Elk Run Coal Co. v. Canopius U.S. Insurance

775 S.E.2d 65, 235 W. Va. 513, 2015 W. Va. LEXIS 725
CourtWest Virginia Supreme Court
DecidedJune 9, 2015
Docket14-0723
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 775 S.E.2d 65 (Elk Run Coal Co. v. Canopius U.S. Insurance) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering West Virginia Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Elk Run Coal Co. v. Canopius U.S. Insurance, 775 S.E.2d 65, 235 W. Va. 513, 2015 W. Va. LEXIS 725 (W. Va. 2015).

Opinion

DAVIS, Justice:

Petitioner, Elk Run Coal Co., Inc., d/b/a Republic Energy (“Elk Run”), defendant and third-party plaintiff below, appeals four separate orders entered by the Circuit Court of Kanawha County on May 28, 2014. The orders grant summary judgment in favor of four different insurance companies and deny Elk Rim’s motion for partial summary judgment against one insurer.. Third-party complaints filed by Elk. Run against the four insurers were dismissed with prejudice. Elk Run contends that the circuit court erred in concluding that none of the insurance policies provided coverage to Elk Run where a contract' between Elk Run and the named insured under the policies, Medford Trucking, LLC (“Medford”), 1 was an insured contract. The four insurance companies filed timely responses arguing that the circuit court did not err in relying on certain policy provisions to determine there was no coverage. After a careful review of the briefs submitted by the parties, the record submitted for appeal, the oral arguments presented to this Court, and the applicable case law, we determine that the circuit court erred in granting summary judgment to two of the insurers. We therefore reverse, in part; affirm, in part; and remand this case for additional proceedings consistent with this opinion.

I.

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

■ The facts leading to the instant dispute begin with a “Hauling-.and Delivery Agreement” (“H & D Agreement”) between Elk Run and Medford whereby Medford would haul Elk Run’s coal.to various destinations designated by Elk Run.

On May 31; 2011, Medford truck driver Timothy Walkfer (“Mr. Walker”) was sitting seat-belted in his parked coal truck while the truck was being loaded with coal by Elk Run employee Erie Scott Redden (“Mr. Redden”). Mr. Redden had directed Mr. Walker where to park the truck and had begun loading it with coal using a piece of equipment referred to as an “end-loader” or “front-end loader.” During the course of loading the truck, Mr. Redden allegedly lost consciousness and struck the truck with the front-end loader thereby flipping the truck and causing injury to Mr. Walker. Elk Run and Mr. Redden have stipulated that they “will not argue or assert, a comparative negligence defense against Plaintiff Timothy Walker at the trial of this matter.” Similarly, there has been no allegation that Medford caused or contributed to the accident in any way.

Following the accident, Mr. Walker commenced a civil action against Elk Run and others on October 3, 2011. '

The instant dispute involves the availability of insurance coverage to Elk Run in rela *516 tion to the above-described accident. In this regard, the H & D Agreement between Elk Run and Medford contains a broadly worded “Indemnity; Insurance” clause, which states:

9.1 Except as otherwise expressly provided herein, Contractor [Medford] shall indemnify, defend and save harmless Owner [Elk Run], its members, parent companies, sister companies, predecessors, successors, affiliates, insurers, reinsurers, other contractors, successors and assigns, and the officers, directors, shareholders, employees and agents of each of the foregoing (collectively “Owner’s Indemnified Persons”) from and against any and all demands, actions, suits, claims, rights, losses (including, but not limited to, diminution in value), controversies, damages, costs, expenses (including, but not limited to, interest, fines, penalties, costs of preparation and investigation, and the reasonable fees and expenses of attorneys, accountants and other professional advisers), and any other liability of whatsoever kind or nature against Owner’s Indemnified Persons (collectively, “Losses”), whether on account of damage or injury (including death) to persons or property, violation of law or regulation, or otherwise, relating to, resulting from, arising out of, caused by or sustained in connection with, directly or indirectly, Contractor’s performance of the Work[ 2 ] or other activities performed pursuant to this Agreement (including work and activities performed by subcontractors) or Contractor’s nonperformance or breach of the terms of this Agreement....

(Emphasis and footnote added). 3

In addition, pursuant to the “Indemnity; Insurance” clause of the H & D Agreement, Medford was required to purchase insurance:

9.3 Before commencing Work hereunder, Contractor [Medford] ... shall obtain, and throughout the term of this Agreement maintain, at its sole expense, the following insurance coverages:
(b) Commercial General Liability Insurance with minimum limits of $2,000,000 for each occurrence and $2,000,000 general aggregate, for death, bodily injury and property damage, including coverage for independent contractors, products and completed operations, Blanket Broad Form Contractual, cross-liability, personal injury liability, Broad Form Property Damage, and where an exposure exists, coverage with the explosion, collapse and underground (XCU) hazard exclusions deleted from the policy.
(d) Automobile Liability Insurance, including owned, non-owned and hired vehicle coverage with limits of liability of not less than $2,000,000 combined single limits for death, bodily injury and property damage claims.
B. Except as to workers’ compensation insurance, Owner [Elk Run] shall be named as an additional insured.

(Emphasis added).

In apparent accordance with the foregoing provisions, Medford purchased a commercial general liability (“CGL”) policy from Canopius U.S. Insurance, Inc., f/k/a Omega U.S. Insurance, Inc. (“Canopius”), and a related commercial excess liability policy (“excess policy”) from RSUI Indemnity Company (“RSUI”). Additionally, Medford purchased a commercial automobile liability policy, issued by National Casualty Company (“National”), and a related commercial automobile excess liability policy, issued by Scottsdale Insurance Company (“Scottsdale”). Each of these policies provided coverage in the amount of $1,000,000 per occurrence.

*517 On November 1, 2011, Elk Run tendered a written demand for indemnification to Med-ford pursuant to the H & D Agreement, and asked Medford to place its insurance carriers on notice of Elk Run’s demand. Medford’s auto carrier, National, denied coverage based upon its conclusion that the claim did not result from “the ownership, maintenance or use of a covered auto as required under the insuring agreement.” Medford’s CGL carrier, Canopius, agreed to provide a defense to Elk Run subject to a reservation of rights to deny coverage upon further investigation of the relevant facts. Ultimately, Canopius denied indemnity and any further defense to Elk Run based upon the conclusion that the injury and damages allegedly suffered by Ml’. Walker were “not caused in whole or in part by Medford’s acts or omissions or those of someone on its behalf, as is required for coverage under the ... Blanket Additional Insured Endorsement.”

On October 9, 2012, Mr.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
775 S.E.2d 65, 235 W. Va. 513, 2015 W. Va. LEXIS 725, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/elk-run-coal-co-v-canopius-us-insurance-wva-2015.