Colony Insurance v. NJC Enterprises

927 F. Supp. 2d 319, 2013 WL 705438, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 25966
CourtDistrict Court, M.D. Louisiana
DecidedFebruary 26, 2013
DocketCivil Action No. 09-0763
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 927 F. Supp. 2d 319 (Colony Insurance v. NJC Enterprises) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, M.D. Louisiana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Colony Insurance v. NJC Enterprises, 927 F. Supp. 2d 319, 2013 WL 705438, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 25966 (M.D. La. 2013).

Opinion

ORDER AND REASONS

JAY C. ZAINEY, District Judge.

Previously pending before the Court was a Motion for Partial Summary Judgment on the Issue of Insurance Coverage (Rec. Doc. 73) filed by Defendant, NJC Enterprises (“NJC”). Plaintiff Colony Insurance Company (“Colony”), and Counter-Defendants Hartford Fire Insurance Company (“Hartford”) and Nutmeg Insurance Agency, Inc. (“Nutmeg”) (collectively hereinafter “Hartford/Nutmeg” singular pronouns used), opposed this motion. Also previously pending before the Court was a Rule 12(b)(6) Motion to Dismiss Cross Claim of Colony Insurance Company (Rec. Doc. 108) filed by Counter-Defendants Hartford/Nutmeg. This motion was opposed by Plaintiff Colony. Both motions were originally set for oral argument on January, 9, 2013 and subsequently reset for oral argument on January 17, 2013 due to a scheduling conflict on the Court’s calendar. Prior to oral argument, however, the Court issued an order (Rec. Doc. 129) for further briefing on the issue of whether Hartford/Nutmeg was a “Premium Finance Company” as that term is defined under Louisiana law and dismissing without prejudice the pending dis-positive motions that would likely be affected by the Court’s reconsideration and resolution of this “Premium Finance Company” issue.1

Currently before the Court are: Hartford/Nutmeg’s Motion for Leave to File Supplemental Memorandum on Premium Finance Issue (Rec. Doc. 140) and Colony’s Motion for Leave to File Colony Insurance Company’s Response to Hartford Fire Insurance Company’s and Nutmeg Insurance Agency Inc.’s Supplemental Memorandum and Affidavit (Rec. Doc. 164); NJC’s Motion for Reconsideration (Rec. Doc. 142) wherein NJC re-urges its prior Motion for Partial [321]*321Summary Judgment (Rec. Doc. 73); Hartford/Nutmeg’s Motion to Re-File Rule 12(b)(6) Motion to Dismiss Cross Claim of Colony Insurance Company (Rec. Doc. 147)2; Colony’s Renewed Cross-Motion for Summary Judgment of Colony Insurance Company on Issue of Insurance Coverage (Rec. Doc. 151)3; and NJC’s Motion for Leave to File Supplemental Memoranda in Support of Motion for Partial Summary Judgment and in Opposition to Cross Motion for Summary Judgment (Rec. Doc. 178).

For the reasons that follow, Hartford/Nutmeg’s Motion for Leave to File Supplemental Memorandum on Premium Finance Issue (Rec. Doc. 140) and Colony’s Motion for Leave to File Colony Insurance Company’s Response to Hartford Fire Insurance Company’s and Nutmeg Insurance Agency Inc.’s Supplemental Memorandum and Affidavit (Rec. Doc. 164) are DENIED; NJC’s Motion for Reconsideration (Rec. Doc. 142) is GRANTED to the extent that it reinstates NJC’s Motion for Partial Summary Judgment on the Issue of Insurance Coverage (Rec. Doc. 73)4; Hartford/Nutmeg’s Motion to Re-File Rule 12(b)(6) Motion to Dismiss Cross Claim of Colony Insurance Company (Rec. Doc. 147) is GRANTED to the extent that it reinstates Hartford/Nutmeg’s Rule 12(b)(6) Motion to Dismiss Cross Claim of Colony Insurance Company (Rec. Doc. 108)5; Colony’s Renewed Cross-Motion for Summary Judgment of Colony Insurance Company on Issue of Insurance Coverage (Rec. Doc. 151) is GRANTED to the extent that it reinstates Colony’s Cross-Motion for Summary Judgment on Issue of Insurance Coverage (Rec. Doc. 82).

