Massachusetts Bar Ass'n v. Westport Insurance

18 Mass. L. Rptr. 3
CourtMassachusetts Superior Court
DecidedApril 28, 2004
DocketNo. 041667BLS
StatusPublished

This text of 18 Mass. L. Rptr. 3 (Massachusetts Bar Ass'n v. Westport Insurance) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Massachusetts Superior Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Massachusetts Bar Ass'n v. Westport Insurance, 18 Mass. L. Rptr. 3 (Mass. Ct. App. 2004).

Opinion

van Gestel, J.

This matter is before the Court on a motion by the plaintiffs Massachusetts Bar Association and MBA Insurance Agency, Inc. (collectively “MBA”) seeking a preliminary injunction. At issue in the underlying litigation are aspects of the termination of two agreements, one of which calls for resolution by arbitration.

BACKGROUND

The first agreement is between the MBA and the defendant Westport Insurance Corporation (“West-port”) relating to a program of professional liability insurance for MBA members (the “Insurance Agreement”). This Agreement was properly terminated by Westport pursuant to a letter to the MBA dated November 19, 2002. Under the terms of the Insurance Agreement this termination became effective as of January 1, 2004.

A principal issue under the Insurance Agreement relates to the ownership of certain program information upon termination. Section 16 is the key section on this issue. It reads, in its entirety, as follows:

The Insurer [Westport] recognizes and agrees that, in consideration of the services to be provided by the MBA hereunder, any and all information with respect to the identity of all individuals and law firms insured under this Program including, without limitation, the names, addresses and renewal [4]*4dates with respect to such individuals and law firms insured, shall be the sole and exclusive property of the MBA and shall not be utilized by the Insurer, the Program Administrator or any other person except (i) as may be specifically authorized in writing by the MBA; (ii) as may be required by a state regulatory authority or by court order; or (iii) in connection with the operation of the MBA Endorsed Program described in this Agreement during the term hereof. The Insurer hereby agrees that any and all such information shall be maintained on a strictly confidential basis; may not be transferred, sold, assigned or utilized by any person without the prior written consent of the MBA; upon the termination of this Agreement, shall be returned to the MBA for its free and exclusive use for whatever purposes it chooses; and any and all copies of which are necessary to be maintained by the Insurer are to be kept on the same strictly confidential basis as set forth above. The foregoing prohibition on the use of said information shall extend for a period of five (5) years following the termination of this Agreement, during which period of time the Insurer agrees not to use any information gained from this Program, including, without limitation, the confidential information set forth above, to compete in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts against any insurance program for attorneys’ professional liability insurance endorsed by the MBA.

The second agreement in issue was originally between the MBA Insurance Agency, Inc. (the “MBA Agency”) and Coregis Insurance Company (“Coregis”). This agreement will be referred to herein as the “Agency Agreement.” By an amendment executed in the summer of 2000 Westport replaced Coregis under the Agency Agreement.

The Agency Agreement sets forth the obligations of the MBA Agency and Westport with regard to administering the MBA Endorsed professional liability insurance program.

When Westport sent its notice to the MBA terminating the Insurance Agreement effective January 1, 2004, it took no action with regard to the Agency Agreement.

On December 16, 2003, the MBA Agency notified Westport that it “considered the termination by West-port of the [Insurance Agreement with the MBA] as notice to the MBA Insurance Agency that the Program Administrator Agreement [the Agency Agreement] would also be terminated effective December 31, 2003.” In the notice, the MBA Agency, “out of an abundance of caution and reserving all of our rights,” included notice under Paragraph 7C of the Agency Agreement that it considered that Agreement to be terminated.

In the foregoing posture, the MBA Agency, believing that it had no insurance to provide for MBA members, entered into an agreement with CNA, effective January 1, 2004, for the MBA Endorsed insurance program. MBA members were notified of this change by, among other things, an Internet Notice posted on December 22,2003.

Westport, citing to certain termination provisions in the Agency Agreement, challenged the MBA Agency’s actions in signing up with CNA before the expiration of a 180-day advance written notice provision for a termination without cause. By letter dated December 23, 2003, Westport advised the MBA Agency that Westport considered the MBA Agency’s action a breach of the Agency Agreement, for which Westport announced it was terminating the Agency Agreement immediately for cause.

In February of 2004, Westport began certain filings with the Massachusetts Commissioner of Insurance in anticipation of its intention to begin selling professional liability insurance to Massachusetts lawyers starting on May 1, 2004. Included in these filings were gross-number recitals of Westport’s insurance experience in Massachusetts. This information had to have been taken from the MBA Endorsed program because that was the only program that Westport operated under in Massachusetts for the periods in issue.

The MBA argues that Westport cannot use any information from the MBA Endorsed Program for any purpose, including the kinds of filings made with the Commissioner of Insurance. Further, the MBA states that Westport cannot even begin selling professional liability insurance to Massachusetts lawyers on May 1, 2004, but instead must wait until June 15, 2004, the expiration of the 180-day period in the Agency Agreement.

Westport, arguing that the MBA Agency is in breach, says that it should be able on May 1, 2004, to begin selling its professional liability insurance through the Number One Insurance Agency, Inc. and the Massachusetts Association of Insurance Agents. Further, Westport contends that its use of “its own” experience in Massachusetts, particularly in the form of gross aggregate numbers, is not a violation of the ownership of program information clause of the Insurance Agreement.

DISCUSSION

In order to prevail on its request for preliminary injunctive relief, the MBA bears the burden of showing: its likelihood of success on the merits; that it will suffer irreparable harm if the injunctive relief sought is not granted; and that its harm, without the injunction, outweighs any harm to the defendants from being enjoined. GTE Products Corp. v. Stewart, 414 Mass. 721, 722-23 (1993); Packaging Indus. Group, Inc. v. Cheney, 380 Mass. 609, 616-17 (1980).

In assessing the likelihood of success prong, the Court must, in a preliminary fashion at least, interpret aspects of the two agreements in issue.

[5]*5To some extent the Court should consider the issues like it would a Rule 12 motion to dismiss. All well-pleaded allegations of the MBA’s complaint should be considered admitted, and the Court should accept as true such inferences as may be drawn in the MBA’s favor. Blank v. Chelmsford Ob/Gyn P.C., 420 Mass. 404, 407 (1995); Natick Auto Sales, Inc. v. Department of Procurement and General Services, 47 Mass.App.Ct. 625, 630 (1999). Of course, conclusions of law from the facts alleged remain open for review.

The interpretation of an unambiguous agreement is an issue of law for the Court. Contract language must be construed in its usual and ordinary sense. 116 Commonwealth Condominium Trust v. Aetna Cas. & Surety Co., 433 Mass. 373, 376 (2001);

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Bluebook (online)
18 Mass. L. Rptr. 3, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/massachusetts-bar-assn-v-westport-insurance-masssuperct-2004.