HDI-Gerling America Insurance Co. v. Navigators Insurance Co.

199 F. Supp. 3d 422, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 102548, 2016 WL 4148216
CourtDistrict Court, D. Massachusetts
DecidedAugust 4, 2016
DocketCivil Action No. 15-10338-FDS
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 199 F. Supp. 3d 422 (HDI-Gerling America Insurance Co. v. Navigators Insurance Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Massachusetts primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
HDI-Gerling America Insurance Co. v. Navigators Insurance Co., 199 F. Supp. 3d 422, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 102548, 2016 WL 4148216 (D. Mass. 2016).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER ON CROSS-MOTIONS FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT

SAYLOR, District Judge

This action arises out of an insurance coverage dispute between a primary insurer and an excess insurer following the settlement of a wrongful death claim. Plaintiff HDI-Gerling America Insurance Company has filed suit against defendant Navigators Insurance Company seeking declaratory relief and alleging claims for breach of contract, breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, and violation of Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 93A. Navigators has filed counterclaims against HDI-Gerling, alleging bad faith and violation of Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 93A. Jurisdiction is based on diversity of citizenship.

The parties agreed that the potential application of the anti-subrogation rule under New York law is a threshold issue, and each party has submitted a motion for partial summary judgment on that issue. For the following reasons, the parties’ cross-motions will be denied.

[424]*424I. Background

A. Factual Background

Feeney Brothers Excavation, LLC is a construction company. In 2013, HDI-Ger-ling America Insurance Company issued two insurance policies to Feeney Brothers. (Def. SMF ¶¶ 6, 14). The first policy was a general liability policy with a limit of insurance of $1 million per occurrence (the “General Liability Policy”). (Id. ¶¶ 6-7). National Grid (more precisely, Mohawk Power Corporation, doing business as National Grid) was an additional insured under the General Liability Policy. (Pl. SMF ¶ 8).

The second policy issued to Feeney Brothers was a workers’ compensation and employer’s liability policy (the “Employer Liability Policy”). (Def. SMF ¶14). The policy provided two types of coverage: workers’ compensation coverage (Part A) and employer’s liability coverage (Part B). (Id. ¶ 15). Although the policy generally provided limits of liability of $1 million per accident, under a New York Limit of Liability Endorsement, HDI-Gerling’s liability under the Employer Liability Policy was unlimited if the underlying claim involved bodily injury that would be compensable under New York workers’ compensation law. (Id. ¶ 22; Pl. SMF ¶ 6).1 National Grid was ,not an additional insured under the Employer Liability Policy. (Def. SMF ¶ 20).

Navigators Insurance Company also issued an insurance policy to Feeney Brothers. That policy was a commercial excess insurance policy with limits of insurance of $10 million per occurrence and $10 million general aggregate (the “Navigators Excess Policy”). (Id. ¶¶ 24-25). National Grid was an additional insured under the excess policy. (Id. ¶ 27). The Navigators Excess Policy identified both the General Liability Policy and the Employer Liability Policy as underlying insurance policies. (Id. ¶28).2

Gary Thomas Feeney was an employee of Feeney Brothers Excavation LLC. On April 13, 2013, Feeney was killed in a workplace accident in New York. (Pl. SMF ¶ 2). Although there is little evidence concerning that accident in the record, it appears that he was helping to unload a 40-foot pipe from a tractor-trailer when the pipe fell on him. (Def. SMF Ex. 6). At the time of the accident, Feeney was employed by Feeney Brothers on a job it was performing under a contract with National Grid. (Pl. SMF ¶ 2).

On November 8,2013, Kelly Melvin-Fee-ney, individually and as representative of Gary Feeney’s estate, filed suit against National Grid in the Supreme Court of New York (the “Feeney Action”). (Def. SMF ¶ 1). The suit alleged that National Grid negligently caused the accident and Gary Feeney’s death. (Id. ¶ 2). National Grid sought coverage as an additional insured under the General Liability Policy and the Navigators Excess Policy. (Id. ¶5). HDI-Gerling agreed to defend and indemnify National Grid under the General Liability Policy. (Pl. SMF ¶ 17).

[425]*425HDI-Gerling eventually negotiated a global settlement of the Feeney Action that included a settlement of the wrongful-death action for a total $1,500,000 and a workers’ compensation claim payment of $250,000. (PL SMF ¶ 20; Def. SMF ¶40). The settlement was structured so that $1,500,000 would be paid under the General Liability Policy, and $250,000 would be paid under the workers’ compensation coverage portion of the Employer Liability Policy. (PI. SMF ¶¶ 20-21).3 Because the General Liability Policy had a coverage limit of $1,000,000, HDI-Gerling now seeks to recover the $500,000 “shortfall” from Navigators under the terms of the Navigators Excess Policy, which Navigators has refused to pay.

B. Procedural Background

On February 11, 2015, HDI-Gerling filed a complaint against Navigators. It filed the complaint both individually and as assignee and/or subrogee of Feeney Brothers Excavation LLC, Mohawk Power Corporation doing business as National Grid, and Kelly L. Melvin-Feeney (individually and as personal representative of the estate of Gary Thomas Feeney). The complaint contains claims for (1) declaratory relief, (2) breach of contract, (3) breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, and (4) violation of Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 93A. In substance, HDI-Gerling seeks recovery of $500,000 that it alleges Navigators owes as the issuer of the excess policy.

Navigators filed an answer that asserted five counterclaims: (1) bad faith; (2) equitable subrogation; (3) breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing; (4) violation of Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 93A; and (5) declaratory relief. The counterclaims for equitable subrogation and breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing have been dismissed, leaving only the counterclaims for bad faith, violation of Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 93A, and declaratory judgment.

II. Legal Standard

The role of summary judgment is to “pierce the pleadings and to assess the proof in order to see whether there is a genuine need for trial.” Mesnick v. General Elec. Co., 950 F.2d 816, 822 (1st Cir.1991) (internal quotation marks omitted). Summary judgment is appropriate when the moving party shows that “there is no genuine dispute as to any material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(a). “Essentially, Rule 56[ ] mandates the entry of summary judgment ‘against a party who fails to make a showing sufficient to establish the existence of an element essential to that party’s case, and on which that party will bear the burden of proof at trial.’” Coll v. PB Diagnostic Sys., 50 F.3d 1115, 1121 (1st Cir.1995) (quoting Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 322, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986)). In making that determination, the court must view “the record in the light most favorable to the nonmovant, drawing reasonable inferences in his favor.” Noonan v. Staples, Inc., 556 F.3d 20, 25 (1st Cir.2009).

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199 F. Supp. 3d 422, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 102548, 2016 WL 4148216, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hdi-gerling-america-insurance-co-v-navigators-insurance-co-mad-2016.