Hameid v. National Fire Insurance of Hartford

71 P.3d 761, 1 Cal. Rptr. 3d 401, 31 Cal. 4th 16, 2003 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 4854, 2003 Daily Journal DAR 7357, 2003 Cal. LEXIS 4420
CourtCalifornia Supreme Court
DecidedJuly 3, 2003
DocketS104157
StatusPublished
Cited by46 cases

This text of 71 P.3d 761 (Hameid v. National Fire Insurance of Hartford) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hameid v. National Fire Insurance of Hartford, 71 P.3d 761, 1 Cal. Rptr. 3d 401, 31 Cal. 4th 16, 2003 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 4854, 2003 Daily Journal DAR 7357, 2003 Cal. LEXIS 4420 (Cal. 2003).

Opinion

Opinion

CHIN, J.

FACTS

In November 1998, plaintiff Mohammed A. Hameid opened Salon T’Shea, a beauty parlor. Hameid purchased a “Business Account Package Policy” from National Fire Insurance of Hartford (National). The policy was effective from November 2, 1998, to November 2, 2001, and provided CGL insurance, including coverage for “advertising injury” arising out of the “misappropriation of advertising ideas or style of doing business.” Salon T’Shea was located near a competitor, Bellezza Salon/Day Spa (Bellezza). Shortly after Salon T’Shea opened, Doreen Howard and Heather Billington, two Bellezza hairdressers, left Bellezza to rent work stations from Hameid, taking most of their customers with them.

In March 1999, KWP, Inc. (KWP), Bellezza’s owner, sued Hameid, Howard, and Billington for (1) misappropriation of trade secrets, (2) unfair competition, (3) breach of contract, (4) breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, (5) intentional interference with prospective economic advantage, (6) negligent interference with prospective economic advantage, (7) civil conspiracy, and (8) injunctive relief. KWP claimed that *20 all three defendants possessed “trade secrets,” including Bellezza’s “customer list, price list and pricing policies,” and that the defendants had “misappropriated the above-described trade secrets by committing certain acts, including, but not limited to: utilizing the customer list in order to identify and solicit [Bellezza’s] customers, and using [Bellezza’s] confidential price list and pricing policies to undercut [Bellezza].” As to Hameid specifically, the KWP action alleged direct misappropriation and unfair competition, conspiratorial activity with the codefendants, and an agency relationship with them.

Hameid’s own declaration established that he did no advertising, except to include a flyer in a ValPak that was sent in a mass mailing to local residents. Hameid declares: “Defendants Doreen Howard and Heather Billington rent space at Salon T’Shea which has done no advertising or soliciting for them. What Salon T’Shea does for advertising is to include a flyer in ValPak which is sent to local residents.” KWP, however, did not sue Hameid for mailing the ValPak flyer. Instead, KWP sued Hameid for stealing its customer list and soliciting its customers. Even the coupon on the flyer was not applicable to Howard’s or Billington’s services; it was restricted to other stylists: “20 percent Off Any Service. With Coupon Only. New Clients Only. Discount With Meno or Heidi Only.” 1

Hameid tendered defense of the KWP action to National under the CGL insurance policy’s “advertising injury” coverage provision, but the insurer refused to defend him. Hameid prevailed against KWP at trial. He then timely filed the present bad faith action against National for breach of contract and breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, seeking to recover defense expenses and punitive damages. The trial court struck the punitive damages claim. It also granted National’s motion for summary judgment on the ground that as a matter of law National owed Hameid no duty to defend under the relevant policy provision because the underlying lawsuit claimed misappropriation of trade secrets, and not advertising injury.

The Court of Appeal reversed the judgment, concluding National owed Hameid a duty to defend. The court relied on New Hampshire Ins. Co. v. Foxfire Inc. (N.D.Cal. 1993) 820 F.Supp. 489, 494 (Foxfire), in holding that when we view Hameid’s business as a “start-up community beauty salon,” the relatively limited solicitation of customers through phone calls and ValPak mailers served to call public attention to the salon’ beauty services. *21 The Court of Appeal concluded that solicitation was therefore equivalent to the widespread promotional activities that Foxfire found constituted advertising under the CGL insurance policy. (See also Sentex Systems, Inc. v. Hartford Acc. & Indem. Co. (N.D.Cal. 1995) 882 F.Supp. 930, 939, affd. (9th Cir. 1996) 93 F.3d 578 [advertising encompasses one-on-one and group solicitations].) Having concluded the insured’s conduct fell within the National policy’s definition of advertising activity, the court considered whether the policy covered that conduct in its coverage of “advertising injury” arising out of the “misappropriation of advertising ideas or style of doing business.” The court concluded that business marketing includes a variety of direct and indirect advertising activities, including misappropriating confidential customer lists to identify and solicit clients. We granted review.

DISCUSSION

1. General Principles

Insurance policy interpretation is a question of law. (Waller v. Truck Ins. Exchange, Inc. (1995) 11 Cal.4th 1, 18 [44 Cal.Rptr.2d 370, 900 P.2d 619].) An insurance policy is a contract between the insurer and the insured. As with all contracts, “the mutual intention of the parties at the time the contract is formed governs interpretation.” (AIU Ins. Co. v. Superior Court (1990) 51 Cal.3d 807, 821-822 [274 Cal.Rptr. 820, 799 P.2d 1253].) The parties’ intent is inferred from the “ ‘clear and explicit’ meaning of these provisions, interpreted in their ‘ordinary and popular sense,’ unless ‘used by the parties in a technical sense or a special meaning is given to them by usage’ .... Thus, if the meaning a lay person would ascribe to contract language is not ambiguous, we apply that meaning.” (Id. at p. 822.)

Liability insurers owe a duty to defend their insureds for claims that potentially fall within the policy’s coverage provisions. “The carrier must defend a suit which potentially seeks damages within the coverage of the policy.” (Gray v. Zurich Ins. Co. (1966) 65 Cal.2d 263, 275 [54 Cal.Rptr. 104, 419 P.2d 168].) However, in an action where no claim is even potentially covered, the insurer owes no duty to defend. (Buss v. Superior Court

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71 P.3d 761, 1 Cal. Rptr. 3d 401, 31 Cal. 4th 16, 2003 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 4854, 2003 Daily Journal DAR 7357, 2003 Cal. LEXIS 4420, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hameid-v-national-fire-insurance-of-hartford-cal-2003.