Cincinnati Insurance Company v. Chapman

2016 IL App (1st) 150919, 55 N.E.3d 74
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedMay 23, 2016
Docket1-15-0919
StatusUnpublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 2016 IL App (1st) 150919 (Cincinnati Insurance Company v. Chapman) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Court of Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Cincinnati Insurance Company v. Chapman, 2016 IL App (1st) 150919, 55 N.E.3d 74 (Ill. Ct. App. 2016).

Opinion

2016 IL App (1st) 150919

FIRST DIVISION May 23, 2016

No. 1-15-0919

CINCINNATI INSURANCE COMPANY, ) Appeal from the ) Circuit Court of Plaintiff-Appellant, ) Cook County ) v. ) No. 10 CH 10888 ) ARNOLD CHAPMAN and C.T. PHOENIX OF ) INDIANA, INC., ) Honorable ) Rita M. Novak, Defendants-Appellees. ) Judge Presiding.

JUSTICE HARRIS delivered the judgment of the court, with opinion. Presiding Justice Cunningham and Justice Connors concurred in the judgment and opinion.

OPINION

¶1 This appeal involves the current action now before the court, and an underlying lawsuit

involving the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) (47 U.S.C. § 227 et. seq. (2006)). In

2008, Arnold Chapman brought a class action lawsuit against Cincinnati Insurance Company's

(Cincinnati) insured, C.T. Phoenix of Indiana, Inc. (Phoenix), for violating the TCPA.

Cincinnati denied coverage to Phoenix based on an exclusion added when the policy was

renewed in 2006. Chapman and Phoenix settled the underlying matter for $4.9 million.

Chapman then sought to recover from Phoenix's insurer, Cincinnati. Cincinnati instituted this

action for a determination of its rights and obligations under the insurance agreement with

Phoenix. After the close of discovery, both parties moved for summary judgment. The parties No. 1-15-0919

disagreed about which state's law would govern the insurance agreement between Cincinnati and

Phoenix. After briefing, the circuit court determined there was no conflict between Indiana and

Illinois, and therefore Illinois's law, as the forum state, would apply. Based on the application of

Illinois law, the circuit court found that Cincinnati failed to provide 30 days' advance notice of

the new exclusion and therefore the exclusion was invalid. Based on the invalidity of the

exclusion, the circuit court entered summary judgment in favor of Chapman. This appeal

followed.

¶2 Before this court, Cincinnati raises the following issues: (1) whether the circuit court

erred in finding that no conflict exists between Illinois and Indiana regarding the notice required

when an exclusion is added to an insurance policy at the time of renewal; (2) whether there is a

conflict between Indiana and Illinois regarding application of estoppel when an insurer fails to

defend an action; and (3) whether the circuit court's decision violated the fundamental fairness

test of constitutional due process.

¶3 We hold that there is an actual conflict between the notice required under Illinois and

Indiana laws when a new exclusion is added to an insurance policy upon renewal. After

determining that an actual conflict exists, we find that the relevant factors require the use of

Indiana laws to determine whether the exclusion can be invoked to deny coverage to Phoenix.

Accordingly, we vacate the entry of summary judgment in favor of Chapman and remand for

further proceedings consistent with this opinion. Due to our decision on the first issue, we

decline to reach the remaining issues.

¶4 JURISDICTION

¶5 The trial court entered summary judgment in favor on Chapman on October 30, 2014.

Thereafter, the trial court denied Cincinnati's motion to reconsider on February 20, 2015. On the

-2- No. 1-15-0919

same day, the trial court entered an order pursuant to Illinois Supreme Court Rule 304(a) (eff.

Feb. 26, 2010) that based on the court's expressed findings no just reason existed to delay

enforcement or appeal from the October 30, 2014 judgment. Cincinnati timely filed its notice of

appeal on March 20, 2015. Accordingly, this court has jurisdiction over this matter pursuant to

article VI, section 6 of the Illinois Constitution, and Illinois Supreme Court Rules 301 and

304(a). Ill. Const. 1970, art. VI, § 6; Ill. S. Ct. R. 301 (eff. Feb. 1, 1994); R. 304(a) (eff. Feb.

