In Re New England Marine Services, Inc.

174 B.R. 391, 1994 Bankr. LEXIS 1786, 1994 WL 665880
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, E.D. New York
DecidedNovember 15, 1994
Docket8-19-71019
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 174 B.R. 391 (In Re New England Marine Services, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, E.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In Re New England Marine Services, Inc., 174 B.R. 391, 1994 Bankr. LEXIS 1786, 1994 WL 665880 (N.Y. 1994).

Opinion

DECISION ON MOTIONS FOR PRELIMINARY INJUNCTIONS

CONRAD B. DUBERSTEIN, Chief Judge.

This matter comes before the Court upon orders to show cause dated January 26,1994, brought on by New England Marine Services, Inc. (“NEMS”) and Bunker Group Virginia, Inc. (“BGV”) (hereinafter collectively referred to as the “Debtors”) 1 seeking preliminary injunctions enjoining Water Quality Insurance Syndicate (“WQIS”) from cancel-ling pollution liability insurance it provides to them. The Debtors allege that the cancellation of their insurance by WQIS violates the stay imposed by section 362 of the Bankruptcy Code (“Code”). 2 After a series of hearings on the motions, the Court reserved its decision and determined that preliminary injunctions would remain in effect until it renders its ultimate decision.

I. Facts

The Debtors are related marine fuel and transport companies. Peter Frank (“Frank”) is the current president of the two Debtor corporations.

Although the Debtors have restricted the scope of their fuel sale operations, they continue to own and operate numerous tugboats and barges throughout the coastal waters of the United States and Puerto Rico. Marine companies, including the Debtors, are required by federal law to maintain various types and amounts of insurance coverage. 3 In 1990, to obtain the required pollution coverage, the Debtors contacted Windward International Inc. (“Windward”), an insurance broker. Windward contacted various underwriters, and eventually arranged for WQIS, a conglomerate of numerous insurance underwriters primarily serving the marine industry, to underwrite said insurance. Through Windward, WQIS and the Debtors entered into numerous insurance agreements between 1991 and 1994.

Because Windward acted as their intermediary, there was no direct dealing between the Debtors and WQIS until commencement of this case. 4 All communications between WQIS and the Debtors were filtered through Windward, and all documentation received by the Debtors, except for certain quotation schedules, 5 were on Windward’s letterhead.

While covered by WQIS’s insurance, severe financial difficulties prompted the Debtors to file their voluntary petitions and seek relief under Chapter 11 of the Code. NEMS filed on November 20,1992 and BGV filed on December 4th, 1992. Frank remained the principal of both debtors-in-possession pursuant to sections 1107 and 1108 of the Code.

*394 Although covered by WQIS’s insurance at all pertinent times, the Debtors never received an officially authorized WQIS “policy” until February 1993, as discussed below. However, each year prior thereto, the Debtors received documentation from Windward evidencing insurance agreements reached between it and WQIS as set forth as follows.

Pertinent Facts in 1991

On March 13,1991, the Debtors received a “facsimile policy”, from ‘Windward”, on Windward’s letterhead. 6 The cover letter which accompanied this facsimile policy reads in pertinent part as follows:

While awaiting the actual WQIS Policy which has not yet been issued we [ (Windward) ] have prepared the enclosed facsimile policy.

Debtors’ Trial Exhibit A.

The facsimile policy entitled “By This Policy of Insurance” stated that it was “[s]ubject to WQIS policy to be issued”. 7 The facsimile policy was sent by Windward to the Debtors because WQIS had not yet issued its actual policy. It simply served as a clarification of the vessels that the policy covered and a base upon which endorsements could be issued.

Pertinent Facts in 1992

In 1992, as in the previous year, neither the Debtors nor Windward received an official policy from WQIS. At trial, however, the Debtors produced a document covering 1992 which contained language and information similar to that contained in the prior years facsimile “policy of insurance.” This document also included the statement, “[s]ubjeet to WQIS policy to be issued.” 8

Pertinent Facts in 199S

In January of 1993, as part of the agreement for that year, Windward sent another document to the Debtors, although this one was entitled “Confirmation of Insurance.” 9 It, like the aforementioned 1991 and 1992 facsimile policies, included the condition that it was “[s]ubject to WQIS Policy to be issued.” 10 Hence, for the third successive year, the Debtors had not received an officially authorized policy from WQIS. 11 The reason for this, according to Richard Hobbie (“Hobbie”), WQIS’s President, was that WQIS’s official policy was in a state of flux due to the passage of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, 12 which created the need for the revision of WQIS’s standard policy form. However, by no means were the Debtors operating without pollution insurance. 13

Finally, in February of 1993, WQIS completed the revision of its policy form, and it issued it to all WQIS producers, including Windward. At the top of the revised form appeared the title ‘Water Quality Insurance Syndicate Policy Form — 1992”. 14 This revised form contained many of the provisions in WQIS’s prior standard policy form including an at-will cancellation clause, 15 now “Sec *395 tion H,” which reads in pertinent part as follows:

Either WQIS or the Assured may cancel the policy, or any part thereof, for any reason, by giving the other party thirty days’ notice of such intention in writing.

WQIS Trial Exhibit 7.

The Debtors claim that they never saw this revised policy form and assert that they never knew such a cancellation clause ever existed. Only Windward received a copy of this policy form, and according to the evidence, never passed it on to the Debtors.

In November of 1993, WQIS informed Windward, and not the Debtors, that, in accordance with “Section H” of the 1993 policy, all coverage of the Debtors’ vessels would be terminated in thirty days. 16 At the time Windward received this letter, it was in possession of WQIS’s 1993 policy form which explicitly contained “Section H.” Specifically, the intended termination by WQIS was due to grave concerns that it had regarding the operations and management of the Debtors. 17

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Bluebook (online)
174 B.R. 391, 1994 Bankr. LEXIS 1786, 1994 WL 665880, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-new-england-marine-services-inc-nyeb-1994.