County of Lackawanna v. Verrastro

9 Pa. D. & C.5th 35
CourtPennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Lackawanna County
DecidedJune 4, 2009
Docketno. 08 CV 887
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 9 Pa. D. & C.5th 35 (County of Lackawanna v. Verrastro) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Lackawanna County primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
County of Lackawanna v. Verrastro, 9 Pa. D. & C.5th 35 (Pa. Super. Ct. 2009).

Opinion

MINORA, J.,

Before the court are two sets of preliminary objections filed by the plaintiff/counterclaim defendant County of Lackawanna, against the defendants/counterclaim plaintiffs Housing and Redevelopment Insurance Exchange (HARIE) and Foxco Insurance Management Services, Inc.’s counterclaims.

I. BACKGROUND

Lackawanna commenced this action by filing its complaint in the Court of Common Pleas of Lackawanna County on April 2, 2008. Lackawanna seeks insurance coverage for damages sustained as a result of the February 14, 20071 roof collapse at the Montage Mountain Amphitheater following a heavy snow storm.

Details on the relationship among the parties and events as alleged in Lackawanna’s complaint are as follows. Defendant HARIE issued commercial property insurance policies to Lackawanna. Defendant Foxco performs the active management of defendant HARIE’s insurance business pursuant to an attomey-in-fact agreement, through which Foxco is charged with handling the daily management of HARIE and providing insurance expertise and data processing facilities for the necessary [38]*38record keeping and reporting required of HARIE. Defendant Verrastro was the agent, servant, representative and employee of defendants HARIE and Foxco, and used the Foxco address as his principal place of business. Defendant Verrastro entered a “coordinator agreement for independent insurance coordinator” with Lackawanna County on March 1,2004 with the knowledge, consent and approval of defendants HARIE and Foxco, and was designated by the county to be available for “independent consultant services.” Lackawanna’s complaint alleges that pursuant to the express terms of the coordinator agreement, Verrastro was not an employee of Lackawanna County.

Lackawanna states that HARIE, through Foxco, issued a commercial property insurance policy to Lackawanna covering an amphitheater owned by Lackawanna on Montage Mountain Road in Lackawanna County. The period of alleged coverage on the policy was July 15, 2006 through July 15, 2007. Lackawanna asserts they made timely premium payments and performed all obligations triggering coverage under the policy. According to Lackawanna, said policy covered other county property including but not limited to the Montage Ski Area, which is separate and distinct from the amphitheater but insured under the same policy.

According to Lackawanna’s complaint the Montage Ski Area was sold to Sno Mountain L.R at a real estate closing that occurred on November 6,2006. Lackawanna argues that it had not sold the amphitheater property covered under the policy at this closing or any other time during the time the subject policy was in effect. Lackawanna argues that at all times relevant, defendants knew, or should have known, that the Montage Ski Area was [39]*39separate and distinct from the amphitheater. Lackawanna asserts defendant knew, or should have known, the properties were distinct, e.g., as was demonstrated through the following: (a) the line item schedule of insured properties in the policy, (b) the attorney-in-fact agreement between co-defendants HARIE and Foxco, (c) through various press coverages, and (d) through the personal knowledge of the defendants.

Lackawanna states that it had acquired a separate general liability policy for the properties at Montage Mountain from Nautilus Insurance Companies. Lackawanna further states that according to his coordinator agreement, Verrastro agreed to perform consultant services, and agreed to be the “point of origin” for all property and casualty policies required by Lackawanna County. Further pursuant to his agreement, Verrastro was held responsible for managing and monitoring the policies, which included monitoring dates and limiting duplication of coverage.

As an agent, servant, representative and employee of Foxco, Lackawanna holds defendant Verrastro responsible for the active management of FLARIE’s business and its daily management. As an element of his consultant services to the county, and while Verrastro was an agent, servant, representative, and employee of defendants HARIE and Foxco, he allegedly signed a premium financing agreement with Northeast Premium Financing Company Inc. (NEPCO) on August 9, 2006, binding Lackawanna County to adebtof$103,192.80 in connection with insuring Lackawanna’s property at Montage Mountain.

On or about February 14, 2007, during which time Lackawanna alleges the insurance policy was in effect, [40]*40the amphitheater at Montage Mountain sustained damages amounting to $1,630,262.36.

Following the damage, a meeting was held on February 23, 2007 with attendees Verrastro, Charles Volpe, president and attorney-in-fact of Foxco, and then-majority Commissioner Robert Cordaro to discuss the damage. Verrastro allegedly told Cordaro that no insurance covered the loss because the insurance policy on the property was cancelled on January 15, 2007, purportedly effective December 1, 2006.

Lackawanna argues that at no time had it cancelled or authorized anyone to cancel insurance on the amphitheater. Lackawanna alleges it received the January 15,2007 notice of cancellation after the February 14,2007 loss at issue, which stated the reason for the cancellation as being “no longer owned by Lackawanna County.”

Lackawanna argues that the cancellation provisions governing the subject policy establish that coverage was never cancelled, in that: Nautilas nor defendants ever mailed a written cancellation and defendants never mailed out the notice of cancellation to the insured’s address. Lackawanna takes issue with the reason given for the notice of cancellation, i.e., Lackawanna no longer owning the property, when that was never the case.

Lackawanna further attempts to establish that the policy was not rightfully cancelled because Lackawanna had not received its premium refund, due within 30 days as required under the policy.

Lackawanna argues that Verrastro knew, or should have known, while in his position as provided for in his coordinator agreement, that the amphitheater was covered under the subject policy.

[41]*41Details on the purported cancellation of the policy were provided as follows. Allegedly on January 15,2007, defendant Verrastro caused a notice of cancellation to be issued, at which time Verrastro was canceling the general liability policy with Nautilus. On December 1,2006, Verrastro wrote a letter to J.D. Insurance Consultants on Foxco letterhead requesting cancellation of the general liability policy “NC437249” effective December 1,2006. This request was made by Verrastro, as the Lackawanna County Insurance Coordinator. This letter allegedly contained three errors, (1) the policy number was misidentified, (2) the cancellation was addressed to the wrong party, and (3) he erroneously put the letter on Foxco letterhead.

Having been informed of the mistakes, Verrastro then writes the same letter on county letterhead, addressing it to “Insurance Markets Agency Inc.” in Clarks Summit, PA, but the same, incorrect policy number, “NC437249,” was placed in the letter.

On January 17, 2008, just after the new majority county commissioners took office, Lackawanna filed a claim seeking $1,630,262.36 for the storm damage to the amphitheater. The claim was denied through a letter from HARTE dated January 29,2008, citing the reason for the denial being due to the sale of the property that housed the pavilion.

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Bluebook (online)
9 Pa. D. & C.5th 35, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/county-of-lackawanna-v-verrastro-pactcompllackaw-2009.