Lawrence v. Ace Am. Ins. Co.

391 F. Supp. 3d 1077
CourtDistrict Court, M.D. Florida
DecidedJune 3, 2019
DocketCase No. 8:18-cv-738-T-24 TGW
StatusPublished

This text of 391 F. Supp. 3d 1077 (Lawrence v. Ace Am. Ins. Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, M.D. Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Lawrence v. Ace Am. Ins. Co., 391 F. Supp. 3d 1077 (M.D. Fla. 2019).

Opinion

Susan C. Bucklew, United States District Judge

This cause comes before the Court on cross-motions for summary judgment: (1) USAA's Motion for Summary Judgment (Doc. No. 102), which ACE opposes (Doc. No. 107); (2) Lawrence's Motion for Summary Judgment (Doc. No. 104), which ACE opposes (Doc. No. 106); and (3) ACE's Motion for Summary Judgment (Doc. No. 105), which USAA and Lawrence oppose (Doc. No. 108, 110). As explained below, genuine issues of material fact exist as to the main issue of whether Wintersteen was covered under ACE's insurance policy.

I. Standard of Review

Summary judgment is appropriate "if the movant shows that there is no genuine dispute as to any material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law." Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(a). The Court must draw all inferences from the evidence in the light most favorable to the non-movant and resolve all reasonable doubts in that party's favor. See Porter v. Ray, 461 F.3d 1315, 1320 (11th Cir. 2006) (citation omitted). The moving party bears the initial burden of showing the Court, by reference to materials on file, that there are no genuine issues of material fact that should be decided at trial. See id. (citation omitted). When a moving party has discharged its burden, the non-moving party must then go beyond the pleadings, and by its own affidavits, or by depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions on file, designate specific facts showing there is a genuine issue for trial. See id. (citation omitted).

*1080II. Background

This case involves a dispute over whether ACE American Insurance Company's ("ACE") insurance policy issued to Jacobs Technology Inc. ("Jacobs") provides coverage for a car accident that Jacobs' employee, Benjamin Wintersteen, caused. The following facts are undisputed: In March of 2014, Jacobs offered Wintersteen a job that was to be performed in Germany. (Doc. No. 106-2). Wintersteen's job was connected to a government contract between the United States and Jacobs. Wintersteen was given an initial duty location of Tampa at the MacDill Air Force Base while his paperwork was being approved by the German government. (Doc. No. 106-2). Because Wintersteen would be relocating from New Mexico, he was given a $20,000 relocation allowance in order to assist him in moving his family and household goods, personal effects, and car to Germany. (Doc. No. 106-2). Wintersteen could choose how to spend the $20,000 relocation allowance as long as his specific expenditures were within the contractual guidelines authorized by the United States government, because the government would be reimbursing Jacobs for the reimbursements that Jacobs made to Wintersteen from the relocation allowance.

Jennifer Petr, a financing and accounting manager for Jacobs, recommended to Wintersteen that he ship his personal car to Germany prior to leaving Tampa and use part of his relocation allowance to rent a car in Tampa, because it was cheaper to rent a car in Tampa than to rent one in Germany and the shipping process took several weeks. (Doc. No. 106-5, depo. p. 8, 32-33, 118). Jacobs had an arrangement with Hertz to supply discounted rental cars to its employees, even if the rental car was to be used for personal, rather than business, purposes. (Doc. No. 106-10, depo. p. 53-55). Specifically Jacobs and Hertz had entered into a Corporate Customer Agreement ("CCA"), in which Jacobs agreed to use Hertz as its primary rental car supplier. (Doc. No. 71-4, p. 2, 8). The CCA provides that Hertz will provide $100,000 in bodily injury coverage for Jacobs' employee-renters that rent a car for business purposes.1 (Doc. No. 71-4, p. 7; Doc. No. 106-7, depo. p. 47). However, the CCA also provides that Jacobs, on behalf of itself and its employee-renters, rejects the inclusion of any supplementary insurance coverage in Hertz's rental agreements. (Doc. No. 71-4, p. 7).

