Graham v. Milky Way Barge, Inc.

923 F.2d 1100
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
DecidedJanuary 31, 1991
DocketNos. 88-3599, 89-3695
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 923 F.2d 1100 (Graham v. Milky Way Barge, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Graham v. Milky Way Barge, Inc., 923 F.2d 1100 (5th Cir. 1991).

Opinion

CLARK, Chief Judge:

This consolidated appeal comes to us following our decision to remand this case in Graham v. Milky Way Barge, Inc., 824 F.2d 376 (5th Cir.1987) (Graham I). We now hold: (1) Continental Underwriters, Ltd. (Continental) is not liable to Milky Way Barge, Inc. (Milky Way) or the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) for failure to use due diligence to procure insurance, and (2) Continental, St. Paul Fire & Marine Insurance Co. (St. Paul), and Employers Reinsurance Company (Employers) are not directly liable to the survivors of Barton Daniel (Daniel).

I. Background facts and proceedings below.

A. The capsizing.

On September 5, 1980, the jack-up vessel M/V STAR II (STAR II) capsized off the Louisiana coast in the Gulf of Mexico. [1103]*1103Four men were thrown overboard. Charles Taylor (Taylor), Eddie Lee Graham (Graham), and Captain Rodney Terrebonne (Captain Terrebonne) were rescued but sustained injuries. Daniel was lost at sea.

Milky Way owned the STAR II and time chartered it to Chevron, U.S.A., Inc. (Chevron) to service Chevron’s equipment in the Gulf. Land and Offshore Services, Inc. (LOS) contracted with Chevron to perform sandblasting and painting services on Chevron’s offshore drilling platforms. LOS employed Taylor, Graham, and Daniel.

At the time of the accident, the STAR II was jacked up next to a Chevron platform in approximately 54 feet of water. LOS employees serviced the platform from the STAR II. During the day on September 4, seas were about four to six feet and the wind was predicted to increase. During the early morning hours on September 5, the sound of waves striking the hull of the vessel awakened Captain Terrebonne, the STAR II’s captain. Captain Terrebonne realized that the lack of an air gap between the top of the waves and the bottom of the STAR II posed a danger to the vessel. He attempted to restore the air gap by raising the vessel further above the water, but one of the hydraulic jacks malfunctioned so that the vessel could not be raised any further. Captain Terrebonne then ordered the crew to abandon ship, but he and the other three men were swept into the Gulf. The STAR II capsized and was a total loss.

B. The ensuing litigation.

i)Injury and death claims.

Graham, Taylor, and Daniel’s surviving spouse brought separate actions against Milky Way, Chevron, and LOS for Graham’s and Taylor’s injuries and Daniel’s death. The protection and indemnity (P & I) policies that covered the STAR II named Milky Way as the primary assured and Chevron as an additional assured. Milky Way and Chevron filed third-party demands against their P & I underwriters, American Fidelity Insurance Company (American Fidelity) and Southern American Insurance Company (Southern American). American Fidelity was the primary insurer and Southern American was the excess insurer on the P & I insurance policies.

ii)Hull loss claims.

Bossier Bank & Trust Company (Bossier Bank) held a preferred ship mortgage on the STAR II and is named as the loss payee in the hull insurance policies. Milky Way and Bossier Bank brought an action against the hull insurance underwriters, American Fidelity, Southern American, and Underwriters at Lloyds (Lloyds), for the loss of the vessel. The FDIC is Bossier Bank’s successor in interest. American Fidelity was the primary insurer and Southern American was the excess insurer on the hull insurance policies. Lloyds wrote an increased value policy on the STAR II.

iii)Failure to use due diligence to procure insurance claims.

In order to cover the possibility that the existing P & I and hull insurance policies on the STAR II did not cover the capsizing, Milky Way brought third-party demands against its insurance agent, Horace Herrin (Herrin), and Continental, an intermediary broker, for failure to use due diligence to procure insurance. Bossier Bank brought a similar action against Herrin and Continental for failure to use due diligence to procure hull insurance, and the FDIC now asserts this claim. Continental responded by bringing an action for indemnity against St. Paul, Continental’s primary errors and omissions carrier, and Employers, Continental’s excess errors and omissions carrier.

iv)Property loss claims.

LOS brought an action against Milky Way for the loss of LOS’s equipment that was on board the STAR II.

C. Proceedings below and appeals before this court. 1

The district court held that Chevron’s and Milky Way’s negligence caused the [1104]*1104capsizing. The district court apportioned fault between Chevron and Milky Way at 30 percent and 70 percent respectively. This court upheld these findings on appeal. See Graham I, 824 F.2d at 388.

The parties disputed whether the STAR II was covered by the P & I and hull insurance policies at the time of the capsizing. All of the P & I and hull insurance policies on the STAR II contained, either explicitly or by reference, three navigational and operational limitations: (1) the STAR II was to be operated in “the inland waters of the Gulf states,” (2) the STAR II would not elevate in more than 40 feet of water, and (3) the STAR II would not elevate in seas of five feet or more, and would jack down — lower the vessel to the surface of the water — if seas increased to five feet and were predicted to rise. The district court held that these navigational and operational limitations were conditions as opposed to warranties. Thus, the district court found that the existing policies covered the STAR II regardless of compliance with the limitations. After determining that coverage existed, the district court dismissed the failure-to-use-due-diligenee-to-procure-insurance claims against Herrin, Continental, and American Fidelity as moot.

This court, however, held that the limitations were warranties under Louisiana law. See Graham I, 824 F.2d at 383. We also determined that the STAR II was not covered by the insurance policies because the vessel was in breach of at least two of the navigational and operational warranties at the time of the accident. We stated: “[I]t is clear, from the record, and none of the Appellants have challenged these findings, that the STAR II was operating beyond 40 feet of water ‘for elevating purposes’ and that it was elevated in seas that were above, and predicted to rise beyond, 5 feet.” Id. at 384. We concluded: “The STAR II was operating beyond the navigational and operational limits imposed on it by its insurance policies and was thus not covered by those policies at the time of the accident.” Id.

On remand, the district court found that Continental failed to use due diligence to procure insurance that Milky Way had requested. The district court therefore held Continental liable to indemnify Chevron and Milky Way for the losses incurred as a result of Chevron’s and Milky Way’s negligence. The district court also held Continental liable to the FDIC for the loss of the STAR II. Continental and Employers appeal these rulings.

The district court held that Milky Way was liable to LOS for the loss of LOS’s equipment, but did not grant Milky Way a judgment over against Continental for LOS’s damages.

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