Cincinnati Ins. Co. v. Venetian Terrazzo, Inc.

198 F. Supp. 2d 1074, 2001 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 24022, 2001 WL 1862810
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Missouri
DecidedDecember 19, 2001
Docket4:01CV726DDN
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 198 F. Supp. 2d 1074 (Cincinnati Ins. Co. v. Venetian Terrazzo, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Missouri primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Cincinnati Ins. Co. v. Venetian Terrazzo, Inc., 198 F. Supp. 2d 1074, 2001 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 24022, 2001 WL 1862810 (E.D. Mo. 2001).

Opinion

198 F.Supp.2d 1074 (2001)

CINCINNATI INSURANCE COMPANY, Plaintiff,
v.
VENETIAN TERRAZZO, INC., Defendant.

No. 4:01CV726DDN.

United States District Court, E.D. Missouri, Eastern Division.

December 19, 2001.

*1075 Russell F. Watters, Managing Principle, Brown and James, P.C., St. Louis, MO, for Plaintiff.

William B. Smith, Gregory P. May, Dubail Judge, P.C., St. Louis, MO, for Defendant.

MEMORANDUM

NOCE, United States Magistrate Judge.

Before the court is the motion of plaintiff Cincinnati Insurance Company (Cincinnati) for summary judgment (Doc. No. 16). The parties have consented to the exercise of jurisdiction by the undersigned United States Magistrate Judge pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 636(c). A hearing was held on December 10, 2001.

In this diversity action for declaratory judgment, Cincinnati seeks a declaration that it has no duty to defend its insured, defendant Venetian Terrazzo, Inc. (Venetian), in a law suit against Venetian by a third party, or to indemnify Venetian for damages awarded against it in that suit. The undersigned concludes that Cincinnati is entitled to summary judgment.

UNDISPUTED FACTS

The record establishes the following material facts about which there is no genuine dispute: Venetian is a Missouri corporation in the business of installing terrazzo tile floors. On November 10, 1995, Venetian entered into a subcontract with Brockmiller Construction Co. (Brockmiller) to install terrazzo flooring in Robert A. Dempster Hall at Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, for $140,684. The parties also executed a Guaranty and Indemnification Agreement in which Venetian guaranteed its performance under the contract and promised to indemnify Brockmiller for all loss Brockmiller may sustain by reason of Venetian's failure to perform.

Venetian completed the installation in the summer of 1996. The university began to experience problems with the terrazzo floor. In April 1999, Brockmiller's liability insurance carrier notified Cincinnati that the university had demanded a full replacement of the floor, and that Brockmiller's carrier intended to seek contribution and subrogation from Cincinnati and Venetian. In March 2001, Brockmiller commenced a judicial action against Venetian in the Circuit Court of Cape Girardeau County, Missouri. Brockmiller alleged that Venetian failed to properly test and prepare the concrete sub-state for installation of the terrazzo tile and that, as a result, the terrazzo floor buckled and had to be redone by another subcontractor at a cost of $127,188.80. Brockmiller sought damages, expenses, costs, and attorney's fees, alleging breach of implied and express warranties to perform the work in a workmanlike manner, negligence, and breach of the guaranty to indemnify Brockmiller against all loss, damages, and expenses sustained as a result of Venetian's failure to properly perform its work. Motion Exh. D, filed September 28, 2001. *1076 Venetian asserted as an affirmative defense that the problems with the floor resulted from another party's negligence in pouring the cement subfloor which did not dry properly.

Cincinnati agreed to provide a defense to Venetian under a reservation of rights. Cincinnati then commenced the present action seeking a declaration that it has no duty to defend or indemnify Venetian under the two insurance policies it issued Venetian—a Commercial General Liability Policy and a Contractor's Umbrella Liability Policy. It is undisputed that both policies were in effect during the relevant time.

The Commercial General Liability Policy provides in relevant part:

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.
* * * * * * *
b. This insurance applies to "bodily injury" and "property damage" only if
(1) The "bodily injury" or "property damage" is caused by an "occurrence" that takes place in the "coverage territory;" and
(2) The "bodily injury" or "property damage" occurs during the policy period.
* * * * * *

See Motion Exh. A at 1 of 11, filed September 28, 2001.

2. Exclusions.

This insurance does not apply to:
* * * * * *
b. "Bodily injury" or "property damage" for which the insured is obligated to pay damages by reason of the assumption of liability in a contract or agreement. This exclusion does not apply to liability for damages:
(1) Assumed in a contract or agreement that is an "insured contract," provided the . . . "property damage" occurs subsequent to the execution of the contract or agreement; or
(2) That the insured would have in the absence of the contract or agreement.
* * * * * * *
j. "Property damage" to:
* * * * * *
(6) That particular part of any property that must be restored, repaired or replaced because "your work" was incorrectly performed out of it.
* * * * * *
l. "Property damage" to "your work" arising out of it or any part of it and included in the "products-completed operations hazard."
This exclusion does not apply if the damaged work or the work out of which the damage arises was performed on your behalf by a subcontractor.
* * * * * *

Id. at 1 of 11—3 of 11.

SECTION V—DEFINITIONS

6. "Insured contract" means:

* * * * * * *
f. That part of any other contract or agreement pertaining to your business . . . under which you assume the tort liability of another to pay for "bodily injury" or *1077 "property damage" to a third party or organization. Tort liability means a liability that would be imposed by law in the absence of any contract or agreement.
* * * * * *
9. "Occurrence" means an accident, including continuous or repeated exposure to substantially the same general harmful conditions.
* * * * * *
11. a. "Products-completed operations hazard" includes all "bodily injury" and "property damage" occurring away from premises you own or rent and arising out of "your product" or "you work" except:
(1) Products that are still in your physical possession; or
(2) Work that has not yet been completed or abandoned.
* * * * * *
12. "Property damage" means:
a. Physical injury to tangible property, including all resulting loss of use of that property. All such loss of use shall be deemed to occur at the time of the "occurrence" that caused it; or
b. Loss of use of tangible property that is not physically injured. All such loss shall be deemed to occur at the time of the "occurrence" that caused it.
* * * * * *

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Bluebook (online)
198 F. Supp. 2d 1074, 2001 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 24022, 2001 WL 1862810, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/cincinnati-ins-co-v-venetian-terrazzo-inc-moed-2001.