to the mortgagee and you, as interests appear.” Insurance Policy [DE-45-1]; Mem. of Law in Supp. of Def.’s Mot. for Summ. J. [DE-48] at 2-3. The insurable interest clause, in turn, provides “[e]ven if more than one person has an insurable interest in the property covered, we will not be hable in any one loss: (1) [t]o an insured for more than the amount of such insured’s interest at the time of loss; or (2) [f]or more than the applicable limit of liability.” Insurance Policy [DE-45-1]; Mem.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
30 F. Supp. 3d 435, 2014 WL 3110021, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 91735, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/christmas-v-nationwide-mutual-insurance-nced-2014.