Demolition Contractors, Inc. v. Westchester Surplus Lines Insurance

381 F. App'x 526
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
DecidedJune 11, 2010
Docket09-1582, 09-1694
StatusUnpublished

This text of 381 F. App'x 526 (Demolition Contractors, Inc. v. Westchester Surplus Lines Insurance) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Demolition Contractors, Inc. v. Westchester Surplus Lines Insurance, 381 F. App'x 526 (6th Cir. 2010).

Opinion

LAWRENCE P. ZATKOFF, District Judge.

This case involves a breach of contract action by Plaintiff-Appellee Demolition Contractors, Inc. (“Demolition”) against its insurer, Defendant-Appellant Westchester Surplus Lines Insurance Co. (“Westches-ter”), seeking coverage for an insurance claim under a general liability policy. The district court denied Westchester’s motion for summary judgment. The case was submitted to the district court for decision in a bench trial consisting solely of stipulated exhibits and oral argument. The district court determined that Demolition was entitled to coverage of $100,000, minus a $25,000 deductible, for the claim at issue. The district court entered judgment in favor of Demolition in the amount of $75,000.

Westchester filed the instant appeal, arguing that the district court erred in denying its motion for summary judgment and in entering a judgment in favor of Demolition. Westchester concedes that its policy provides coverage for Demolition’s claim, but it contends that because Demolition failed to comply with the policy’s clear terms, any coverage is negated. Demolition filed a cross-appeal to the district court’s entry of judgment, arguing that it is entitled to coverage under the policy in excess of $75,000. United Policyholders filed an amicus brief in support of Demolition. The Complex Insurance Claims Litigation Association filed an amicus brief in support of Westchester. For the following reasons, we AFFIRM the district court’s entry of judgment.

I. BACKGROUND

Demolition purchased a general liability insurance policy from Westchester, with a policy period of May 1, 2005, to May 1, 2006. Regarding coverage, the policy stated: “We will pay those sums that the insured becomes legally obligated to pay as damages because of ‘bodily injury’ or ‘property damage’ to which this insurance applies.”

*528 The policy contained a “voluntary payments” provision, setting forth certain conditions and duties that an insured must follow in the event of an occurrence or claim, including that the insured may not make payments or assume obligations without the insurer’s consent:

SECTION IV — COMMERCIAL GENERAL LIABILITY CONDITIONS * * *
2. Duties In the Event of Occurrence, Offense, Claim or Suit
* * *
d. No insured will, except at that insured’s own cost, voluntarily make a payment, assume any obligation or incur any expense, other than for first aid, without our consent.

The policy also contained the following “no action” provision:

3. Legal Action Against Us

No person or organization has a right under this Coverage Part:

* * *
b. To sue us on this Coverage Part unless all of its terms have been fully complied with.
A person or organization may sue us to recover on an agreed settlement or on a final judgment against an insured; but we will not be liable for damages that are not payable under the terms of this Coverage Part or that are in excess of the applicable limit of insurance. An agreed settlement means a settlement and release of liability signed by us, the insured and the claimant or the claimant’s legal representative.

Additionally, the policy included a Common Policy Condition, stating in part, “this policy’s terms can be amended or waived only by endorsement issued by us [West-chester] and made a part of this policy.”

During the summer of 2005, Demolition sold gravel to Smith Bros. Contracting, Inc. (“Smith Bros.”), which Smith Bros. used as a gravel subbase to pave asphalt roads in the Autumn Ridge Subdivision in Greenville, Michigan. In the fall of 2005, portions of the asphalt roadways began to pit, pimple, and crack. Soil & Structures, Inc. investigated the cause of the road failure and determined that a clay mineral (ettingite) swelled, causing the roadway condition. Soil & Structures, Inc. recommended three options to repair the roads, one of which was the complete removal and replacement of the roads. In December 2005, Demolition was notified that the gravel it supplied to Smith Bros, was the source of the problem. Demolition thereafter filed an insurance claim under its policy with Westchester. On January 11, 2006, Westchester acknowledged receipt of claim information from Demolition and advised Demolition that the claim had been assigned to Bruce Alies (“Alies”) for handling.

Westchester retained Westshore Consulting (“Westshore”) to conduct an engineering and environmental analysis of the roads. On February 24, 2006, Westshore sent a report to Alies that included “Environmental Analysis and Recommendations,” which stated that the subbase in the Autumn Ridge roadways posed a potential environmental risk:

The Chemical make up of the aggregate that is present as the subbase presents some potential environmental risk. Although there is no evidence that any of the metals or chloride have leached into the underlying native soils, the test data provides a likely indication that leaching could occur in the future. In addition, the test results suggest that leaching may occur at concentrations that could be harmful to the aquifer or nearby wetlands.... Even though there is no evidence of environmental contamination in the subsurface native soils or groundwater, the potential of future impact exists, and for this reason, Westshore rec *529 ommends that the material be removed from the site and replaced with aggregate that does not have these characteristics.

Westchester issued a “Reservation of Rights” letter to Demolition on March 3, 2006, in which Westchester acknowledged that its policy provided coverage for the resulting damage to the bituminous pavement. However, the letter informed Demolition that the policy did not fully cover the cost of repairing the roadways. According to Westchester, the policy provided coverage for damage to the bituminous pavement, but not the remediation work generally:

[Westchester] understands that the “property damage” sustained by the bituminous pavement was directly related to the formation of the mineral ettring-ite in the aggregate base [Demolition] supplied for this project. The [West-chester] policy provides coverage for the resulting damage to the bituminous pavement.

Westchester’s letter also stated: “we are not waiving any policy defenses which may now exist or which may become known later under this policy” and that “all rights and defenses [Westchester] may hereafter have or discover, under all of the terms, conditions, exclusions, insuring agreements and provisions of the policy are hereby reserved.” Additionally, the letter stated that “[Westchester] does not waive its right to assert additional coverage defenses should other coverage issues become apparent.”

Over the next several months, communications continued between Demolition and Westchester concerning the road repair and coverage of the claim. Prior to April 7, 2006, Demolition had taken steps to obtain a county permit for removal and replacement of the bituminous pavement.

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Bluebook (online)
381 F. App'x 526, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/demolition-contractors-inc-v-westchester-surplus-lines-insurance-ca6-2010.