Fidelity & Guaranty Insurance v. Craig-Wilkinson, Inc.

948 F. Supp. 608, 1996 WL 718203
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Mississippi
DecidedMarch 31, 1996
Docket3:93-cv-00694
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 948 F. Supp. 608 (Fidelity & Guaranty Insurance v. Craig-Wilkinson, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. Mississippi primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Fidelity & Guaranty Insurance v. Craig-Wilkinson, Inc., 948 F. Supp. 608, 1996 WL 718203 (S.D. Miss. 1996).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

WINGATE, District Judge.

Before the court are the motion for partial summary judgment submitted by the plaintiff, Fidelity and Guaranty Insurance Company, and the cross-motion for partial summary judgment submitted by the defendant, Craig-Wilkinson, Inc. Jurisdiction of this matter is predicated upon Title 28 U.S.C. § 1332 1 (diversity of citizenship).

FINDINGS OF FACT

1. On May 6, 1993 Craig-Wilkinson, Inc. entered into a written contract with Frank W. Trapp and his wife, Belmont Trapp, whereby Craig-Wilkinson, Inc. agreed to build an addition to the residence of Mr. and Mrs. Frank W. Trapp.

2. The Work Craig-Wilkinson, Inc. agreed to perform pursuant to the Contract dated May 6, 1993 with Mr. and Mrs. Frank Trapp was the construction of an 800 square foot addition to the residence of the Trapps. The project was identified by Craig-Wilkinson, Inc. as: “An addition to the residence of Mr. and Mrs. Frank W. Trapp.” Page 1 of Contract.

3. On June 15, 1993, a fire occurred which consumed both the addition which was under construction as well as the existing Trapp residence. Fidelity & Guaranty contends the fire was caused by the negligence of an employee of Craig-Wilkinson’s subcontractor.

4. The contract provides in part that “the Contractor shall be responsible to the Owner for the acts and omissions of the Contractor’s employees, Subcontractors and their agents and employees, and other persons performing portions of the Work under a contract with the Contractor.” Article 9.7 of the Contract.

5. Article 9.12 of the contract provides:

To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Contractor shall indemnify and hold harmless the Owner ... and agents and employees of any of them from and against claims, damages, losses and expenses, including but limited to, attorney’s fees arising out of or resulting from performance of the Work, provided that such claim, damage, loss or expense is attributable to bodily injury, sickness, disease or death, or to injury to or destruction of tangible property (other than the Work itself) including loss of use resulting therefrom, but only to the extent caused in whole or in part by negligent acts or omissions of the Contractor, a Subcontractor, anyone directly or indirectly employed by them or anyone for whose acts they may be liable, regardless of whether or not such claim, damage, loss or expense is caused in part by a party indemnified hereunder.

6. The Contract placed certain duties on Craig-Wilkinson, Inc. to obtain insurance. Article 17.1 provides:

The Contractor shall purchase ... insurance ... from claims for damages, other than to the Work itself, to property which may arise out of or result from Contractor’s operations under the Contract____

7. Craig-Wilkinson, Inc. complied with the requirements of Article 17.1 and had in place at the time of the loss a commercial general liability policy issued by Amerisure Insurance Company being policy number CPP-0412357-0093.

8. The construction contract dated May 6, 1993 placed certain duties on the Owner to purchase insurance. Paragraph 17.3 states:

Unless otherwise provided, the Owner shall purchase and maintain, in a company or companies lawfully authorized to do business in the jurisdiction in which the Project is located, property insurance upon *610 the entire Work at the site to the full insurable value thereof. This insurance shall be on an all risk policy form and shall include interests of the Owner, the Contractor, the Subcontractors and Sub-subcontractors in the Work and shall insure against the perils of fire----

9. The Trapps and Craig-Wilkinson, Inc. agreed, however, the Contractor would provide the property (builder’s risk) insurance on the Work. The Trapps declined to have Craig-Wilkinson added as a loss payee on the Trapps’ homeowner’s policy on the existing residence. Deposition of Frank W. Trapp pp. 9,10,16-18.

10. By letter dated May 19, 1993, executed 13 days after the construction contract quoted above, Lewis S. Wilkinson, Jr., Vice President of Craig-Wilkinson, Inc., wrote to Mr. Frank Trapp the following:

I have spoken with my insurance representative, Mr. Jud Allred, regarding the builder’s risk insurance on the new addition for your residence after he had spoken with Mr. Drew Sampson of Sampson, Howard & Ashcraft. It appears that the best solution for the most coverage at the best price would be for me to file for the builder’s risk insurance and name you as an additional insured and for you to leave your insurance as is until such time that the addition is complete. At that time, you would certainly want to increase your coverage.

11. In accordance with their agreement as noted in Craig-Wilkinson, Inc.’s May 19, 1993 letter and in reliance on the same, Frank Trapp did not purchase an all risk policy upon the entire Work. Deposition of Frank W. Trapp, pp. 16-17.

12. Craig-Wilkinson, Inc. purchased the all risk property (builder’s risk) insurance on the ‘Work” as contemplated by Article 17.3 and 17.6 of the Contract and paid premiums for such insurance based upon a cost of Work of $90,754.00. Deposition testimony of Louis Wilkinson p. 9.

13. The $90,754.00 was the Contract price for which Craig-Wilkinson, Inc. agreed to construct the 800 square foot addition as reflected on sheets 1 and 2 entitled “Altemation/Addition for Mr. and Mrs. Frank Trapp, 4134 Oakridge, Jackson, MS” prepared by Craig-Wilkinson. Deposition testimony of Louis Wilkinson p. 9.

14. The builder’s risk policy was issued by Maryland Casualty and was policy number EC88516885.

15. Craig-Wilkinson, Inc. prepared and submitted a claim to Maryland Casualty for fire damage to the Work.”

16. Pursuant to the builder’s risk insurance policy, Maryland Casualty paid $19,-479.41 to Craig-Wilkinson for fire damage to the Work.”

17. Craig-Wilkinson, Inc., then, paid a part of those insurance proceeds to the Trapps as a partial reimbursement of a progress payment for construction of the residence. The Maryland Casualty builder’s risk insurance policy did not cover and did not pay for the damage to the existing residence of Frank and Belmont Trapp, the contents of their residence or landscape damages.

18. At the time of the fire Frank and Belmont Trapp had in place a policy of insurance with Fidelity and Guaranty Insurance Company which insured the residence of the Trapps. Pursuant to the policy, Fidelity and Guaranty Insurance Company paid the following damages to the Trapps:

Existing dwelling $218,619.00
Landscaping 10,410.00
Contents of existing dwelling 145,746.00
Additional living expenses 22,500.00
Fur coat 5,850.00
TOTAL $403,125.00

19.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
948 F. Supp. 608, 1996 WL 718203, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/fidelity-guaranty-insurance-v-craig-wilkinson-inc-mssd-1996.