Fireman's Fund Insurance v. Great Am. Insurance

284 F.R.D. 132, 104 A.L.R. 6th 657, 2012 WL 2588754, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 92701
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. New York
DecidedJuly 3, 2012
DocketNo. 10 Civ. 1653(JPO)(JLC)
StatusPublished
Cited by64 cases

This text of 284 F.R.D. 132 (Fireman's Fund Insurance v. Great Am. Insurance) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Fireman's Fund Insurance v. Great Am. Insurance, 284 F.R.D. 132, 104 A.L.R. 6th 657, 2012 WL 2588754, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 92701 (S.D.N.Y. 2012).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

JAMES L. COTT, United States Magistrate Judge.

This insurance coverage ease arises out of the August 2009 sinking and salvage of a dry dock formerly located off-shore in Port Arthur, Texas (“the dry dock”). The dry dock [135]*135was owned and operated at all relevant times by Defendant Signal International, LLC (“Signal”). Several insurance policies issued to Signal are implicated in the case, including an excess commercial property policy issued by Defendant Max Specialty Insurance Co. (“Max”), a vessel owner pollution liability policy issued by Defendant Great American Insurance Company of New York, and a primary and excess marine general liability policy issued by Plaintiff Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company.

Signal and Max have presented discovery disputes to the Court for resolution. Signal has moved to compel Max to produce certain claims file documents and documents from its former law firm, and to compel Max to produce the file of its reinsurer, Arch Re Facul-tative Insurance Company (“Arch Re”), as it pertains to the sinking of the dry dock, as well as any other documents or communications related to reinsurance policies Max obtained regarding the dry dock. Max has moved to compel Signal to produce certain business and maintenance records related to its operation of a dry dock located in Mississippi.

“A district court has wide latitude to determine the scope of discovery.” In re Agent Orange Prod. Liab. Litig., 517 F.3d 76, 103 (2d Cir.2008); see also S.E.C. v. Rajaratnam, 622 F.3d 159, 180-81 (2d Cir.2010) (discussing discretion of district court to manage discovery). Rule 26(b)(1) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure provides that a party is entitled to discovery on “any nonprivileged matter that is relevant to any party’s claim or defense.” Fed.R.Civ.P. 26(b)(1). Discoverability is determined by the broad standard of relevance. See Oppenheimer Fund., Inc. v. Sanders, 437 U.S. 340, 351, 98 S.Ct. 2380, 57 L.Ed.2d 253 (1978). “The burden of demonstrating relevance is on the party seeking discovery----Once relevance has been shown, it is up to the responding party to justify curtailing discovery.” Trilegiant Corp. v. Sitel Corp., 275 F.R.D. 428, 431 (S.D.N.Y.2011) (citation omitted); see also Fed.R.Civ.P. 26(b)(5)(A); Local Civil Rule 26.2.

Applying these well-established principles to the present dispute, for the reasons set forth below the Court grants Signal’s motion as it relates to the Arch Re file and any other reinsurance documents related to the excess policy Max issued to Signal, reserves decision pending a hearing scheduled by separate order issued today as to the request for the production of Max’s claims file and any documents relating to Signal’s claim from Max’s former law firm, and grants Max’s motion in part and denies it in part.

I. Signal’s Motion to Compel

A. Signal’s Requested Discovery and Max’s Response

Signal seeks the production of the following documents:

• Any documents in Max’s possession responsive to Signal’s request for production of reinsurance communications or documents;
• Any documents responsive to the subpoena issued to Arch Re on June 30, 2011 that were turned over to Max and over which Max has asserted privilege;
• Max’s complete claims file, including all file notes and the claim memorandum referenced by Max claims manager Cody Whittington during his deposition; and
• Any and all documents in Max’s possession constituting reports or updates on Signal’s claim from the Nourse & Bowles law firm.

Signal specifically requests that the Court compel the production of the unredacted version of these documents, or alternatively conduct an in camera review of the documents to determine whether Max’s assertion of privilege can be maintained. (Memorandum in Support of Signal International, L.L.C.’s Motion to Compel Max Speeialty/Areh Re’s Response to Discovery Requests (“Signal Mem.”), at 2 (Dkt. No. 145)).

Max has responded by arguing that Signal has “offer[ed] no argument as to why reinsurance communications are relevant to this lawsuit,” and that the reinsurance documents it seeks, along with the portions of Max’s claims file and Nourse & Bowles’ file that it has not yet produced, are protected from disclosure by the attorney-client privilege or [136]*136work product doctrine. (Memorandum of Law in Opposition to Defendant Signal International, LLC’s Motion to Compel (“Max Opp. Mem.”), at 1 (Dkt. No. 149)).

B. Reinsurance Documents

1. The Parties’ Positions

As noted above, Signal seeks two categories of documents related to the reinsurance policies Max obtained from Arch Re. First, Signal seeks from Max all documents or communications related to Max’s procurement of, and claims made on, its reinsurance policy on the dry dock. (Signal Mem. at 2). Second, Signal seeks all documents contained within the file that Arch Re maintained on the dry dock, which Signal originally sought by subpoena directed to Arch Re. (Signal Mem. at 3). After Max objected to the subpoena on the grounds that the information was protected by the common interest doctrine, Arch Re turned the file over to Max. {Id.; see also Letter to the Court from Meryl R. Lieberman dated Aug. 29, 2011 at 1-2 (first raising Max’s objection to the subpoena)). In its motion, Signal contends that Max has failed to establish that the common interest doctrine applies to either of the two categories of documents it seeks and that, even if the common interest doctrine did apply, Max has failed to establish the existence of an underlying privilege. {Id. at 8).

In opposition, Max objects to Signal’s requests for reinsurance information on two grounds — relevance and the common interest doctrine. (Max Opp. Mem. at 11-15). As a preliminary matter, however, Max informs the Court that it has “now served nearly all documents within the Arch Re file pertaining to the AFDB-5 dry dock in order to reflect documents which were produced by Max’s prior counsel[,]” although it did so without conceding the relevance of the reinsurance information. (Max. Opp. Mem. at 11-12 & n. 3). Max has submitted a “revised privilege log,” enumerating the documents from the Arch Re file that it continues to withhold. (Declaration of Stephen D. Straus dated Apr. 26, 2011 (“April 26 Straus Deck”), Exhibit (“Ex.”) D (Dkt. No. 147-4)). The revised privilege log reflects only thirteen entries, as opposed to the nearly 170 documents listed on the original privilege log. (Signal Mem., Ex. B (Dkt. No. 145-1)).

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284 F.R.D. 132, 104 A.L.R. 6th 657, 2012 WL 2588754, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 92701, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/firemans-fund-insurance-v-great-am-insurance-nysd-2012.