Great American Insurance v. Jefferson County Commission

776 F. Supp. 2d 1252, 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 143821, 2010 WL 6488985
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Alabama
DecidedNovember 15, 2010
DocketCivil Action 2:08-cv-01687-AKK
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 776 F. Supp. 2d 1252 (Great American Insurance v. Jefferson County Commission) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Alabama primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Great American Insurance v. Jefferson County Commission, 776 F. Supp. 2d 1252, 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 143821, 2010 WL 6488985 (N.D. Ala. 2010).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION 1

ABDUL K. KALLON, District Judge.

The court has before it Defendant/Counterclaim Plaintiff B.L. Harbert International, LLC’s (“BLH”) Motion for Summary Judgment, (doc. 48), 2 and Plaintiff/Counterclaim Defendant Great American Insurance Company’s (“GAIC”) Motion for Summary Judgment, (doc. 91). Defendant/Counterclaim Plaintiff the Jefferson County Commission (“the JCC”) adopts and incorporates BLH’s arguments, (doc. 96).

In short, GAIC underwrote a Builder’s Risk Policy (“the Policy”) for the JCC’s renovation of the Five Mile Creek Waste-water Treatment Plant, which included the construction of the New Headworks Facility. The JCC hired BLH as the general contractor for the renovation and Hendon Engineering for the engineering work. On December 16, 2007, the New Head-works Facility flooded, causing extensive damage. GAIC denied claim coverage and now seeks a declaratory judgment that the Policy for that structure terminated prior to the flood and that GAIC has no obligation or liability to any insured for the occurrence. BLH cross-moves, seeking summary judgment on its breach of contract claim and an award of damages.

For the reasons stated below, the court DENIES GAIC’s motion for summary judgment and GRANTS, in part, BLH’s motion for summary judgment. As previously contemplated by the court, the parties are entitled to further discovery on damages and the court therefore DENIES BLH’s motion to the extent it seeks a computation of damages. 3 Within twenty- *1255 one (21) days of the date of this order, the parties shall submit a joint status report setting forth what further discovery on damages, if any, is required, and a reasonable schedule for completing that discovery and briefing any remaining disputes.

I. FACTS 4

A. The Project

On June 7, 2005, the JCC awarded a contract to BLH, naming it the general contractor on the Five Mile Creek Waste-water Treatment Modifications Project (the “Five Mile Project”), which was projected to take three years. Doc. 93-1 at 7-9 (Dep. pp. 18, 25-26). The JCC undertook the Five Mile Project to expand and upgrade existing facilities at the sewage treatment plant to, inter alia, increase the average daily flow capacity, increase the peak flow storage capacity, provide effluent filtration of the flows, and provide ultraviolet disinfection of the flows. Doc. 93-1 at 5 (Dep. p. 16). The upgrade and expansion was prompted, at least in part, by a modification in the JCC’s National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (“NPDES”) permit, 5 to increase peak flows. Id.

The Five Mile Project contained several components, including the construction of the New Headworks Facility. In addition to housing the influent pumps, the New Headworks Facility was designed to “include[ ] screening, grit removal, ... aeration blowers, auxiliary generators and a control system to control that system.” Id. at 7 (Dep. p. 18). Additionally, one objective of the Five Mile Project was to automate the treatment plant, including the New Headworks Facility. Id. For the automation, BLH hired subcontractor United Controls Corporation (“UCC”) to develop and install a SCADA 6 control system, which would eventually run the entire plant, including the New Headworks Facility. Id. at 28-31 (Dep. pp. 173-77); Doc. 61 at 33-34 (Dep. pp. 32-33); 93-11 at 2. The contract required the existing waste-water facilities to remain in use during the construction. Doc. 93-1 at 9 (Dep. p. 26).

B. The Policy

The contract between BLH and the JCC required BLH to participate in Jefferson County’s Owner Controlled Insurance Program (“the OCIP”). Doc. 50 at 95. Under the OCIP, Jefferson County procured the Policy from GAIC. Doc. 60. GAIC issued Policy No. IMP601-41-13-01 with effective dates of coverage from November 15, 2007, to November 15, 2008, to the JCC as a Named Insured. Id. at 2. Endorsement Form IL 71 25 (Ed. 10/92) later added “All Contractors & Sub-Contractors” as Named Insureds. Id. at 4.

With respect to termination, the Policy provides:

6. When Coverage Begins and Ends
We cover from the time the Covered Property is at your risk starting on or after the date this policy begins.
This coverage will end on each structure when any of the following occurs:
a. the purchaser accepts it;
b. your interest in the Covered Property ceases; or you abandon the construction;
c. 90 days after the structure is “substantially completed” (if no work on *1256 the structure has taken place during that period);
d. when a structure is occupied or put to its intended use, without our written consent;
e. any other insurance covers the property as a completed building or structure;
f. this Coverage Form is cancelled; or
g. the end of the policy period.

Id. at 12.

C. New Headworks Facility Pump Installation

The New Headworks Facility, which was scheduled for completion prior to completion of the entire Five Mile Project, 7 houses the influent pumps. Doc. 93-1 at 7, 18-19 (Dep. pp. 18, 161-62). Before their installation, the new Flowserve pumps passed a required factory testing in October 2007. Id. at 14-15, 36-37 (Dep. pp. 61-62, 226-27). After their installation in October, the JCC began running the new pumps intermittently. 8 Id. at 36-38 (Dep. pp. 226-28). On November 7, 2007, 9 the New Headworks Facility pumps began running on a continuous basis. Doc. 93-4 at 3-4 (Dep. pp. 50-51); Doc. 93-5.

D. State of Construction at the Time of the Flood

Beginning at approximately 11:30 p.m. on December 15, 2007, and continuing through the early morning hours of December 16, 2007, a flood occurred in the New Headworks Facility. Doc. 93-6 at 3. Robert Holbrook (“Holbrook”), the Project Engineer for the Five Mile Project, later concluded that the control system installed by UCC improperly took the pumps out of service, which caused the flood. Doc. 93-1 at 34 (Dep. p. 199).

BLH identified the following items at the New Headworks Facility that were uncompleted at the time of the flood: 10

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776 F. Supp. 2d 1252, 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 143821, 2010 WL 6488985, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/great-american-insurance-v-jefferson-county-commission-alnd-2010.