Intelligent Digital Systems, LLC v. Beazley Insurance

962 F. Supp. 2d 451, 2013 WL 3356051, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 94048
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. New York
DecidedJuly 3, 2013
DocketNo. 12-CV-1209 (ADS)(GRB)
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 962 F. Supp. 2d 451 (Intelligent Digital Systems, LLC v. Beazley Insurance) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District 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
Intelligent Digital Systems, LLC v. Beazley Insurance, 962 F. Supp. 2d 451, 2013 WL 3356051, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 94048 (E.D.N.Y. 2013).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OF DECISION AND ORDER

SPATT, District Judge.

This case arises from an insurance contract dispute between the Defendant Beazley Insurance Company, Inc. (“the Defendant”) and the Plaintiffs Intelligent Digital Systems, LLC (“IDS”); Russ & Russ PC Defined Benefit Pension Plan (“the Plan”); [453]*453and Jay Edmond Russ (“Russ”), all individually and as assignees of Jack Jacobs, Robert Moe, Michael Ryan and Martin McFeely, (all collectively “the Plaintiffs”). The Plaintiffs seek a judgment directing the Defendant to indemnify their insureds, Jack Jacobs, Robert Moe, Michael Ryan and Martin McFeely (collectively, “the Insureds”) under the Defendant’s Directors, Officers and Company Liability Insurance Policy (“the D&O Policy”) that was issued to Visual Management Systems, Inc. (‘VMS”) and its officers and directors. They also seek a judgment directing the Defendant to pay the sums owed by each of the Insureds to the Plaintiffs, arising from the action entitled Intelligent Digital Systems, LLC, et al. v. Visual Management Systems, Inc. et al., E.D.N.Y. Case No. 09-CV-0974 (“the Underlying Action”).

On November 27, 2012, the Court issued an Order converting the Defendant’s motion to dismiss under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure (“Fed. R. Civ.P”) 12(b)(6) to a motion for summary judgment under Fed. R.Civ.P. 56 (“the Order”). The Defendant now moves for reconsideration of the Order pursuant to Local Civil Rule 6.3. For the reasons set forth below, the Court denies the Defendant’s motion.

I. BACKGROUND

The Court assumes the parties’ familiarity with the background of this case and the Order that the Defendant now challenges. See Intelligent Digital Sys., LLC v. Beazley Ins. Co., Inc., 906 F.Supp.2d 80 (E.D.N.Y.2012). Accordingly, the Court will only repeat those facts and portions of the Order relevant to the present motion.

A. VMS’s D&O Policy

On August 11, 2008, VMS submitted an application to renew the D&O Policy (“the Renewal Application”). As part of the Renewal Application, VMS completed a questionnaire in which it answered the question “since the last renewal, has the Applicant ... had any changes in the board of directors or senior management?” in the affirmative. (Compl., Exh. A.) In its Supplement to the D & O Policy Renewal Application, VMS stated that “Jay Edmond Russ was named to the company’s Board of Directors.” (Compl., Exh. A.) The Renewal Application was executed on behalf of VMS by Jason Gonzalez (“Gonzalez”), a member of the Board and the President and CEO of VMS.

In the Renewal Application, VMS agreed that those statements included in the Renewal Application and in the supplemental materials were “the basis of the contract should a policy be issued and have been relied upon by the insurer in issuing any policy.” (Compl., Exh. A.) The Renewal Application further stipulated that “[t]his Application and materials submitted with it shall be retained on file with the Insurer and shall be deemed attached to and become part of the Policy if issued.” (Compl., Exh. A.)

After receiving the Renewal Application, the Defendant renewed the D&O Policy with a policy period from September 28, 2008 until September 28, 2009. The D & O Policy provided insurance coverage to VMS and its officers and directors, including Russ. In addition to incorporating the Renewal Application and supplemental materials, the D&O Policy incorporated “any publicly available documents that are filed by [VMS] up to one year prior to the inception date of [the D&O] Policy with the Securities and Exchange Commission or for any similar federal, state, local or foreign regulatory ageney[.]” (Compl., Exh. A.)

The D&O Policy defines “Insureds” to mean “the Directors and Officers and the Company.” (Compl., Exh. A.) It defines “Directors and Officers” to mean, in relevant part, “all persons who were, now are, [454]*454or shall be duly elected or appointed directors[.]” (Compl., Exh. A.) Under Section III.F of the D & 0 Policy, VMS is excluded from coverage “for Loss in connection with or resulting from any Claim ... by, on behalf of, or at the direction of any of the Insureds[.]” (Compl., Exh. A.) None of the exceptions to this exclusion apply to the present matter.

B. The Defendant’s Disclaimer of Coverage

On February 6, 2009, the Plaintiffs (1) declared VMS’s defaults under two promissory notes in writing; (2) accelerated all sums due; and (3) notified VMS, the Insureds and Gonzalez, of their claims and their imminent commencement of the Underlying Action. On that same date, February 6, 2009, VMS submitted its insurance claim to the Defendant via email. In the email, VMS identified Russ as “a former board member.” (Griffin Decl., Exh. 3; see also Compl., (first) ¶ 31.)

By letter dated March 17, 2009, the Defendant responded to VMS’s February 6, 2009 insurance claim. The Defendant noted that VMS’s February 6, 2009 email identified Russ as a former director on the Board, which would make Russ an insured under the D & O Policy. Thus, the Defendant stated that it believed Exclusion III.F precluded coverage for Russ’s claims against VMS and the other directors and officers. The Defendant requested that VMS provide it with the dates that Russ served as a director on the VMS board and for copies of the Consulting Agreement that had been entered into between VMS and Russ. On March 23, 2009, General Counsel for VMS, W. Geoffrey Martin, emailed the Defendant and notified it that “Russ was a member of our board of directors from April 3, 2008 to December 12, 2008.” (Griffin Deck, Exh. 1.)

By letter dated May 27, 2009, the Defendant informed VMS that coverage was not available in connection with the Underlying Action (“the Disclaimer Letter”). The Defendant asserted that Exclusion III.F was applicable, because Russ was a director on the Board from April 2008 until he resigned in December 2008.

C. The Underlying Action

On March 10, 2009, the Plaintiffs commenced the Underlying Action to recover monetary damages against VMS, the Insureds and Gonzalez by filing a Complaint in the Eastern District of New York. This Complaint was subsequently amended on March 4, 2010.

On August 30, 2010, the court (Wexler, J.) issued an order granting the Plaintiffs summary judgment against VMS in connection with its breach of its contractual obligations under the two promissory notes and the Consulting Agreement. On September 30, 2010, a Judgment was entered in favor of the Plaintiffs for the full amount due under the two promissory notes and the Consulting Agreement. This amounted to $1,833,341.65 in favor of IDS, $326,370.18 in favor of the Plan and $304,144.17 in favor of Russ, plus pre and post judgment interest. It appears that to date, no portion of the judgment has been paid and it continues to accrue interest.

Following the entry of the Judgment, on November 8, 2010, VMS filed a petition for relief under Chapter 11 in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey. Thereafter, on November 21, 2011, the case was converted to a Chapter 7 liquidation.

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962 F. Supp. 2d 451, 2013 WL 3356051, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 94048, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/intelligent-digital-systems-llc-v-beazley-insurance-nyed-2013.