For the following reasons NJC’s Motion for Partial Summary Judgment on the Issue of Insurance Coverage (Rec. Doc. 73) is GRANTED; accordingly, NJC’s Motion for Leave to File Supplemental Memoranda in Support of Motion for Partial Summary Judgment and in Opposition to Cross Motion for Summary Judgment (Rec. Doc. 178) is DENIED as moot; and Colony’s Cross-Motion for Summary Judgment on Issue of Insurance Coverage (Rec. Doc. 82) is DENIED. Hartford/Nutmeg’s Rule 12(b)(6) Motion to Dismiss Cross Claim of Colony Insurance Company (Rec. Doc. 108) remains under submission.

I. BACKGROUND

Plaintiff Colony initially sued Defendant NJC seeking a declaratory judgment by the Court. Colony asserts that a policy of commercial property insurance numbered CF3576690 issued to NJC through Counter-Defendants Hartford/Nutmeg was can-celled for non-payment of premium as of September 24, 2008, and that, having can-celled the policy and issued the appropriate return premium, Colony has no further obligation to the insured under the subject policy. Colony invokes the provisions of [322]*322Title 28 U.S.C.A. § 2201 for the purpose of declaring and establishing the rights and legal relationships between the parties.

NJC responded with an answer and counterclaim (Rec. Doc. 32), asserting that the cancellation of NJC’s policy was not initiated by either Colony or Hartford/Nutmeg until at least September 29, 2008, days after the loss allegedly sustained by NJC occurred. NJC alleges that Colony and Hartford/Nutmeg, either collectively or individually, retroactively cancelled NJC’s coverage effective September 24, 2008 specifically in order to avoid covering NJC’s loss. Colony and Hartford/Nutmeg deny these allegations and assert that the policy in question was validly cancelled on September 24, 2008 due to non-payment of the premium by NJC.

The facts as alleged by the parties are as follows. Defendant NJC operated a Subway franchise restaurant in Baton Rouge, Louisiana from September 2007 until September 25, 2008. NJC sought commercial property insurance through Counter-Defendant Hartford, but Hartford declined to write the requested coverage and referred placement of the coverage to its Alternative Market Placement unit operated through Counter-Defendant Nutmeg. Nutmeg is a subsidiary of Hartford, and all of its employees are Hartford employees. Hartford/Nutmeg has testified that it is not an agent of Colony and that it is not a licensed premium finance company.

Nutmeg placed the commercial property coverage for NJC through Gresham, a surplus lines broker. Gresham is not a party to the present action. Through Gresham, the commercial property insurance policy was issued by Colony to NJC.

In connection with the issuance of the Colony policy to NJC, on May 22, 2008, NJC executed a power of attorney agreement which authorized Hartford, through Nutmeg, to advance the premium payment to Colony. Through the same power of attorney agreement NJC appointed Nutmeg as NJC’s attorney in fact, and gave Nutmeg full authority to cancel the Colony policy should NJC fail to pay the amounts due Nutmeg thereon. Hartford/Nutmeg paid Colony the full premium on behalf of NJC and then billed NJC through Hartford’s billing system.

According to Hartford/Nutmeg, NJC failed to pay the amounts due. As a result, on September 9, 2008, Hartford/Nutmeg mailed a letter and a document which it refers to as a “direct notice of cancellation” to NJC at the last known address contained in its records. The letter was accompanied by a document entitled “Notice of Cancellation,” also dated September 9, 2008, which reflected that cancellation was due to non-payment of premium and listed the “Effective Date of Notice” as September 24, 2008 at 12:01 a.m. NJC does not dispute that it received this letter and notice, but asserts that they do not constitute a valid notice of cancellation as required by the relevant Louisiana statutes.

According to NJC, on September 25, 2008, NJC ceased doing business in its operation of the Subway restaurant as a result of a fire which completely destroyed the premises and its contents.

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927 F. Supp. 2d 319, 2013 WL 705438, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 25966, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/colony-insurance-v-njc-enterprises-lamd-2013.