Green Construction Co. v. National Union Fire Insurance

771 F. Supp. 1000, 1991 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10588, 1991 WL 144106
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Missouri
DecidedJuly 30, 1991
Docket89-0981-CV-W-3
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 771 F. Supp. 1000 (Green Construction Co. v. National Union Fire Insurance) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Missouri primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Green Construction Co. v. National Union Fire Insurance, 771 F. Supp. 1000, 1991 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10588, 1991 WL 144106 (W.D. Mo. 1991).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

ELMO B. HUNTER, Senior District Judge.

This is a declaratory judgment action. Green Construction Company seeks a declaration of National Union Fire Insurance Company’s duty to defend Green in other litigation and to indemnify it for any judgment obtained against Green in that litigation. The issues of liability—both coverage and the duty to defend—have been submitted on stipulated facts and cross-motions for summary judgment. Because the parties have stipulated to all the material facts in this case, there is no genuine dispute of fact, and the case is ripe for summary judgment. For the reasons stated below, Green’s motion for summary judgment is granted and National Union’s motion for summary judgment is denied. 1

I. STIPULATED FACTS

In 1985, Green contracted with Kansas Power & Light Company (KPL) to build a dam. The construction was completed in 1986, but thereafter the dam settled and sometime during 1986 cracks were discovered in it. Eventually KPL had to demolish the dam and rebuild it. The cause of the settling was the inadequacy of soil incorporated into the dam. According to the results of laboratory tests performed by Terracon and Schwab/Eaton during construction of the dam, the soil met the contract specifications. It was later discovered, however, that the soil did not meet the contract specifications. Stipulation of Facts, Exhibit 29, Consultants Committee Report at 22, ¶ 5.

In 1987, Green sued KPL in federal court in Kansas for unpaid contract proceeds due under the construction contract. KPL counterclaimed in April, 1987, for breach of contract, negligence, and strict products liability; in essence, KPL was seeking recovery of damages it suffered as a result of the damage to the dam. In May, 1987, Green informed its insurance brokers of KPL’s counterclaim, and by early June, Green’s brokers had informed National Union of KPL’s counterclaim. Green considered KPL’s counterclaims to be claims covered under its general liability policy and requested National Union to defend against the counterclaims. Almost one year later, National Union denied both the claim for coverage and the request that National Union defend against the counterclaims. National Union gave two reasons for the denial: 1) because the alleged property damage occurred prior to the effective coverage date; and 2) because the kind of damage involved was not covered under the terms of the policy. National Union *1002 has since conceded that the damage occurred during the coverage period. The parties agree that the two issues 2 presented by this case are: 1) whether KPL’s claims against Green are covered under the terms of the policy; and 2) whether National Union had a duty to defend against KPL’s counterclaims against Green. 3

II. THE DUTY OF AN INSURER

TO DEFEND

Under Kansas law, an insurer has a duty to defend an insured if “any facts brought to its attention or any facts which it could reasonably discover ... give rise to a ‘potential of liability’ under the policy____” Spruill Motors, Inc. v. Universal Underwriters Ins. Co., 212 Kan. 681, 512 P.2d 403, 407 (1973). “The possibility of coverage may be remote, but if it exists, the company owes the insured a defense.” Patrons Mutual Ins. Ass ’n. v. Harmon, 240 Kan. 707, 732 P.2d 741, 744 (1987). Thus, since only the “remote possibility” of coverage triggers an insurer’s duty to defend, when a claim is indisputably covered, there can be no question that there is a duty to defend. In this case, because the Court finds that the claims against Green are covered, National Union owed to Green a duty to defend it in the litigation with KPL.

III. THE ISSUE OF COVERAGE

The policy in dispute is a standard form comprehensive general liability (hereinafter “CGL”) policy. Stipulation of Facts ¶ 3. The policy broadly covers:

all sums which the insured shall become legally obligated to pay as damages because of
A. bodily injury or
B. property damage
to which this insurance applies, caused by an occurrence____

Stipulation of Facts, Exhibit 2. National Union contends that there was no “occurrence” within the meaning of the contract and, even if there were an occurrence, several exclusions in the policy operate to eliminate coverage for this “occurrence.”

A. DEFINITION OF OCCURRENCE

First, National Union contends that the settling of the dam is not an “occurrence” because the settling of the dam was not an “accident.” The policy defines “occurrence” as “an accident, including continuous or repeated exposure to conditions, which results in ... property damage neither expected nor intended from the standpoint of the insured.” An “accident” has long been recognized to include events other than just those “happening suddenly and violently.” J. Appleman, 7A Insurance Law and Practice § 4492 (1979). “Damage within the coverage of a liability insurance policy may include that resulting from the insured’s negligence____” Taylor-Morley-Simon, Inc. v. Michigan Mutual Ins. Co., 645 F.Supp. 596, 599-600 (E.D.Mo. 1986). An “accident,” as that term is used in standard CGL policies “means that which happens by chance or fortuitously, without intention or design, and which is unexpected, unusual and unforeseen____” Missouri Terrazzo Co. v. Iowa National Mutual Ins. Co., 566 F.Supp. 546, 552 (E.D.Mo.1983).

*1003 Although Kansas courts have not squarely addressed the issue, the Kansas Supreme Court, interpreting the standard definition of “occurrence,” held that “[u]nder this policy, coverage is avoided only when an act results in intentional injury.” Spruill, 512 P.2d at 408. In a case similar to the present one, the Minnesota Supreme Court held that damages caused by the settling of a building resulting from negligent construction constituted an “occurrence” 4 within the terms of the policy. Ohio Casualty Ins. Co. v. Terrace Enterprises, Inc., 260 N.W.2d 450 (Minn. 1978). That court reasoned that because the builder’s conduct was not reckless or intentional, the settling came within the policy definition of “occurence” which included an event “neither expected nor intended from the standpoint of the insured.” Id. at 452-453.

In the present case, the settling of the dam was not caused by the reckless or intentional conduct of Green, Terracon, or Schwab/Eaton. Indeed, it was not caused by the conduct of Green at all; it was caused by the condition of the soil incorporated into the dam.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
771 F. Supp. 1000, 1991 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10588, 1991 WL 144106, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/green-construction-co-v-national-union-fire-insurance-mowd-1991.