Drum v. USAA General Indemnity Company

CourtDistrict Court, D. Colorado
DecidedMarch 6, 2023
Docket1:21-cv-02422
StatusUnknown

This text of Drum v. USAA General Indemnity Company (Drum v. USAA General Indemnity Company) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Colorado primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Drum v. USAA General Indemnity Company, (D. Colo. 2023).

Opinion

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLORADO Judge Nina Y. Wang

Civil Action No. 21-cv-02422-NYW-SKC

MICHELLE DRUM,

Plaintiff,

v.

USAA GENERAL INDEMNITY COMPANY, and INFINITY AUTO INSURANCE COMPANY,

Defendants.

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

This case is before the Court on the following motions: (1) Defendant USAA General Indemnity Company’s Motion for Summary Judgment (“USAA’s Motion”), [Doc. 34, filed September 23, 2022]; (2) Defendant Infinity Auto Insurance Company’s Motion for Summary Judgment (“Infinity’s Motion”), [Doc. 41, filed November 14, 2022]; and (3) Plaintiff’s Motion for Summary Judgment (“Plaintiff’s Motion”), [Doc. 42, filed November 15, 2022]. The Court concludes that oral argument would not materially assist in the resolution of these matters. Upon careful review of the instant Motions and corresponding briefing, the entire case file, and the applicable case law, the Court respectfully GRANTS USAA’s Motion, GRANTS Infinity’s Motion, and DENIES Plaintiff’s Motion. BACKGROUND This is an underinsured motorist (“UIM”) lawsuit arising from a rear-end collision that occurred on January 13, 2018, in which Plaintiff Michelle Drum (“Plaintiff” or “Ms. Drum”) was the passenger in a truck that her then-boyfriend, Frank Frucci (“Mr. Frucci”), was driving (the “Collision”). Ms. Drum claims that, on the day of the Collision, she was an “insured” under insurance policies issued by Defendants USAA General Indemnity Company (“USAA”) and Infinity Auto Insurance Company (“Infinity” and, collectively, “Defendants”). [Doc. 5 at ¶¶ 14– 15]. Ms. Drum also alleges she was an “insured” under insurance policies issued by Geico

Insurance (“Geico”) and American Family Insurance (“AFI”). [Id. at ¶ 16]. After the Collision, Ms. Drum recovered $50,000.00 in available bodily injury coverage from the tortfeasor’s carrier, Safeco Insurance (“Safeco”); $100,000.00 in UIM benefits from Geico; and $100,000.00 in UIM benefits from AFI, for a total of $250,000 of insurance benefits. [Doc. 35 at ¶¶ 5–7]. Ms. Drum alleges that her injuries, damages, and losses arising out of the Collision exceeded the amounts she received from Safeco, Geico, and AFI. [Doc. 5 at ¶ 19]. Therefore, she sought UIM benefits from USAA and Infinity. However, after Defendants failed to grant her such benefits, Ms. Drum initiated this action. Ms. Drum filed her Complaint on August 3, 2021 in the District Court for Larimer County, Colorado. See generally [id.]. Therein, she asserts six causes of action—three against USAA and

three against Infinity: breach of contract (Counts I and II); statutory unreasonable delay or denial of benefits pursuant to Colo. Rev. Stat. 10-3-1115 and -1116 (Counts III and IV); and common law bad faith (Counts V and VI). [Id. at 4–10]. On September 8, 2021, USAA removed this case to the United States District Court for the District of Colorado based on diversity jurisdiction. [Doc. 1]. Defendants filed their respective Motions for Summary Judgment on September 23, 2022 and November 14, 2022, [Doc. 34; Doc. 41], and Plaintiff filed her Motion for Summary Judgment on November 15, 2022, [Doc. 42]. The Motions have been fully briefed, and are thus ripe for disposition. See [Doc. 35; Doc. 40; Doc. 45; Doc. 46; Doc. 48; Doc. 49]. LEGAL STANDARD Under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 56, summary judgment is warranted “if the movant shows that there is no genuine dispute as to any material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(a). “A dispute is genuine if there is sufficient evidence so

that a rational trier of fact could resolve the issue either way. A fact is material if under the substantive law it is essential to the proper disposition of the claim.” Crowe v. ADT Sec. Servs., Inc., 649 F.3d 1189, 1194 (10th Cir. 2011) (internal citations and quotation marks omitted). It is the movant’s burden to demonstrate that no genuine dispute of material fact exists for trial, whereas the nonmovant must set forth specific facts establishing a genuine issue for trial. See Nahno-Lopez v. Houser, 625 F.3d 1279, 1283 (10th Cir. 2010). At all times, the Court will “view the factual record and draw all reasonable inferences therefrom most favorably to the nonmovant.” Zia Shadows, L.L.C. v. City of Las Cruces, 829 F.3d 1232, 1236 (10th Cir. 2016). In addition, “[c]ross-motions for summary judgment are treated as two individual motions for summary judgment and held to the same standard, with each motion viewed in the light most

favorable to its nonmoving party.” Banner Bank v. First Am. Title Ins. Co., 916 F.3d 1323, 1326 (10th Cir. 2019); see also Buell Cabinet Co. v. Sudduth, 608 F.2d 431, 433 (10th Cir. 1979) (“Cross motions for summary judgment are to be treated separately; the denial of one does not require the grant of another.”). ANALYSIS I. USAA’s Motion for Summary Judgment USAA seeks summary judgment on the basis that Ms. Drum does not meet the definition of an insured under the USAA Policy because she did not “reside” at the same address as her father Allen Drum, the named insured, at the time of the Collision. The USAA Policy listed Allen Drum’s address as 413 S. Grant Avenue, Fort Collins, Colorado 80521 (the “Grant Property” or “Grant Street address”). [Doc. 34-1 at 6]. And because residence at the Grant Street address was a prerequisite to coverage as a “family member” under the USAA Policy, USAA argues that Ms. Drum cannot establish any of her claims against it. See [Doc. 34]. Ms. Drum disagrees, countering

that she was indeed a “resident” of her father’s home on the date of the Collision or, at a minimum, there is a genuine dispute on this issue that precludes summary judgment. See [Doc. 35 at 18–21]. A. Undisputed Material Facts Before setting forth the undisputed material facts, the Court notes that its Civil Practice Standards provide that: In a section of the brief required by Local Civil Rule 56.1(a) styled “Statement of Undisputed Material Facts,” the movant shall set forth in simple, declarative sentences, separately numbered and paragraphed, each material fact that the movant believes is not in dispute and that supports the movant’s claim that movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Civ. Practice Standard 7.1D(b)(1). In addition, the “party opposing the motion for summary judgment shall, in a section of the brief styled ‘Response to Statement of Undisputed Material Facts,’ admit or deny the movant’s asserted material facts. The admission or denial shall be made in separate correspondingly numbered paragraphs.” Id. at 7.1D(b)(4). And then, if the opposing party “believes that there are additional disputed questions of fact that have not been adequately addressed . . . , the party shall, in a separate section of the brief styled ‘Statement of Additional Disputed Facts,’ set forth in simple, declarative sentences, separately numbered and paragraphed, each additional, material disputed fact that undercuts the movant’s claim that it is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.” Id. at 7.1D(b)(5). Although the foregoing Civil Practice Standards did not take effect until December 1, 2022—i.e., after the Parties completed their briefing—this Court’s previous Civil Practice Standards contained substantially the same requirements.1 Although USAA’s opening brief substantially complies with these express requirements, see [Doc. 34 at 3–9], Ms.

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