Graphic Arts Mutual Insurance v. Essex Insurance

465 F. Supp. 2d 1290, 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 90142, 2006 WL 3615458
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Georgia
DecidedDecember 8, 2006
DocketCIV.A. 04CV3355TCB
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 465 F. Supp. 2d 1290 (Graphic Arts Mutual Insurance v. Essex Insurance) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Georgia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Graphic Arts Mutual Insurance v. Essex Insurance, 465 F. Supp. 2d 1290, 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 90142, 2006 WL 3615458 (N.D. Ga. 2006).

Opinion

ORDER

BATTEN, District Judge.

This case, which is before the Court on cross-motions for summary judgment, involves a dispute regarding the allocation of defense and indemnity costs between two insurance companies that provided coverage for the same loss.

I. Background

Crossroads Villa, Ltd. is the owner of the Crossroads Villa Apartments in Savannah, Georgia. On January 1, 1997, Crossroads entered into a property management agreement (the “PMA”) with Woodruff Property Management Company, pursuant *1292 to which Woodruff managed and maintained the apartment project.

Article X of the PMA required Crossroads to obtain liability insurance naming Crossroads as the primary insured and Woodruff as an additional insured.

Crossroads purchased a commercial general liability (“CGL”) policy from Defendant Essex Insurance Company. Woodruff was not expressly named as an additional insured on this policy. However, the policy did cover Woodruff as an insured: Section II, entitled “Who Is an Insured,” states in paragraph (2)(b) that “any organization while acting as your real estate manager” is an insured.

In addition, Woodruff purchased its own liability policy from Plaintiff Graphic Arts Mutual Insurance Company. Crossroads was not an insured under the Graphic Arts policy.

One of the tenants at the Crossroads Apartments was Latoyia Groover. On August 26, 1998, her sixteen-month-old daughter fell through the vertical pickets on a second-story porch raffing and was seriously injured.

On August 23, 2000, Ms. Groover filed a lawsuit in the Superior Court of Chatham County, Georgia, against Crossroads and Woodruff, alleging that they were jointly and severally liable for the child’s injuries. In this action, Ms. Groover sought to recover the child’s medical expenses resulting from the fall.

Essex received notice of the claim 1 and assigned it to Kimberly Payne, a senior claims adjuster. On behalf of Essex, Payne retained counsel, Clay Ratterree, to defend both Crossroads and Woodruff.

On September 5, 2000, Ken Browne, a Graphic Arts claims adjuster, sent a letter to Payne requesting that Essex “instruct the defense counsel assigned to handle this matter on your insured’s behalf, also file an answer on behalf, and defend the interest, of Woodruff Management Company.” Browne also asked Essex to “accept and acknowledge this tender of the defense of the entire matter,” and requested that Payne notify him if Essex could not comply with his request. Neither Payne nor anyone else on behalf of Essex responded to Browne’s letter.

After a period of inactivity, Groover filed a second complaint on June 27, 2003, against Woodruff and Crossroads. This action sought to recover the same damages claimed in the first action — the child’s medical expenses — as well as all other personal injury damages arising from the accident, e.g., the child’s pain and suffering.

On July 22, 2003, Payne sent a letter to Tammye Woods of Graphic Arts, notifying Graphic Arts of Groover’s new lawsuit. The letter also proposed that the costs of defense be divided 75/25, with Essex paying three-fourths of the cost and Graphic Arts paying one-fourth. The letter stated that Payne would direct Ratterree to send his bills to Graphic Arts, who would pay twenty-five percent. Graphic Arts contends that Essex never sent these bills, but Essex argues that its counsel sent Graphic Arts’ counsel a detailed spreadsheet itemizing and summarizing all of Essex’s defense fees, costs and expenses on or about July 5, 2005. Graphic Arts did not respond to Payne’s letter.

On January 20, 2004, Ms. Groover dismissed her first complaint, and on March 4, 2004, she renewed it by filing a third complaint against Woodruff and Crossroads. In October 2004, a mediation of Groover’s second and third complaints was scheduled for Tuesday, October 19, 2004.

On Thursday, October 14, Payne sent an e-mail to George Mahon, a Graphic Arts litigation specialist, to confirm Essex’s re *1293 quest made in a teleconference earlier that day that Graphic Arts participate in the anticipated settlement of the Groover case on a 50/50 basis.

On Monday, October 18, Mahon replied to Payne’s e-mail and refused to agree to a 50/50 split, indicating that Graphic Arts would “participate in settlement with a 25% contribution.”

Payne replied to this e-mail that same day, indicating that Essex did not agree to a 75/25 split of settlement costs.

The next day, Tuesday, October 19, Steve Yacco, a home claims examiner for Graphic Arts, e-mailed Payne and wrote that “each policy will be deemed co-primary ... with each carrier obligated to provide 50% of coverage [for Woodruff].”

In order to allow the mediation to go forward, the parties agreed to split the indemnity on a 50/50 basis pursuant to a reservation of rights agreement. The mediation was successful, with the Groover case settling for $785,000. Both Graphic Arts and Essex contributed an equal share, or $892,500. However, Graphic Arts did not contribute any money towards the defense of the Groover case, the total cost of which was $186,689.96.

On November 16, 2004, Graphic Arts filed this action against Essex, seeking to recover some or all of the $392,500 that it paid to settle the Groover case. Graphic Arts contends that its policy constitutes excess insurance and, as such, it was not obligated to contribute to the settlement because Essex’s policy limits were not exhausted. Alternatively, Graphic Arts asserts that it is liable for no more than one-fourth of the total settlement paid, or $192,250.

In its amended answer and counterclaim, Essex contends that Graphic Arts’ policy was excess, not primary, and that Graphic Arts was required to provide a defense for Woodruff. Essex contends that Graphic Arts is not entitled to recover any of the $392,500 it contributed to settle the Groover case. Essex also seeks reimbursement of half of the defense costs it incurred for the defense of Woodruff, or $93,344.98.

II. Summary Judgment Standard

Summary judgment is proper when no genuine issue as to any material fact is present, and the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(c). The movant carries the initial burden and must show that there is “an absence of evidence to support the nonmoving party’s case.” Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 325, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986). “Only when that burden has been met does the burden shift to the non-moving party to demonstrate that there is indeed a material issue of fact that precludes summary judgment.” Clark v. Coats & Clark, Inc., 929 F.2d 604, 608 (11th Cir.1991).

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Bluebook (online)
465 F. Supp. 2d 1290, 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 90142, 2006 WL 3615458, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/graphic-arts-mutual-insurance-v-essex-insurance-gand-2006.