26, 2010).

¶6 BACKGROUND

¶7 C.T. Phoenix of Indiana, Inc. was an Indiana corporation with a single office located in

Mt. Vernon, Indiana. Phoenix manufactured and sold, among other things, an insulated roofing

system. The Cincinnati Insurance Company is an Ohio corporation with its primary place of

business located in Cincinnati, Ohio. Cincinnati insured Phoenix under Commercial General

Liability/Umbrella policy number CPP-074-42-79 for the policy period of March 18, 2003 to

March 18, 2006 (hereinafter "the 2003-06 Policy"). That policy was renewed under number

CPP-086-88-08, for the period of March 18, 2006 to March 18, 2007 (hereinafter the "2006

Policy").

¶8 On August 26, 2008, Arnold Chapman (Chapman) filed suit against Phoenix in the circuit

court of Lake County, Illinois, as case number 08 CH 3212, in a matter entitled "Arnold

Chapman, individually and as the representative of a class of similarly-situated persons, Plaintiff

v. C.T. Phoenix of Indiana, Inc., Defendant" (hereinafter "the Chapman suit"). Attached to

Chapman's complaint was a one-page advertisement that Phoenix allegedly faxed to Chapman on

June 6, 2006, without Chapman's prior consent. Chapman's complaint alleged that Phoenix's

June 6, 2006 telefax constituted a violation of the TCPA (47 U.S.C. § 227 (2006)), the Illinois

-3- No. 1-15-0919

Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act (815 ILCS 505/2 (West 2008)), and

common-law conversion.

¶9 The Chapman suit asserted claims on behalf of all persons who might have received

advertising telefaxes from Phoenix during the three, four, and five year statutes of limitations

applicable to the three causes of action. However, the complaint contained no facts describing

any misconduct by Phoenix on any date other than the alleged misconduct on June 6, 2006.

¶ 10 Phoenix notified Cincinnati of the Chapman suit on January 9, 2009, and demanded that

Cincinnati afford defense and indemnity coverage. On January 20, 2009, Cincinnati denied

coverage. Cincinnati perceived that since the Chapman suit described no misconduct other than

the unsolicited telefax sent on June 6, 2006, only the 2006 Policy, which went into effect on

March 18, 2006, was potentially triggered. Cincinnati denied coverage under the 2006 Policy

based on the TCPA conduct exclusion, which provided in pertinent part as follows:

This insurance does not apply to:

Distribution of Material in Violation of Statutes

Bodily injury or property damage arising directly or indirectly out of any action

or omission that violates or is alleged to violate:

(a) The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), including any

amendment of or addition to such law; or ***

¶ 11 Cincinnati argued that since all of the damage asserted by Chapman against Phoenix

arose from the June 6, 2006 act of sending the telefax described in the complaint, all of the

collateral claims were also barred because they arose "directly or indirectly out of any action or

omission that violated or is alleged to violate *** the TCPA."

-4- No. 1-15-0919

¶ 12 On June 23, 2009, Phoenix and Chapman announced a settlement of the Chapman suit.

On August 2, 2009, after a preliminary order approving the settlement, certification of the class,

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Cohoon v. Crowe
2024 IL App (5th) 240100-U (Appellate Court of Illinois, 2024)
White v. Wright
2023 IL App (1st) 231617-U (Appellate Court of Illinois, 2023)
Watson v. Legacy Healthcare Financial Services, LLC
2021 IL App (1st) 210279 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 2021)
Family Amusement of Northern Illinois, Inc. v. Accel Entertainment Gaming LLC
2018 IL App (2d) 170185 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 2018)
Norabuena v. Medtronic, Inc.
2017 IL App (1st) 162928 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 2017)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
2016 IL App (1st) 150919, 55 N.E.3d 74, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/cincinnati-insurance-company-v-chapman-illappct-2016.