CNA Casualty of California v. E.C. Fackler, Inc.

836 N.E.2d 732, 361 Ill. App. 3d 619, 297 Ill. Dec. 1, 2005 Ill. App. LEXIS 935
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedSeptember 20, 2005
Docket1-04-3707
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 836 N.E.2d 732 (CNA Casualty of California v. E.C. Fackler, Inc.) 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
CNA Casualty of California v. E.C. Fackler, Inc., 836 N.E.2d 732, 361 Ill. App. 3d 619, 297 Ill. Dec. 1, 2005 Ill. App. LEXIS 935 (Ill. Ct. App. 2005).

Opinion

JUSTICE WOLFSON

delivered the opinion of the court:

E.C. Fackler was in the business of administering trusts for employers who wanted to self-insure against workers’ compensation claims. Fackler managed three self-insurance trusts into insolvency. The issue in this case is whether Fackler’s professional liability policy requires its insurance company to cover claims for lost funds.

Plaintiff CNA Casualty of California (CNA) sought a declaration that it was not required to pay claims asserted against its insured, E.C. Fackler, Incorporated, and a successor corporation, E.C. Fackler Insurance Services, Incorporated (Fackler), by the acting Director of the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (the Director). The Director is acting as a statutory and court-affirmed liquidator of three trusts Fackler administered. CNA contends the Director’s claims fall under several exclusions in Fackler’s professional liability insurance policy. The trial court disagreed and entered a final judgment against CNA. The court found CNA was obligated to cover Fackler’s losses under its policy. We reverse and remand with directions to enter judgment for CNA.

FACTS

The professional liability policy (Policy) CNA issued Fackler states: “[CNA] will pay on behalf of [Fackler] all sums which [Fackler] shall become legally obligated to pay as Damages and Claim Expenses resulting from any Claim first made against [Fackler] and reported to [CNA] in writing during the Policy Period for any Wrongful Act of [Fackler] ***.”

On the “Third Party Administrators/Insurance Agents and Brokers Endorsement” page, the Policy excluded several claims, including:

“any Claim arising out of any actuarial act, error, omission or assumptions;
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*** any Claim arising out of or in connection with a governmental intervention, cease and/or desist order, or the insolvency, receivership, bankruptcy, licensing, liquidation or inability to pay of any insurer, trust, organization, or other vehicle directly or indirectly in which [Fackler] has placed or obtained insurance coverage, or placed funds of a client or account.”

The Policy states:

“Claim means any demand received by [Fackler] for Damages alleging a Wrongful Act including a civil action or suit or institution of arbitration proceedings. A Claim does not include criminal or regulatory proceedings or a request or demand seeking non-pecuniary relief including declaratory or injunctive relief or any other provisional remedy. [CNA], at its sole discretion, may choose to defend any regulatory proceedings brought against [Fackler].”

In the early 1990s, Fackler solicited employers to participate in three trusts: the Illinois Earth Care Workers’ Compensation Trust (Earth Care Trust), the Illinois Electrical Employers Workers’ Compensation Association (Electrical Trust), and the Illinois Environmental Service Workers’ Compensation Trust (Environmental Trust) (collectively, the Trusts). The Trusts were established pursuant to section 4a of the Workers’ Compensation Act (820 ILCS 305/4a (West 1998)), which allowed trade associations to self-insure their members’ workers’ compensation liability by forming a pool.

Fackler formed service agreements with the Trusts to act as their third-party administrator. For example, the Earth Care Trust service agreement (Service Agreement) stated Fackler was responsible for, among other things, processing applications, collecting and depositing all contributions in the trust fund depository, claims processing, procuring reinsurance, and other management-related services. Employers participating in the Earth Care Trust signed pooling agreements. The pooling agreements also listed Fackler’s responsibilities, including to “collect and deposit to the Trust bank depository all contributions and assessments, if any.”

Fackler’s renewal application for the Policy indicated 99% of the services it rendered were as “TPA/Pool administrator (Workers’ Compensation Only).” Fackler listed the Trusts as its three largest clients and that it provided pool administration services to the Trusts.

In 1998, the Director began an examination of Fackler and found its negligent management jeopardized the Trusts’ financial status. On November 4, 1999, the Director revoked Fackler’s license to administer and manage trusts. CNA characterizes the order of revocation as a “cease and desist” order. Orders of liquidation of the three Trusts were entered as follows: the Earth Care Trust on October 26, 2000; the Electrical Trust on November 3, 2000; and the Environmental Trust on March 22, 2001. The circuit court appointed the Director as the Trusts’ liquidator. In that capacity, the Director filed two suits — on behalf of the Earth Care Trust on November 30, 2000, and on behalf of the Electrical and Environmental Trusts on September 19, 2001, 1 against Fackler, the Trustees, and Illinois Zephyr, Incorporated— Fackler’s “major insurance producer” — on behalf of the Trusts. CNA defended Fackler in the underlying lawsuits.

In the underlying suits, the Director claimed Fackler was liable for breaching its fiduciary duty to the Trusts, negligent misrepresentation, and aiding and abetting the breach of fiduciary duty. The Director’s claims were based in part on Fackler’s failure to charge sufficient premiums.

The trial court found none of the policy’s exclusions barred the Director’s recovery. The trial court found the insolvency exclusion did not apply because Fackler did not “placet ] or obtain[ ] insurance coverage, or placet ] funds of a client” into the insolvent trusts. The court found coverage was not excluded by the policy’s governmental intervention language because the Director’s claim was for losses that occurred before the government initiated proceedings against Fackler. The court also decided the policy’s exclusion for actuarial acts did not apply.

DECISION

I. Standard of Review

CNA appeals the trial court’s denial of its motions for judgment on the pleadings and its entry of a judgment in favor of the Director. A motion for judgment on the pleadings is similar to a motion for summary judgment but is limited to the pleadings and written instruments attached to the pleadings as exhibits. Employers Insurance of Wausau v. Ehlco Liquidating Trust, 186 Ill. 2d 127, 138-39, 708 N.E.2d 1122 (1999). A judgment on the pleadings is proper if no genuine issue of material fact exists and the parties’ rights can be decided as a matter of law. Employers Insurance of Wausau, 186 Ill. 2d at 138. Accordingly, this court applies de novo review. Kim v. State Farm Fire & Casualty Co., 312 Ill. App. 3d 770, 772, 728 N.E.2d 530 (2000).

II. Insolvency Exclusion

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836 N.E.2d 732, 361 Ill. App. 3d 619, 297 Ill. Dec. 1, 2005 Ill. App. LEXIS 935, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/cna-casualty-of-california-v-ec-fackler-inc-illappct-2005.