While in Tampa, Wintersteen was driving rental cars from Hertz while his wife drove their personal car before it was shipped to Germany.2 Wintersteen did not need a car to perform his job in Tampa, but he did need transportation to get to and from work (whether it be his personal car, a rental car, or a taxi/Uber/Lyft). Wintersteen's car was shipped to Germany on August 4, 2014. (Doc. No. 106-5, depo. p. 36).

On August 12, 2014, Wintersteen was driving a Hertz rental car in Tampa to pick up orange juice and fruit for his sick daughter. (Doc. No. 106-4, depo. p. 24, 27). Wintersteen intended to drop the orange juice and fruit at home and then go into work. (Doc. No. 106-4, depo. p. 24-25). However, on his way to the store, Wintersteen *1081was involved in a car accident with William Lawrence. (Doc. No. 106-4, depo. p. 25). Wintersteen pulled out in front of Lawrence and caused Lawrence's car to flip over twice. (Doc. No. 102-1, ¶ 6; Doc. No. 104-8, ¶ 6).

As a result of the car accident, Lawrence sued Wintersteen in state court in May of 2015. (Doc. No. 106-1). Wintersteen made a claim for coverage under ACE American Insurance Company's ("ACE") commercial automobile insurance policy issued to Jacobs. ACE denied Wintersteen a defense and coverage under the policy.

Wintersteen had personal automobile insurance through USAA Casualty Insurance Company ("USAA"). There was also insurance coverage for the rental car through Hertz, which existed due to the CCA between Hertz and Jacobs.

In May of 2017, Lawrence, Wintersteen, and USAA (collectively referred to as "the Settling Parties") stipulated to an entry of a consent judgment to resolve Lawrence's claims from the car accident and to provide a means to collect part of the consent judgment from ACE. (Doc. No. 106-13). Specifically, the Settling Parties stated in their Settlement Agreement that they intended that ACE would be required to pay the amount of the consent judgment that it was legally required to pay had it honored its coverage obligations under the insurance policy. (Doc. No. 106-13).

The Settling Parties stipulated that Lawrence's damages from the car accident were $750,000, and they agreed to the entry of a $750,000 consent judgment in favor of Lawrence and against Wintersteen. In partial satisfaction of the consent judgment, Hertz paid Lawrence $100,000 and USAA paid Lawrence $250,000. Thus, $350,000 was paid by Hertz and USAA on Wintersteen's behalf. In exchange for the $350,000 and an agreement not to execute against Wintersteen on the unpaid $400,000 remaining, Wintersteen assigned to Lawrence all of his rights against ACE.

Thereafter, Lawrence filed a declaratory judgment lawsuit against ACE in state court. In March of 2018, Lawrence's declaratory judgment lawsuit was removed to this Court.

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

Related

Abrams v. Trunzo
129 F.3d 1174 (Eleventh Circuit, 1997)
Nathaniel Porter, Jr. v. Walter S. Ray, Jr.
461 F.3d 1315 (Eleventh Circuit, 2006)
Union Standard Insurance v. Hobbs Rental Corp.
566 F.3d 950 (Tenth Circuit, 2009)
Continental Insurance v. McKain
820 F. Supp. 890 (E.D. Pennsylvania, 1993)
Hargrove v. Missouri Pacific R. Co.
780 So. 2d 454 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2001)
United States Auto. Ass'n v. HARTFORD INS.
468 So. 2d 545 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 1985)
Royal Indemnity Co. v. Metropolitan Casualty Insurance
128 N.W.2d 111 (South Dakota Supreme Court, 1964)
City of Los Angeles v. Allianz Insurance
22 Cal. Rptr. 3d 716 (California Court of Appeal, 2004)
Minkler v. Safeco Insurance Co. of America
232 P.3d 612 (California Supreme Court, 2010)
Alaska National Insurance v. Bryan
104 P.3d 1 (Court of Appeals of Washington, 2004)
Szczeklik v. Markel International Insurance
942 F. Supp. 2d 1254 (M.D. Florida, 2013)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
391 F. Supp. 3d 1077, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lawrence-v-ace-am-ins-co-flmd-2019.