Mears v. Allstate Indem. Co.

336 F. Supp. 3d 141
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. New York
DecidedSeptember 17, 2018
Docket2:18-cv-02500 (ADS)(GRB)
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 336 F. Supp. 3d 141 (Mears v. Allstate Indem. Co.) 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
Mears v. Allstate Indem. Co., 336 F. Supp. 3d 141 (E.D.N.Y. 2018).

Opinion

SPATT, District Judge:

On April 27, 2018, the plaintiff Sean Mears ("Mears" or the "Plaintiff") commenced this racial discrimination action against Allstate Indemnity Company ("Allstate"), and The Jones Agency (the "Agency") (together, the "Defendants") in response to Allstate's disclaimer of coverage regarding the theft of the Plaintiff's personal property. The Plaintiff alleges that Allstate's disclaimer was based on his race, in violation of 42 U.S.C. § 1981 (" § 1981"), and that the Defendants' breached their contract with the Plaintiff. The Defendants contend that they disclaimed coverage because the Plaintiff concealed or misrepresented material facts during the investigation and demonstrated inadequate proof of loss for the property that was purportedly stolen. Mears seeks compensatory damages, punitive damages, attorneys' fees and costs.

Presently before the Court is a motion by the Defendants, pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure (" FED. R. CIV. P. " or "Rule") 12(b)(6), seeking to dismiss the complaint for failure to state a claim upon which relief may be granted.

For the following reasons, the Defendants' motion to dismiss is granted.

I. BACKGROUND

A. THE FACTUAL BACKGROUND

Unless otherwise noted, the following facts are drawn from the Plaintiff's complaint, and for the purposes of the instant motion, are construed in favor of the Plaintiff.

The Plaintiff is a 30-year-old African American male who resides in Suffolk County, New York. Complaint ("Compl."), Docket Entry ("Dkt.") 1, ¶ 4. In October, 2011, Mears and his fiancé at the time, Erica Stark ("Stark"), purchased a cooperative home located at 64 Bailey Court, Middle Island, New York (the "Property"). Mears and Stark have since married. Id. ¶ 11.

At that time, Mears and Stark also purchased a homeowner's insurance policy on the Property (the "Policy"). The Policy was purchased through the Agency and was issued by Allstate. Id. ¶¶ 6, 8, 9. It included up to $42,190 of building property protection, $316,000 of personal property protection, $300,000 of family liability protection, $1,000 per person for guest medical expenses, $1,000 in loss assessments in the case of a covered loss and additional living expenses for up to 12 months. Id. ¶ 12; Exhibit C, Dkt. 11-4, at 7. Furthermore, the Policy also incorporated scheduled *145personal property coverage for eight pieces of jewelry listed at a value of $158,000. These items included two 18 kt. gold 40mm Rolex Presidential watches valued at $37,500 each, a diamond bracelet valued at $6,500, a 14 kt. gold chain with a diamond cross valued at $9,000, a 36mm Rolex watch valued at $15,000, a stainless steel Breitling Super Avenger watch valued at $35,000, a diamond white gold ring valued at $4,000, and a 14 kt. white gold diamond engagement ring valued at $13,500. Compl. ¶¶ 13-14; Exhibit C, Dkt. 11-4, at 10.

The Plaintiff paid all premiums in a timely manner and as such, the Policy was in effect at all relevant times. Compl. ¶¶ 10-11. In October 2016, Mears and Stark embarked on an out-of-town weekend trip. They left the Property on Friday morning and returned home on Sunday, October 29, 2016. Upon returning home, the Plaintiff discovered that the Property had been burglarized, with visible signs of a break-in at the rear door. Compl. ¶¶ 15-16. Approximately $200,000 in items were stolen from the Property, including all of the scheduled personal property listed on the Policy in addition to other items of jewelry, and various designer accessories. The crime was reported to the Suffolk County Police Department, Seventh Precinct, and a police report was filed.

On October 31, 2016, Mears filed a claim with the Defendants pursuant to the Policy. Compl. ¶¶ 17-20; Exhibit B, Dkt. 11-3, at 2. Allstate conducted its own investigation, which included an examination of the Plaintiff under oath. The Plaintiff provided this examination to Allstate on November 4, 2016. Exhibit B, Dkt. 11-3, at 3. Furthermore, Allstate requested that the Plaintiff provide proof of purchase or appraisals for many of the items purportedly stolen. Id. ; Compl. ¶ 30.

By letter dated March 28, 2017, Allstate denied the Plaintiff's claim in its entirety. The letter stated, in pertinent part:

We do not cover any loss or occurrence in which any insured person has concealed or misrepresented any material fact or circumstance....
Allstate's investigation has determined that you have concealed or misrepresented material facts or circumstances. During the course of your Examination Under Oath, and during your recorded statement given on November 4, 2016, you provided intentional material misrepresentations in the presentation of the claim. Further, you have inadequate proof to establish the claimed items in your proof of loss as actually being stolen and owned by you and/or your fiancé at the time of the incident. Resultantly, your claim is denied in its entirety. Your proof of loss is rejected.
Based upon the intentional material misrepresentations as outlined above and based upon the fact that you have inadequate proof of loss for not only the scheduled personal property, but also the unscheduled personal property, you[r] claim is denied in its entirety.

Exhibit B, Dkt. 11-3, at 2-3. To date, the Defendants have not compensated the Plaintiff for his purported loss. Compl. ¶ 22.

On these facts, the Plaintiff contends that the Defendants discriminated against the Plaintiff because he was an African-American male. Specifically, he alleges that: (1) the "Defendants' proffered reason for the denial ... together with other statements made by [D]efendants and their agents in the course of discussing the claim demonstrate that the denial was based upon racial animus and/or discrimination;" (2) the "[D]efendants do not believe [P]laintiff's veracity about the events as they occurred because he is a black *146

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Bluebook (online)
336 F. Supp. 3d 141, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mears-v-allstate-indem-co-nyed-2018.