J.B.D. Construction, Inc. v. Mid-Continent Casualty Company

571 F. App'x 918
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
DecidedJuly 11, 2014
Docket13-10138
StatusUnpublished
Cited by28 cases

This text of 571 F. App'x 918 (J.B.D. Construction, Inc. v. Mid-Continent Casualty Company) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
J.B.D. Construction, Inc. v. Mid-Continent Casualty Company, 571 F. App'x 918 (11th Cir. 2014).

Opinion

FULLER, District Judge:

This case involves an insurance coverage dispute between Mid-Continent Casualty Company (“MCC”) and its insured, J.B.D. Construction, Inc. (“J.B.D.”). On cross-motions for summary judgment, the district court found that MCC had neither a duty to defend nor a duty to indemnify J.B.D. in an underlying defective construction suit brought by Sun City Center Community Association, Inc. (“Sun City”). J.B.D. appeals the district court’s ruling, arguing that MCC breached its contractual duty to defend by failing to appoint counsel and to pay investigative fees and that MCC is also obligated to indemnify it for the value of its settlement with Sun City. J.B.D. also requests that this Court remand the suit back to the district court to determine which consequential damages, if any, it is entitled to as a result of MCC’s breach of its duty of defense. After careful review, and with the benefit of oral argument, we hold that MCC had a duty to defend J.B.D. against Sun City in the underlying litigation and that MCC breached that duty by failing to provide any semblance of a defense to J.B.D. We further hold that MCC did not have a duty to indemnify J.B.D. for the value of J.B.D.’s settlement with MCC. Accordingly, we AFFIRM IN PART and REVERSE IN PART and REMAND the case back to the district court to determine whether and to what extend MCC’s breach entitles J.B.D. to consequential damages.

I. FACTS AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

I. Underlying Lawsuit

On July 23, 2004, J.B.D. entered into a written contract with Sun City for the construction of a fitness center. J.B.D. and Sun City agreed that the fitness center would be constructed as an addition to an existing “Atrium” building. The existing “Atrium” building would be physically joined with the fitness center at the buildings’ roof lines. Under a series of pre-construction Change Orders, Sun City agreed to purchase the pre-fabricated components of the fitness center, such as the building shell, slab concrete, building block, and rubber flooring. J.B.D.’s corporate representative acknowledged that the project included assembling the fitness center and installing everything needed to make it a complete building, such as air conditioning, electrical, and plumbing. The project did not include furnishing or supplying fitness equipment. J.B.D., in its role as general contractor, retained a number of subcontractors and material suppliers to install Sun City’s Change Order components. J.B.D. also obtained a performance bond to cover their contractual obligations as well as a conditional payment bond. Sun City purchased and accepted delivery of the components, and J.B.D. began construction. Construction was finished on January 18, 2007.

Beginning in the spring of 2007, Sun City and J.B.D. noticed damage caused by water leaks in the fitness center’s roof, *920 windows, and doors. This damage included rusting steel, peeling paint, and blistering. and discolored stucco. In response, the parties took a series of steps to repair the damage and to eliminate the leaks. Despite those efforts, Sun City refused to release the final payment because it believed the construction to be deficient. In October 2008, J.B.D. initiated a lawsuit against Sun City in the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit in Hillsborough County, Florida seeking full payment under the construction contract (hereinafter, “Sun City Litigation”). Sun City then filed a three count Counterclaim against J.B.D. for Breach of Contract (Count I), Breach of Section 553.84 Fla. Stat. (Count II); and Negligence (Count III) (hereinafter, “Sun City Counterclaim”).

The Counterclaim alleged that J.B.D. breached its contractual obligations to provide labor, services, and materials in a workmanlike manner. The Counterclaim also alleged that J.B.D. breached its duty of care and that construction defects and deficiencies by J.B.D. violated minimal building codes and caused damage to the building. It further alleged that these defects and deficiencies caused “damages to the interior of the property, other building components and materials, and other, consequential and resulting damages” and “damage to other property.”

MCC had sold two Commercial General Liability (“CGL”) policies to J.B.D. covering the timeframe relevant to this suit, December 2006 through December 2008 (“MCC Policy”). 1 On May 6, 2009, J.B.D. tendered the Sun City Counterclaim to MCC for a defense and indemnification. On May 21, 2009, MCC sent a Reservation of Rights letter informing J.B.D. that it was investigating whether the MCC Policy covered any of Sun City’s claims. The letter also identified and addressed various coverage exclusions MCC believed would affect its obligation to defend or indemnify. On May 26, 2009 and June 1, 2009, J.B.D.’s counsel followed up with MCC to determine whether MCC would be providing J.B.D. with a defense. MCC represented that J.B.D.’s request was “in process” but did not otherwise respond to J.B.D.

On July 15, 2009, after a series of investigations, J.B.D. agreed to settle Sun City’s claims for $181,750.94, an amount less than Sun City’s pre-mediation demand. J.B.D. funded the settlement from its own accounts on August 3, 2009. Shortly thereafter, J.B.D. notified MCC of its settlement and requested contribution and reimbursement under the MCC Policy for damages and legal costs incurred as a result of litigating the Sun City Counterclaim. Approximately a year later, on July 27, 2010, J.B.D. again contacted MCC, demanding reimbursement and threatening to pursue legal remedies if MCC did not respond. On August 17, 2010, J.B.D. again contacted MCC to demand reimbursement and to state its intention to sue if MCC did not reimburse it for settlement costs.

On October 12, 2010, MCC mailed J.B.D. a check for $5,717.77 to cover its defense obligation under the MCC Policy. MCC determined it owed J.B.D. $10,717.77 for attorney’s fees and costs minus the $5,000 policy deductible, covering the time J.B.D. tendered suit to MCC through the completion of the settlement. In response, on October 28, 2010, J.B.D. sent MCC a letter insisting that MCC owed it a full reimbursement of the $181,750.94 settlement value and requesting confirmation that it could accept the $5,717.77 check as partial payment of that amount. J.B.D. *921 also indicated its intention to file a bad faith suit against MCC if MCC did not submit the remaining balance by November 9, 2010. MCC responded on November 29, 2010, stating that “it placed no restrictions with regards to negotiation of the reimbursement check” but requested information about the basis for J.B.D.’s claim. On December 30, 2010, J.B.D. again sent MCC a letter re-iterating its belief that MCC owed it a full reimbursement under the MCC Policy’s contractual duty to defend and duty to indemnify. J.B.D. also noted that it filed a Civil Remedy Notice of Insurer Violations with the Florida Division of Financial Services on September 10, 2010 2 and threatened to initiate suit if MCC did not submit the full payment by January 10, 2010.

2. MCC Policy Provisions

As previously mentioned, MCC had issued two identical standard form Insurance Services Office (“ISO”) CGL policies to J.B.D. covering the timeframe relevant to this suit.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Horn v. Liberty Ins. Underwriters, Inc.
391 F. Supp. 3d 1157 (S.D. Florida, 2019)
Doe v. Ins. Co. Of The State Of Pennsylvania
363 F. Supp. 3d 1358 (S.D. Florida, 2018)
Nationwide Mut. Ins. Co. v. Nelson
369 F. Supp. 3d 1249 (M.D. Florida, 2018)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
571 F. App'x 918, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jbd-construction-inc-v-mid-continent-casualty-company-ca11-2014.