Granite Outlet, Inc. v. Hartford Casualty Insurance Co.

190 F. Supp. 3d 976, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 74238, 2016 WL 3167661
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. California
DecidedJune 7, 2016
DocketNo. 2:14-cv-00575-TLN-EFB
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 190 F. Supp. 3d 976 (Granite Outlet, Inc. v. Hartford Casualty Insurance Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Granite Outlet, Inc. v. Hartford Casualty Insurance Co., 190 F. Supp. 3d 976, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 74238, 2016 WL 3167661 (E.D. Cal. 2016).

Opinion

ORDER GRANTING DEFENDANT’S MOTION TO DISMISS WITH PREJUDICE

Troy L. Nunley, United States District Judge

This matter is before the Court on Defendant Hartford Casualty Insurance Company’s (“Defendant”) second Motion to Dismiss Plaintiffs First Amended Complaint. (Def.’s Mot. to Dismiss PL’s First Am. Compl., ECF No. 34.) Plaintiff Granite Outlet Inc. (“Plaintiff’) filed an opposition to Defendant’s motion. (PL’s Opp’n to Def.’s Mot. to Dismiss, ECF No. 36.) The Court has carefully considered the briefing filed by both parties. For the reasons below, the Court GRANTS Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss with PREJUDICE.

I. Factual and Procedural Background

This dispute arises out of Defendant’s declination to cover two employment-relat[979]*979ed claims filed against its insured, Plaintiff. (Pl.’s First Am. Compl., ECF No. 33 at ¶ 9.) Two of Plaintiffs former employees brought claims against Plaintiff for outstanding wages due, as well as associated penalties and liquidated damages pursuant to Labor Code sections 203 and 1194.2 respectively. (ECF No. 33 at 11 13.) Plaintiff has since settled all claims with both employees. (ECF No. 38 at ¶ 25.)

Plaintiff alleges that the parties in this matter have a written contract between them for insurance. (ECF No. 33 at ¶ 8.) Plaintiff claims it is entitled to indemnification for the associated penalties and liquidated damages against the two employment-related wage disputes, as well as a right of defense. (ECF No. 33-1 at 42.) Defendant issued Plaintiff a liability policy (“the Policy”) that was in effect from November 13, 2012, to November 13,. 2013. (ECF No. 33-1 at 9.) The Policy included Business Liability, Employee Benefits Liability, and Umbrella Liability Coverage. (ECF No. 33 at ¶¶ 41, 46, 48.) The Policy for these three coverage provisions provides: '

Business Liability Coverage:

We will pay those sums that the insured becomes legally obligated to pay as damages because of ‘bodily injury’, ‘property damage’ or ‘personal and advertising injury1 to which this insurance applies. This insurance applies: (1) To ‘bodily injury’ and ‘property damage’ only if: (a) The ‘bodily injury1 or ‘property damage’ is caused by an ‘occurrence’.

Employer Benefits Liability Coverage:

Defendant will “pay those sums that the insured becomes legally obligated to pay as ‘damages’ because of ‘employee benefits injury’ to which the insurance applies.

The Umbrella Liability Coverage:

Defendant will pay those sums that the insured becomes legally obligated to pay as damages in excess of the underlying insurance or of the self-insured retention when no underlying insurance applies, because of bodily injury, property damage, or personal and advertising injuiy'to which this insurance applies caused by an occurrence.

(ECF No. 34-3 at 85,122, & 177.)

On December 23, 2013, Plaintiff filed a Complaint for declaratory relief against Defendant. (ECF No. 1-1 at 8-14.) On March 7, 2014, Defendant filed a Motion to Dismiss' claiming that the Policy terms did not provide coverage for the wage disputes. (Def.’s Mem. Of P. & A., ECF No. 7.) Plaintiff identified a “related case” in its opposition, filed a Notice of Related Case, and consequently the Court took the ‘motion off calendar.1 (ECF No. 13; ECF No. 14; ECF No. 15.) Thereafter, on June 25, 2014, Plaintiff filed a Notice of Settlement of Related State Court Cases. (ECF No. 16.)

On August 11, 2014, Plaintiff.submitted a Motion for Leave to File First Amended Complaint., (ECF No. 17.) On January 22, 2016, this Court filed an Order granting Plaintiffs motion. (ECF No. 32 at 9.) However, the Court noted the deficiencies in Plaintiffs arguments surrounding the three coverage provisions in the Policy and [980]*980cautioned Plaintiff that it would not look favorably on the argument that Plaintiffs failure to pay the wages, as well as the penalties and damages associated with this failure, fall under the Business Liability, Employee Benefits Liability, or Umbrella Liability Coverage provisions. (ECF No. 32 at 9.) On February 20, 2015, Plaintiff timely filed its First Amended Complaint (FAC). (ECF No. 33.) The FAC alleges three claims for relief: (1) declaratory relief, pursuant to Cal. Code of. Civ. Proc. section 1060; (2) breach of written contract; and (3) bad faith — unreasonable failure to defend or indemnify. (ECF No. 33 at 3-15.)

Defendant has filed a Motion to Dismiss Plaintiffs FAC pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6). (ECF No. 34.) Defendant argues that Plaintiffs FAC should be dismissed because it is substantively identical to Plaintiffs original complaint, which this Court viewed unfavorably. (ECF No. 34-2 at 5.) Consistent with its first Motion to Dismiss, Defendant argues that neither the Business Liability, Employee Benefits Liability, nor Umbrella Liability Coverage provide coverage for a claim regarding an employer’s failure to pay wages and the penalties and liquidated damages resulting from that failure. (ECF No. 34 at 1-2.) Defendant contends that Plaintiffs additional breach of contract and bad faith claims are also not covered under the Policy because it had no duty to insure Plaintiffs employment-related disputes. (ECF No. 34 at 3.) Plaintiff argues that it has provided sufficient facts to support a claim because each coverage provision within the Policy covers the employment-related penalties and liquidated damages. (ECF No. 36.)

II. Standard op Law

A motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6) tests the legal sufficiency of a complaint. Navarro v. Block, 250 F.3d 729, 732 (9th Cir.2001). Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 8(a) requires that a pleading contain “a short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief.” See Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678-79, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 173 L.Ed.2d 868 (2009). Under notice pleading in federal court, the complaint must “give the defendant fair notice of what the claim... is and the grounds upon which it rests.” Bell Atlantic v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 555, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 167 L.Ed.2d 929 (2007) (internal quotations omitted). “This simplified notice pleading standard relies on liberal discovery rules and summary judgment motions to define disputed facts and issues and to dispose of unmeritorious claims.” Swierkiewicz v. Sorema N.A., 534 U.S. 506, 512, 122 S.Ct. 992, 152 L.Ed.2d 1 (2002).

On a motion to dismiss, the factual allegations of the complaint must be accepted as true. Cruz v. Beto, 405 U.S. 319, 322, 92 S.Ct. 1079, 31 L.Ed.2d 263 (1972). A court is bound to give plaintiff the benefit of every reasonable inference to be drawn from the “well-pleaded” allegations of the complaint. Retail Clerks Int’l Ass’n v. Schermerhorn,

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190 F. Supp. 3d 976, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 74238, 2016 WL 3167661, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/granite-outlet-inc-v-hartford-casualty-insurance-co-caed-2016.