Great American Lloyds Insurance Co. v. Audubon Insurance Co.

377 S.W.3d 802, 2012 Tex. App. LEXIS 6459, 2012 WL 3156571
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedAugust 6, 2012
DocketNo. 05-11-00021-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 377 S.W.3d 802 (Great American Lloyds Insurance Co. v. Audubon Insurance Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Great American Lloyds Insurance Co. v. Audubon Insurance Co., 377 S.W.3d 802, 2012 Tex. App. LEXIS 6459, 2012 WL 3156571 (Tex. Ct. App. 2012).

Opinion

OPINION

Opinion By

Justice LANG-MIERS.

This is a dispute between two insurance carriers that provided consecutive coverage to a mutual insured. Appellee Audubon Insurance Company sought contribution and reimbursement from appellant Great American Lloyds Insurance Company for defense and settlement costs it incurred allegedly as the result of Great American’s breach of its duty to defend and indemnify their mutual insured. The parties filed cross-motions for summary judgment, and the trial court granted Audubon’s and denied Great American’s. Great American contends the trial court erred. We affirm the trial court’s judgment.

Background

Holigan Family Investment, Inc., a hom-ebuilder, purchased two policies of commercial general liability insurance from Great American providing coverage from July 1, 1995, through July 1, 1996, and from July 1, 1996, through July 1, 1997. Audubon and other insurance companies provided consecutive commercial general liability coverage to the homebuilder from July 1,1997, through April 1, 2002.

In December 2001, David and Marilyn DeShields (the homeowners) sued the homebuilder in Harris County alleging that the homebuilder negligently constructed their home. They also sued their own homeowners insurance carrier, Prudential Property and Casualty, alleging negligent claims handling. The homeowners alleged that the exterior balcony of their home was constructed in a defective manner and allowed water to enter the home. They also alleged that although the homebuilder attempted to make repairs, it did so in a negligent manner. Additionally, the homeowners alleged that the HVAC system was negligently installed and resulted in intermittent condensation that dripped outside the pan onto the attic floor. And they alleged that as a result of the negligence of the homebuilder, its employees, and its contractors, toxic mold grew in the walls of the home, potentially exposing the homeowners and their child to biohazardous organisms.

Great American, Audubon, and the other insurers agreed to defend the homebuilder against the homeowners’- claims. Great American agreed to pay one-third of the defense costs. About a year later, however, Great American withdrew its agreement to contribute to the homebuilder’s defense costs. It concluded that, based on discovery in the lawsuit, the earliest date any damage occurred was around March 30, 1998, which was outside its policy period, and that it did not have a duty to defend or indemnify the homebuilder. Audubon and the other insurers continued to defend the homebuilder. Prudential settled the homeowners’ claims against it, and the homeowners nonsuited the Harris County lawsuit.

The homeowners re-filed their lawsuit against the homebuilder in Dallas County; Prudential intervened. Audubon and the other insurers continued to represent the homebuilder and ultimately settled the case with the homeowners and Prudential. Audubon then sued Great American for contribution and reimbursement of defense and settlement costs. Audubon contended that Great American breached its contract with the homebuilder by withdrawing its defense and refusing to indemnify the homebuilder. Both Audubon and Great [806]*806American moved for summary judgment on the duties to defend and indemnify; Audubon’s motion was for partial summary judgment. For simplicity, we will refer to Audubon’s motion for partial summary judgment as simply a motion for summary judgment. The court granted Audubon’s motion and reserved the issue of attorney’s fees for trial. The parties then stipulated as to attorney’s fees, and the trial court issued a final judgment.

In one issue with multiple sub-issues on appeal, Great American contends the trial court erred by granting Audubon’s motion and denying Great American’s motion.

Standard of Review

When both parties move for summary judgment and the trial court grants one motion and denies the other, we consider the summary judgment evidence presented by both sides and determine all questions presented. Midr-Continent Cas. Co. v. Global Enercom Mgmt., Inc., 323 S.W.3d 151, 154 (Tex.2010). If we conclude that the trial court erred, we will render the judgment the trial court should have rendered. Id. When a trial court’s order does not specify the ground upon which it granted summary judgment, we will affirm the summary judgment if any ground is meritorious. FM Props. Operating Co. v. City of Austin, 22 S.W.3d 868, 872 (Tex.2000).

GREAT American’s Traditional Motion for Summary Judgment

In four sub-issues, Great American contends its traditional motion for summary judgment should have been granted for the following reasons: (1) its duty to defend was not triggered because the petition did not allege facts sufficient to show that bodily injury or property damage occurred during Great American’s policy period; (2) its duty to defend was not triggered because an exclusion applied to preclude coverage; (3) Audubon’s claim for breach of contract of Great American’s 1995-96 policy was barred by limitations; and (4) all of Audubon’s claims are barred by the supreme court’s decision in Mid-Continent Insurance Co. v. Liberty Mutual Insurance Co., 236 S.W.3d 765 (Tex.2007).

A.

Duty to Defend

Great American contends it did not have a duty to defend the homebuilder. We disagree.

An insurer’s duty to defend arises when a third party sues the insured on allegations that potentially state a cause of action within the terms of the policy, without regard to the truth or falsity of the allegations. Zurich Am. Ins. Co. v. Nokia, Inc., 268 S.W.3d 487, 491 (Tex.2008); Gehan Homes, Ltd. v. Employers Mut. Cas. Co., 146 S.W.3d 833, 838 (Tex.App.-Dallas 2004, pet. denied). The duty to defend is determined under the “eight corners rule” — that is, by examining the allegations in the underlying pleadings and the language of the insurance policy. Nokia, 268 S.W.3d at 491; Gehan Homes, 146 S.W.3d at 838. We consider the allegations in light of the policy provisions, giving the allegations in the petition a liberal interpretation in favor of the insured and resolving all doubts in favor of the insured. Nokia, 268 S.W.3d at 491; Gehan Homes, 146 S.W.3d at 838. If the pleadings do not state facts sufficient to show that the cause of action is clearly covered or not covered, “the general rule is that the insurer is obligated to defend if there is, potentially, a case under the complaint within the coverage of the policy.” Nokia, 268 S.W.3d at 491 (quoting Heyden Newport Chem. Corp. v. S. Gen. Ins. Co., 387 S.W.2d 22, 26 [807]*807(Tex.1965)); Gehan Homes, 146 S.W.3d at 838.

Injury or Damage During the Policy Period

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377 S.W.3d 802, 2012 Tex. App. LEXIS 6459, 2012 WL 3156571, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/great-american-lloyds-insurance-co-v-audubon-insurance-co-texapp-2012.