In Re Liquidation of Pine Top Ins. Co.

639 N.E.2d 168, 203 Ill. Dec. 129, 266 Ill. App. 3d 99, 1994 Ill. App. LEXIS 1139
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedAugust 11, 1994
Docket1-93-0640
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 639 N.E.2d 168 (In Re Liquidation of Pine Top Ins. Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Court of Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In Re Liquidation of Pine Top Ins. Co., 639 N.E.2d 168, 203 Ill. Dec. 129, 266 Ill. App. 3d 99, 1994 Ill. App. LEXIS 1139 (Ill. Ct. App. 1994).

Opinion

PRESIDING JUSTICE HOFFMAN

delivered the opinion of the court:

In a proceeding involving the liquidation of Pine Top Insurance Company (Pine Top), the circuit court of Cook County entered an order on January 15, 1993, approving a claim in favor of Joseph Duncavage, individually, and as administrator of the estate of Mary Beth Duncavage, deceased. The Director of Insurance of the State of Illinois (Director), acting in his capacity as liquidator of Pine Top, appeals from that order.

BACKGROUND

In June 1984, Duncavage filed a multicount complaint in the circuit court of Cook County against the owners of a residential apartment building in which Mary Beth Duncavage was killed as a result of a criminal assault by Tommy Lee Jackson. The specific facts of that suit are not pertinent to this appeal. It is sufficient to note that each of the defendants in that action, except the assailant, was covered under a primary liability insurance policy issued by Commercial Union Insurance Company which provided coverage up to $500,000 and an excess umbrella policy issued by Pine Top with a liability limit of $2 million.

In 1986, liquidation proceedings were commenced against Pine Top in the circuit court of Cook County. On January 16, 1987, an order was entered in that action finding that Pine Top was insolvent and appointing the Director as liquidator. On that same date, the court entered an order fixing the time and procedure for filing claims against Pine Top. Because of the action then pending against Pine Top’s insureds for the death of Mary Beth Duncavage, Duncavage submitted a proof of claim on October 26, 1987, to the Director for $2 million, which was the policy limit of the Pine Top policy.

On March 11, 1988, Duncavage entered into an agreement entitled "Covenant Not To Execute on Judgment” (covenant) with Pine Top’s insureds and Commercial Union. Pursuant to the terms of the covenant, Duncavage received $500,000 and agreed, inter alia, that notwithstanding any judgment that could be rendered in the then pending action against Pine Top’s insureds, not to seek to enforce any such judgment against them or Commercial Union. Additionally, the covenant provided that it should not be construed to prevent Duncavage from pursuing any claims that he may have against Pine Top Insurance Company, the Director, the Illinois Insurance Guaranty Fund, the Office of the Special Deputy representing the Director, and Tommy Lee Jackson.

On May 10, 1988, after being informed of the settlement between Duncavage and Pine Top’s insureds and Commercial Union for the coverage limit of the Commercial Union policy, the Illinois Insurance Guaranty Fund (Guaranty Fund) determined that Duncavage’s claim was a valid "covered claim” under the Illinois Insurance Code (Guaranty Fund Act) (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1987, ch. 73, par. 1065.82 et seq.), and paid Duncavage $150,000, the statutory limit on his claim (see Ill. Rev. Stat. 1987, ch. 73, par. 1065.87 — 2). As a consequence of its payment to Duncavage, the Guaranty Fund became a claimant in the liquidation of Pine Top. Ill. Rev. Stat. 1987, ch. 73, par. 1065.95.

Because Duncavage’s claim against the estate of Pine Top in liquidation remained unresolved, on November 12, 1991, he filed a petition in the liquidation proceeding seeking approval of the claim and a motion requesting a hearing date to adjudicate the claim. On January 9, 1992, the circuit court ordered the Director to make a recommendation on the Duncavage claim. On April 8, 1992, the Director recommended that Duncavage’s claim be denied and filed a motion seeking approval of that recommendation. On January 15, 1993, the circuit court approved Duncavage’s claim in the sum of $1.85 million, which was the gross claim of $2 million less the $150,000 payment received from the Guaranty Fund. The Director appeals from that order.

OPINION

In urging reversal, the Director contends that: (1) the Pine Top policy was one of indemnity and because Pine Top’s insureds did not pay any sums in excess of their primary insurance for the death of Mary Beth Duncavage, no valid claim existed against Pine Top in favor of Duncavage; (2) Duncavage’s execution of the covenant precluding recovery against Pine Top’s insureds for any amount in excess of their primary insurance extinguished any recovery under Pine Top’s policy; (3) allowing Duncavage’s claim exposed Pine Top to greater liability under its policy than its total liability would have been if it were not in liquidation; and (4) the circuit court erred by fixing the amount of Duncavage’s claim in its order of January 15, 1993.

We address first the question of whether the Pine Top policy was a liability policy or an indemnity policy. The policy provides in pertinent part:

"I. COVERAGE
To indemnify the INSURED for ULTIMATE NET LOSS, as defined hereinafter, in excess of RETAINED LIMIT, as herein stated, all sums which INSURED shall be obligated to pay by reason of the liability imposed upon the INSURED by law or liability assumed by the INSURED under contract or agreement for damages and expenses ***.”

Based upon this language, the Director contends that the policy is an indemnity policy. From this premise, the Director concludes that because Pine Top’s insureds never paid any sums in excess of their "Underlying Limit,” which was the limit of their primary insurance, for the death of Mary Beth Duncavage, there is no right of recovery under Pine Top’s policy and Duncavage’s claim in the liquidation proceeding should have been denied.

The function of a liability policy is to shield an insured from being required to make payment on a claim for which he is liable. Under an indemnity contract, the insurer agrees to pay to the insured any sums that the insured has paid or been compelled to pay on a covered claim. The substantive distinction between indemnity and liability policies is that payment of a claim by the insured is a condition precedent to an insured’s right to recover under the former, but not the latter. (11 Couch on Insurance 2d § 44:250, at 387 (M. Rhodes rev. 1982).) The liability of an insurer under a liability policy attaches at the time the liability of the insured is fixed for a covered claim; however, the liability of an insurer under an indemnity policy affixes at the time the insured makes payment on a covered claim. (6B J. Appleman & J. Appleman, Insurance Law & Practice § 4261, at 72 (1979).) In this case, the parties do not dispute that Pine Top’s insureds never made any payment tó Duncavage in excess of their primary insurance coverage. Therefore, resolving the question of whether the Pine Top policy is for liability or indemnity is critical. If the policy is one of indemnity only, no claim would lie against Pine Top absent payment by its insureds; and, as a consequence, no claim would lie against Pine Top’s estate in liquidation because the liability of an insurer in liquidation can be no greater than its liability were it not in liquidation. Ill. Rev. Stat. 1987, ch. 73, par. 821(4).

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Bluebook (online)
639 N.E.2d 168, 203 Ill. Dec. 129, 266 Ill. App. 3d 99, 1994 Ill. App. LEXIS 1139, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-liquidation-of-pine-top-ins-co-illappct-1994.