Imagine Ins. Co., Ltd. v. State Ex Rel. Dept. of Financial Services

999 So. 2d 693, 2008 WL 5220645
CourtDistrict Court of Appeal of Florida
DecidedDecember 16, 2008
Docket1D07-6027
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 999 So. 2d 693 (Imagine Ins. Co., Ltd. v. State Ex Rel. Dept. of Financial Services) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court of Appeal of Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Imagine Ins. Co., Ltd. v. State Ex Rel. Dept. of Financial Services, 999 So. 2d 693, 2008 WL 5220645 (Fla. Ct. App. 2008).

Opinion

999 So.2d 693 (2008)

IMAGINE INSURANCE CO., LTD., Appellant,
v.
STATE of Florida ex rel. the DEPARTMENT OF FINANCIAL SERVICES of the State of Florida, and American Superior Insurance Company, a Florida Corporation, Appellees.

No. 1D07-6027.

District Court of Appeal of Florida, First District.

December 16, 2008.
Rehearing Denied January 26, 2009.

*694 James A. McKee and Christopher M. Kise of Foley & Lardner, LLP, Tallahassee, for Appellant.

Jody Collins of Florida Department of Financial Services, Miami, and Helen Ann Hauser of Restani, Dittmar & Hauser, P.A., Coral Gables, for Appellees.

KAHN, J.

Imagine Insurance Company ("Imagine") appeals an order granting summary judgment in favor of appellee Department of Financial Services ("Department") and denying Imagine's motion for summary judgment. This case involves the interpretation of a structured reinsurance contract ("Contract") between Imagine and appellee American Superior Insurance Company ("American Superior"), a Florida property and casualty insurer. Imagine makes two claims regarding the trial court's construction of the Contract: (1) the court erred in finding Imagine wrongfully retained an offset of $630,000 when it paid the policy limit of $2,000,000; and (2) the trial court erred in finding Imagine could not recover the Non-Renewal Charge as provided in the Contract. We reverse.

I. BACKGROUND

Effective June 1, 2004, the Contract required American Superior to pay a premium of $900,000 per year in exchange for Imagine's agreement to reimburse American Superior for up to $2,000,000 per year in losses. Pursuant to the Contract, "[t]he non-refundable first installment of $270,000 [was] due and payable on June 1, 2004" and "[t]he remaining three installments in an amount of $210,000 each installment, [were] due and payable on September 1 and December 1, 2004 and March 1, 2005." As part of the Contract, a Trust Agreement created a $1,000,000 account at Wachovia Bank, funded by American Superior for the sole benefit of Imagine.

American Superior suffered a major hurricane loss in August 2004 for which Imagine paid the coverage limits, less the three quarterly premiums that were scheduled to be paid in future months. Almost immediately American Superior experienced insolvency. On September 29, 2004, the circuit court issued a Consent Order of rehabilitation appointing the Department as Receiver of American Superior. Among other things, the Consent Order vested all of American Superior's property rights in the Receiver, placed the Receiver in charge of any reinsurance premiums or recoveries, ordered all banks *695 and financial institutions to transfer American Superior's assets to the Receiver without executing any set-off rights, and prohibited any transfers of assets without the Receiver's consent.

When notified of the Consent Order, Imagine gave 30 days' notice of its intent to terminate the Contract pursuant to the Contract's Special Termination provisions, specifically paragraph (b), subsections (2) and (3). The termination became effective November 4, 2004. Imagine also advised that, "in accordance with the Contract's Special Termination provisions, the Commutation provisions of the Contract are triggered" and that, "[a]s a result of the contractually mandated Commutation and the applicable Non Renewal Charge provision, the Non Renewal Charge of $959,000 (70% of the absolute value of the negative experience account balance, currently valued at $1,370,000) (the `Non Renewal Charge') is due from American Superior and is payable to Imagine on November 2, 2004."

On December 15, 2004, the circuit court entered an order appointing the Department as Receiver for purposes of liquidation. In response to a demand by the Receiver, pursuant to section 631.154, Florida Statutes,[*] Imagine asserted, in February 2005, a right to recover and retain its Non-Renewal Charge of $959,000, to be paid from the trust assets. The Receiver denied this charge was payable. Pointing out that Imagine elected to terminate the contract, the Receiver demanded repayment of unearned premium previously deducted by Imagine as well as release of the trust assets. With the issues thus framed and after some discovery, both parties moved for summary judgment.

In the Order on Motions for Summary Judgment, the court concluded:

E. Imagine Insurance Company wrongfully retained on August 25, 2004, $630,000 of the $2,000,000 indemnity payable when it paid $1,370,000, rather than the $2,000,000 policy limit because there were no installments due at the time Imagine Insurance Company deducted the same and Imagine Insurance Company had no right to accelerate the due date of future premium installments.
F. The Receiver does acknowledge, however, that Imagine Insurance Company is entitled to the premium that was earned during the time the policy was in effect. A simple proration of the premium earned from September 1, 2004, through November 4, 2004, the date Imagine Insurance Company cancelled the contract, reveals that Imagine Insurance Company would be entitled to $114,658.25, for which Imagine Insurance Company may file an unsecured claim in this Receivership.
G. By cancelling the contract on November 4, 2004, Imagine Insurance Company rendered itself unable to claim a non-renewal charge.
H. On September 29, 2004, when American Superior Insurance Company *696 was placed in rehabilitation, no claim had been made by Imagine Insurance Company on the trust account at Wachovia Bank and on and after said date the Order of this Court prevented any attempt by Imagine Insurance Company to perfect a security interest therein. Thus, the entire $1,000,000 trust account is property of the Receivership estate which the Receiver is authorized to claim.

The court directed Wachovia Bank to turn over to the Receiver "all funds which it presently holds pursuant to the Trust Agreement." The court further directed that the Receiver recover from Imagine the sum of $630,000, with interest at the statutory rate from August 23, 2004, and alloted to Imagine an allowed unsecured claim for earned premium in the amount of $114,658.25.

II. ANALYSIS

A. Standard of Review

"The trial court's interpretation of the contract is a matter of law subject to a de novo standard of review." Jenkins v. Eckerd Corp., 913 So.2d 43, 49 (Fla. 1st DCA 2005). "It is a fundamental rule of contract interpretation that a contract which is clear, complete, and unambiguous does not require judicial construction." Jenkins, 913 So.2d at 50. The determination of whether a contract, or a term therein, is ambiguous also presents a question of law subject to de novo review. See, e.g., Univ. of Miami v. Frank, 920 So.2d 81 (Fla. 3d DCA 2006); Strama v. Union Fid. Life Ins. Co., 793 So.2d 1129, 1132 (Fla. 1st DCA 2001); Centennial Mortgage, Inc. v. SG/SC, Ltd., 772 So.2d 564, 566 (Fla. 1st DCA 2000). "[I]f the facts of the case are not in dispute, the court will also be able to resolve the ambiguity as a matter of law." Strama, 793 So.2d at 1132; accord, e.g., Team Land Dev., Inc. v. Anzac Contractors, Inc., 811 So.2d 698, 699-700 (Fla. 3d DCA 2002).

B. Premium Offset

Applying these principles, we find Imagine appropriately deducted the $630,000 in premiums not yet paid from the loss payment to American Superior, pursuant to the provisions in the Contract.

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Bluebook (online)
999 So. 2d 693, 2008 WL 5220645, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/imagine-ins-co-ltd-v-state-ex-rel-dept-of-financial-services-fladistctapp-2008.