Home-Owners Insurance v. Allied Property & Casualty Insurance

152 F. Supp. 3d 956, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11246, 2016 WL 337453
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Michigan
DecidedJanuary 26, 2016
DocketCase No. 1:14-cv-467
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 152 F. Supp. 3d 956 (Home-Owners Insurance v. Allied Property & Casualty Insurance) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Michigan primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Home-Owners Insurance v. Allied Property & Casualty Insurance, 152 F. Supp. 3d 956, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11246, 2016 WL 337453 (W.D. Mich. 2016).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

JANET T. NEFF, United States District Judge

Plaintiff Home-Owners Insurance Company (Home-Owners) filed this suit, seéking a declaratory judgment that Defendants Allied- Property and ‘Casualty Insurance Company (Allied) and AMCO Insurance Company (AMCO) have the primary- coverage -obligation for claims arising from a motor vehicle accident. Defendants removed the diversity action to this Court. Now pending before the [959]*959Court are the parties’ cross-motions for summary judgment (Dkts. 59 & 61). Having considered the parties’ written briefs, stipulated statement of facts and accompanying exhibits, and having had the benefit of oral argument, the Court concludes that Home-Owners is properly granted summary judgment, and Defendants’ motion is properly denied.

I. BACKGROUND

This case arises from a July 30, 2013 motor vehicle accident (SMF1 ¶ 1). It is undisputed that on that date, Jason On-stott’s vehicle collided with the vehicle driven by Glenn Alan Kleinheksel, resulting in serious injuries to Kleinheksel and the death of Kleinheksel’s passenger, David J. Bremer (id. ¶¶ 1, 13). 1 Onstott owned the vehicle that he was driving during the accident (id. ¶ 2). Plaintiff HomeOwners insured the accident vehicle under an auto policy and Onstott under a .personal umbrella policy. The auto policy afforded $500,000 liability coverage for the accident vehicle (id. ¶¶ 20-21). The auto policy also provided that “[i]f [Home-Owners] make[s] a payment under this policy and the person to or for whom payment is made has a right to recover damages from another, we will be entitled to' that right” (Pl.’s Ex. A, § V(3)(a), Dkt 59-2 at Pa-geID.1072). The personal umbrella policy, which afforded $1 million in coverage (SMF ¶20, 24), provided that “[i]f other insurance covering a loss also covered by this policy is available to the insured, the insurance afforded by this policy shall be excess of such other insurance” (Pl.’s Ex. B, Conditions, Dkt 59-3 at PageID.296).

At the time of the accident, Onstott was a shareholder, officer or director and employee of Western Tel-Com (WTC) (SMF ¶ 3). Onstott, acting -in the course of his employment, was on his way to attend an interview with a prospective WTC employee (id. ¶ 4). WTC was insured under, two pertinent-policies. The first policy, Defendant Allied’s business auto policy, afforded $1 million in coverage and defined “covered autos” to include “any Auto” (id. ¶¶ 28-30). WTC’s Allied business auto policy excluded from the definition of “insured” a “[WTC] employee if the covered auto is owned by that employee or a member of his or her household ...” (id. ¶ 32). The second policy, issued by Defendant AMCO, insured WTC on the date of the accident under a $10,000,000 excess liability policy (‘WTC’s AMCO commercial umbrella policy”) (id. ¶ 37). Onstott is not a named insured under WTC’s AMCO com-mércial umbrella policy (id. ¶ 38).

Kleinheksel subsequently filed a lawsuit against Onstott and WTC, including a derivative claim ■ (“the Kleinheksel lawsuit”) (SMF ¶ 16). Marie K. Bremer, the personal representative of the Estate of David J. Bremer, also filed a lawsuit (“the Bremer lawsuit”) (id. ¶ 14). Personal Representative Bremer initially named both' Onstott and WTC as defendants, but she voluntarily dismissed WTC without' prejudice‘on May 6, 2014 (id. ¶15).

Onstott and Kurt Friedriechsen, WTC’s other shareholder, testified that at ‘the time of the accident, Onstott was “acting in the course of his employment, in good faith, at the request, and in the best interests, of his- employer, WTC, to attend an interview with a prospective WTC employee” (SMF- ¶ 4>. Onstott admitted in his November 6, 2014 deposition in the underlying lawsuits that on the day of the accident, he failed to act as a reasonably careful and prudent motor vehicle operator would have acted under the same or similar circumstances (id. ¶ 11). Onstott also admitted that he was speeding when he [960]*960ran the stop sign and collided with the vehicle being driven by Kleinheksel with passenger Bremer (id.). Defense counsel posed questions during Onstott’s January 5, 2015 deposition suggesting that On-stott’s violation of traffic laws by driving inattentively, failing to yield and running a stop sign while talking on his cell phone— -circumstances that led to the accident— precluded a finding that Onstott was acting either in good faith or in WTC’s best interests when the accident occurred (id. ¶ 5). In response to the questions posed, Onstott testified that he, did not believe that violating traffic laws, driving inattentively, running a stop sign or failing to yield the right-of-way to other automobiles were activities in WTC’s best interests (id. ¶¶ 6-10).

Onsott pled “no contest” to, and was found guilty of, one count of a Moving Violation Causing Death and one count of a Moving Violation Causing Serious Impairment of a Bodily Function, misdemeanor offenses under Mich. Comp. Laws § 257.601d (SMF ¶ 19). He was placed on six months’ probation, spent five days in jail, and paid fines and fees (id.).

On February 25, 2015, Onstott wrote to WTC’s Board of Directors and requested indemnification for all expenses, including attorney fees, judgments, penalties, fines and amounts paid in settlement that On-stott incurred in connection with' the pending lawsuits (SMF ¶48). On March 9, 2015, counsel for Allied and AMCO stated in a letter to- WTC that Allied and AMCO “do not consent, do not agree, and do not give Western Tel-Com permission to agree to such indemnification, expense and obligation” (id. ¶ 50).. In the same letter, counsel for Allied and AMCO also stated:

You are reminded that the indemnification provisions- under the Business Corporation Act prohibits indemnification of Mr. Onstott for these claims because he did not have a reasonable belief that his conduct in running a stop sign and speeding and driving inattentively was in the best interests of Western Tel-Com, and- he also had not [sic] reason to •believe such conduct was lawful, and has so stated on July 10, 2014 and January 5,2015.
Indemnification by Western Tel-Com as requested is improper, and will violate policy terms and will adversely affect any possible coverage, if there is any.

Id. ¶51.

On March 10, 2015, in a letter addressed to defense counsel, WTC informed Allied and AMCO that “WTC does not contemplate making any. voluntary payment for the indemnification claim; rather, it has provided notice to your clients of the existence of the claim and will look to your clients for coverage and payment of the claim pursuant to the referenced policies” (id.- ¶ 49). In response, counsel for Allied and AMCO stated:

It is my understanding that Jason On-stott has made a request for indemnification under the By-Laws. According to Jason Onstott’s and Kurt Freidrieeh-sen’s deposition testimony, there has been no previous request for indemnification and no corporate action accepting indemnification. To my knowledge, there has been no court action requested or filed asking for an order of indemnification. I’was merely making it unequivocal that my clients do not consent or agree to Western Tel-Com taking any corporate action to indemnify Jason On-stott or to agree to such indemnification.

Id. ¶52.

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Bluebook (online)
152 F. Supp. 3d 956, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11246, 2016 WL 337453, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/home-owners-insurance-v-allied-property-casualty-insurance-miwd-2016.