Hoosier Insurance Co. v. Audiology Foundation of America

745 N.E.2d 300, 2001 Ind. App. LEXIS 609, 2001 WL 337951
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedApril 9, 2001
Docket79A04-0004-CV-144
StatusPublished
Cited by41 cases

This text of 745 N.E.2d 300 (Hoosier Insurance Co. v. Audiology Foundation of America) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hoosier Insurance Co. v. Audiology Foundation of America, 745 N.E.2d 300, 2001 Ind. App. LEXIS 609, 2001 WL 337951 (Ind. Ct. App. 2001).

Opinion

OPINION

ROBB, Judge.

Case Summary

Hoosier Insurance Company ("Hoosier") appeals the trial court's order denying its *303 motion for summary judgment and granting Audiology Foundation of America's ("AFA's") cross-motion for partial summary judgment. We affirm.

Issues

Hoosier raises three issues for our review which we restate as whether the trial court erred when it denied its motion for summary judgment and granted AFA's cross-motion for partial summary judgment with respect to:

1. Whether the advertising injury provisions of Hoosier's policy provide coverage to AFA for claims of false advertising, false designation of origin, and unfair competition;
2. Whether coverage is excluded under the policy's "knowledge of falsity" provision; and
3. Whether AFA can proceed on a bad faith claim against Hoosier based on Hoosier's denial of coverage or the stipulation it entered into with the American Speech Language Hearing Association ("ASHA").

Facts and Procedural History 1

The Insurance Policy

AFA is a not-for-profit corporation based in West Lafayette. At one time, AFA promoted a re-credentialing program where, for a fee, it would review documentation from a practicing audiologist and confer a credential of Doctor of Audiology, or Au.D., upon him or her based on his or her education and practical experience. The re-credentialing program was intended to be temporary, lasting only until the time that AFA anticipated that the Au.D. would be the standard entry-level degree for audiologists. AFA obtained an insurance policy with Hoosier which contained coverage and exclusions with respect to business liability, including advertising inJury liability. There were a total of three policies issued, one for each of the following policy periods: August 1, 1995 to August 1, 1996; August 1, 1996 to August 1, 1997; August 1, 1997 to August 1, 1998. 2

The coverage portion of the policy stated that "[Hoosier] will pay those sums that [AFA] becomes legally obligated to pay as damages because of ... 'advertising injury' to which this insurance applies. [Hoosier] will have the right and duty to defend any 'suit' seeking those damages. [Hoosier] may at our discretion investigate any 'occurrence' and settle any claim or 'suit' that may result." R. 85. Further, the policy stated that the insurance applied to an " 'advertising injury' caused by an offense committed in the course of advertising [AFA's] goods, products or services...." Id. However, the policy also identified exclusions, and stated that the insurance did not apply, among other things, to an advertising injury that arose "out of oral or written publication of material, if done by or at the direction of the insured with knowledge of its falsity...." R. 89.

An advertising injury was defined in the policy as meaning:

[Injury arising out of one or more of the following offenses:
a. Oral or written publication of material that slanders or libels a person or organization or disparages a person's or organization's goods, products or services;
*304 b. Oral or written publication of material that violates a person's right of privacy;
c. Misappropriation - of _- advertising ideas or style of doing business; or d. Infringement of copyright, title or slogan.

R. 98.

The Underlying Action, ASHA v. AFA

As a result of its re-credentialing program, AFA was sued by ASHA in the United States District Court for the District of Maryland. In its complaint against AFA, ASHA alleged that the activities engaged in by AFA constituted "false advertising, false designation of origin, and unfair competition in violation of Section 48(a) of the federal Lanham Act and the common law of the State of Maryland." R. 44. 3

The Declaratory Judgment Action, Hoosier v. AFA

AFA notified Hoosier of ASHA's suit against it. Thereafter, Hoosier issued a preliminary letter to AFA which stated, "[blased upon a review of the policies issued by Hoosier, the complaint and the applicable facts provided to date, the poli-cles do not provide coverage for the claims alleged in the complaint." R. 96. Hoosier additionally informed AFA in this letter that there were a number of reasons that coverage could be reduced or excluded, among them, the fact that the complaint did not seek damages; that there was not an advertising injury; that the policy excluded an advertising injury that arose out of material done by or at the direction of the insured with knowledge of its falsity or the willful violation of a penal statute or ordinance committed with the consent of the insured; and that the claims alleged in the complaint were barred to the extent that they seek indemnity in excess of the applicable limits of the policies. The letter also directed that in order for Hoosier to complete its evaluation of the claim, AFA needed to provide Hoosier with specific information and documents. AFA did forward basic information about AFA and copies of its newsletters to Hoosier.

Hoosier responded to AFA by stating that none of the offenses listed under the definition of advertising injury were alleged in ASHA's complaint and therefore, its initial position remained unchanged and it was denying coverage. After further correspondence between AFA and Hoosier, Hoosier filed a complaint for declaratory judgment against both AFA and ASHA seeking a determination that the policies did not provide coverage for the claims alleged by ASHA and thus, Hoosier did not have a duty to defend or indemnify AFA in the underlying action.

Before AFA filed an appearance in the declaratory judgment action, Hoosier entered into a stipulation with ASHA which stated that ASHA was not seeking money damages in the underlying action. The stipulation was filed with the trial court and ASHA was dismissed from the declaratory judgment action. AFA was not a party to the stipulation.

AFA filed an answer and a counterclaim alleging that Hoosier had the duty to defend and indemnify AFA for the claims asserted in the underlying action and that Hoosier acted in bad faith in denying AFA a defense or indemnification.

Hoosier filed a motion for summary judgment, asserting that there was no genuine issue of material fact in that: none of the claims fell within the coverage of the *305 Hoosier policies, the knowledge of falsity exelusion applied, and ASHA was not seeking damages within the meaning of the policies; thus, Hoosier contended that it did not have a duty to defend or indemnify AFA and was entitled to judgment in its favor on its complaint as a matter of law. Additionally, Hoosier requested summary judgment in its favor on AFA's counterclaim for bad faith. AFA subsequently filed its motion in opposition to Hoogier's motion for summary judgment and its cross-motion for partial summary judgment.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
745 N.E.2d 300, 2001 Ind. App. LEXIS 609, 2001 WL 337951, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hoosier-insurance-co-v-audiology-foundation-of-america-indctapp-2001.