Commercial Insurance v. American & Foreign Insurance

349 F. Supp. 982, 1972 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11815
CourtDistrict Court, D. Puerto Rico
DecidedSeptember 28, 1972
DocketCiv. No. 343-70
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 349 F. Supp. 982 (Commercial Insurance v. American & Foreign Insurance) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Puerto Rico primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Commercial Insurance v. American & Foreign Insurance, 349 F. Supp. 982, 1972 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11815 (prd 1972).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

CANCIO, Chief Judge.

There are several motions before this Court which can be grouped as follows :

a) Plaintiff’s Motion for Security Bond by co-defendant AFIA;
b) Co-defendant’s Seguros La Continental’s Motion to Quash Summons and Plaintiffs Motion for Default against said co-defendant; and
c) Plaintiff’s Motion for Sanctions.

Parties appeared for oral argument and have filed their respective briefs with affidavits and exhibits. This Court now rules on the merits of the respective motions.

THE FACTS

The complaint before this Court prays for recovery of money damages of the alleged tort, breach of contract, and breach of implied warranty of co-defendant Cristalería Peldar, S. A. It is undisputed that at the time of the alleged wrongful conduct, the aforesaid co-defendant Cristalería Peldar was a glass bottle manufacturing firm which sold over one million glass containers in Puerto Rico with sales in excess of $100,-000.00 during 1969 and 1970.

Cristalería Peldar advertised in Bogotá, Colombia, of its sale of glass containers to the large breweries in Puerto Rico, to wit Cervecería Corona, Schlitz Beer, and Cervecería India. In spite of their substantial sales activity in Puerto Rico, it remains an undisputed fact that Cristalería Peldar, S. A. had not registered to do business with the Department of State of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The complaint further alleges that co-defendant AFIA or co-defendant Seguros La Continental or both had a liability policy protecting the liability or the indemnity of Cristalería Peldar, which allegations AFIA denied along with all other allegations of the complaint.

It is also undisputed that neither AFIA nor Seguros La Continental are authorized or registered to act as an insurer in Puerto Rico by the Insurance Commissioner of Puerto Rico. In spite of this fact, AFIA appointed BENACO Adjusters, Inc., as their representatives in Puerto Rico to investigate and adjust the extra-judicial claim- filed against them by plaintiff. Correspondence by AFIA to plaintiff’s representative indicated that AFIA insured Cristalería Peldar, but after the complaint was filed, AFIA replied to interrogatories that the insurer of Cristalería Peldar was the other co-defendant, Seguros La Continental. Nevertheless it is admitted that AFIA is a major stockholder of the aforesaid Seguros La Continental.

PLAINTIFFS MOTION FOR SECURITY BOND

It is apparent from AFIA’s correspondence with Plaintiff’s representatives in Puerto Rico that they (AFIA) were acting as an. insurer when the appointed BENACO Adjusters in Puerto Rico to investigate and adjust the extrajudicial loss or claim made against them prior to the filing of this complaint. We therefore hold that AFIA was acting as an insurer in violation of Article 3.030 (1) of the Insurance Code of Puerto Rico, 26 LPRA § 303(1), which reads:

“No person shall act as an insurer and no insurer shall transact insurance in Puerto Rico except as authorized by a [985]*985' subsisting authority granted to it by the Commissioner, except as to such transactions as are expressly otherwise provided for in this title.” (Emphasis added.)

Since AFIA admittedly was not authorized to conduct business or act as an insurer by the Insurance Commissioner of Puerto Rico, they must be deemed to have been acting as an insurer through their authorized representatives in Puerto Rico, BENACO Adjusters, Inc., and as such must be considered as an unauthorized insurer. Therefore they must bear the full impact of Article 10.060(1) of the Insurance Code of Puerto Rico, 26 LPRA § 1006, which reads:

“Before an unauthorized insurer shall file or caused to be filed any pleading in any proceeding instituted against it under Section 1005, the insurer shall either:
(a) deposit with the court in which the proceeding is pending cash or securities or file with the court a bond with good and sufficient sureties, to be approved by the court, in an amount fixed by the court as sufficient to secure the payment of any final judgment which may be rendered in such proceedings; or
(b) procure a certificate of authority to transact insurance in Puerto Rico.”

Section 1005 of Title 26 LPRA, which is further discussed below, makes provisions for the execution of service of process upon an unauthorized insurer by serving the Insurance Commissioner of Puerto Rico as the attorney-in-fact of an unauthorized insurer. It is a fact that it was not necessary to serve the Insurance Commissioner of Puerto Rico as the attorney-in-fact of AFIA under 26 LPRA § 1006 since AFIA filed an appearance without need for such service. Notwithstanding this fact, it is clear that the intention of the aforementioned statutes, when read together, is to cause all persons, (other than those excepted) who act as an insurer in Puerto Rico without authority from the Insurance Commissioner to be deemed an unauthorized insurer (26 LPRA § 303(1)). Delivery, effectuation, solicitation or the performance of any other insurance service or transaction within Puerto Rico by such unauthorized insurers results in:

a) appointing the Insurance Commissioner as attorney-in-fact (26 LPRA § 1005(1)) ;
and
b) requires the unauthorized insurer to post a sufficient cash or bond to assure payment of any final judgment, unless the unauthorized insurer procures a certificate of authority to transact insurance business in Puerto Rico. (26 LPRA 1006(1))

It is clear from the wording of the above statute that the substantive purpose is to cause an unauthorized insurer to post a bond or securities to assure payment of judgment and to bring that unauthorized insurer within the jurisdiction of the courts in Puerto Rico. It may be argued that the procedural aspect of the statute requires that the Insurance Commissioner must first be served with process under 26 LPRA § 1005, and that AFIA appeared before this Court through other procedural mechanisms. It should be noted, however, that the jurisdiction of this court is invoked under the diversity statute, 28 U.S.C. § 1332, and in such a proceeding this Court acts as a Commonwealth of Puerto Rico Court and looks to state [986]*986law for guidance. Erie Railroad Co. v. Tompkins (1938) 304 U.S. 64, 58 S.Ct. 817, 82 L.Ed. 1188; Guaranty Trust Co. of N. Y. v. York (1945) 326 U.S. 99, 65 S.Ct. 1464, 89 L.Ed. 2079; 160 A.L.R. 1231, noted 1945.

In Puerto Rico it is well settled that a Court should not frustrate the legitimate ends of justice because of procedural rules which originate for the purpose of facilitating the administration of justice; Millan v. Caribe Motors (1961), 83 PRR 474, 83 DPR 494; Suárez Fuentes v.

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Related

Commercial Insurance v. American & Foreign Insurance
354 F. Supp. 854 (D. Puerto Rico, 1972)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
349 F. Supp. 982, 1972 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11815, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/commercial-insurance-v-american-foreign-insurance-prd-1972.