Indianapolis Airport Authority v. Travelers Property Casualty Co. of America

178 F. Supp. 3d 745, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 49523, 2016 WL 1449889
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Indiana
DecidedApril 13, 2016
DocketNo. 1:13-cv-01316-JMS-MPB
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 178 F. Supp. 3d 745 (Indianapolis Airport Authority v. Travelers Property Casualty Co. of America) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. Indiana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Indianapolis Airport Authority v. Travelers Property Casualty Co. of America, 178 F. Supp. 3d 745, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 49523, 2016 WL 1449889 (S.D. Ind. 2016).

Opinion

ORDER

Hon. Jane Magnus-Stinson, Judge

Presently pending before the Court in this insurance coverage case is Plaintiff Indianapolis Airport Authority’s (“IAA”) [748]*748Motion for Partial Summary Judgment, [Filing No. 222], and Defendant Travelers Property Casualty Company of America’s (“Travelers”) Cross Motion for Summary Judgment, [Filing No. 238].1

I.

Standard op Review

A motion for summary judgment asks the Court to find that a trial is unnecessary because there is no genuine dispute as to any material fact and, instead, the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. See Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(a). As the current version of Rule 56 makes clear, whether a party asserts that a fact is undisputed or genuinely disputed, the party must support the asserted fact by citing to particular parts of the record, including depositions, documents, or affidavits. Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(c)(1)(A). A party can also support a fact by showing that the materials', cited do not establish the absence or presence of a genuine dispute or that the adverse party cannot produce admissible evidence to support the fact. Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(c)(1)(B). Affidavits or declarations must be made on personal knowledge, set out facts that would be admissible in evidence, and show that the affiant is competent to testify on matters stated. Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(c)(4). Failure to properly support a fact in opposition to a movant’s factual assertion can result in the movant’s fact being considered undisputed, and potentially in the grant of summary judgment. Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(e).

In deciding a motion for summary judgment, the Court need only consider disputed facts that are material to the decision. A disputed fact is material if it might affect the outcome of the suit under the governing law. Hampton v. Ford Motor Co., 561 F.3d 709, 713 (7th Cir.2009). In other words, while there may be facts that are in dispute, summary judgment is appropriate if those facts are not outcome determinative. Harper v. Vigilant Ins. Co., 433 F.3d 521, 525 (7th Cir.2005). Fact disputes that are irrelevant to the legal question will not be considered. Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 248, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 91 L.Ed.2d 202, 91 L.Ed. 202 (1986).

On summary judgment, a party must show the. Court what evidence it has that would convince a trier of fact to accept its version of the events. Johnson v. Cambridge Indus., 325 F.3d 892, 901 (7th Cir.2003). The moving party is entitled to summary judgment if no reasonable fact-finder could return a verdict for the non-moving party. Nelson v. Miller, 570 F.3d 868, 875 (7th Cir.2009). -The Court views the record in the light most favorable to the non-moving party and draws all reasonable inferences in that party’s favor. Darst v. Interstate Brands Corp., 512 F.3d 903, 907 (7th Cir.2008). It cannot weigh evidence or make credibility determinations on summary judgment because those tasks are left to the fact-finder. O’Leary v. Accretive Health, Inc., 657 F.3d 625, 630 (7th Cir.2011). The Court need only consider the cited materials, Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(c)(3), and the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals has “repeatedly assured the district courts that they are not required to scour every inch of the record for evidence that is potentially relevant to the summary judgment motion before them,” Johnson, 325 F.3d at 898. Any doubt as to the existence of a genuine issue' for trial is resolved against the moving party. Ponsetti v. GE Pension Plan, 614 F.3d 684, 691 (7th Cir.2010).

[749]*749“The existence of cross-motions for summary judgment does not, however, imply that there are no genuine issues of material fact.” R.J. Coman Derailment Servs., LLC v. Int’l Union of Operating Engineers, 335 F.3d 643, 647 (7th Cir.2003). Specifically, “[pjarties have different burdens of proof with respect to particular facts; different legal theories will have an effect on which facts are material; and the process of taking the facts in the light most favorable to the non-movant, first for one side and then for the other, may highlight the point that neither side has enough to prevail without a trial.” Id. at 648.

II.

GENERALLY APPLICABLE INSURANCE LAW

When the Court exercises diversity jurisdiction over an action, it is “obliged to apply state law to the substantive issues in the case.” Lodholtz v. York Risk Servs. Grp., Inc., 778 F.3d 635, 639 (7th Cir.2015) (citing Erie R.R. Co. v. Tompkins, 304 U.S. 64, 78, 58 S.Ct. 817, 82 L.Ed. 1188 (1938)). The parties do not dispute that Indiana law governs this action. Accordingly, this Court must “apply the law that would be applied by the Indiana Supreme Court.” Lodholtz, 778 F.3d at 639. “If the Indiana Supreme Court has not spoken on the issue, [the Court] generally treat[s] decisions by the state’s intermediate appellate courts as authoritative, unless there is a compelling reason to think that the state supreme court would decide the issue differently.” Id.

The Indiana Supreme Court has summarized the well-established standards for interpreting insurance policies in Indiana as follows:

Interpretation of an insurance policy presents a question of law that is particularly suitable for summary judgment. It is well settled that where there is ambiguity, insurance policies are to be construed strictly against the insurer and the policy language is viewed from the standpoint of the insured. This is especially true, where the language in question purports to exclude coverage. Insurers are free to limit the coverage of their policies, but such limitations must be clearly expressed to be enforceable. Where provisions limiting coverage are not clearly and plainly ex-pressed, the policy will be construed most favorably to the insured, to further the policy’s basic purpose of indemnity.

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178 F. Supp. 3d 745, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 49523, 2016 WL 1449889, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/indianapolis-airport-authority-v-travelers-property-casualty-co-of-insd-2016.