Melssen v. Auto-Owners Insurance Co.

2012 COA 102, 285 P.3d 328, 2012 WL 2353802, 2012 Colo. App. LEXIS 997
CourtColorado Court of Appeals
DecidedJune 21, 2012
DocketNos. 11CA0123, 11CA0864
StatusPublished
Cited by19 cases

This text of 2012 COA 102 (Melssen v. Auto-Owners Insurance Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Colorado Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Melssen v. Auto-Owners Insurance Co., 2012 COA 102, 285 P.3d 328, 2012 WL 2353802, 2012 Colo. App. LEXIS 997 (Colo. Ct. App. 2012).

Opinion

Opinion by

Judge TAUBMAN.

( 1 In this action concerning the breach of an insurance contract, defendant, Auto-Owners Insurance Company (Auto-Owners), appeals the trial court's judgment entered on a jury verdict in favor of plaintiffs, Gene and Diane Melssen, doing business as Melssen Construction (the Melssens). We affirm and remand for an award of reasonable appellate attorney fees and costs.

I. Background

12 The Melssens built the Holleys a custom home. During construction, the Mels-sens retained comprehensive general lability (CGL) coverage with Auto-Owners. Their policy, effective through November 2004, obligated Auto-Owners to defend the Melssens with respect to any "suit" seeking damages for "property damage" occurring during the policy period. The extent of Auto-Owners' obligation to defend the Melssens under the policy in the Holleys' lawsuit against them is the focus of this appeal.

T3 Soon after the house was constructed, cracks developed in the drywall. Eventually, large cracks appeared in the outside stucco and basement slab.

T4 In 2007, the Holleys contacted the Melssens, the engineer for the foundation, an attorney, and finally, Auto-Owners. An Auto-Owners claims adjuster began investigating the claim.

T5 In April 2008, the Holleys, through counsel, sent the Melssens a notice of claim in accordance with the Colorado Defect Action Reform Act (CDARA), section 183-20-803.5, C.R.S.2011. The notice consisted of a letter asserting that approximately $300,000 in damages to the Holleys' property was caused by the Melssens' engineering and construction defects, a list of estimated damages and repairs, and two reports by the Holleys' consultants opining on the nature of the defects.

16 In June 2008, the Melssens, through their attorney, demanded Auto-Owners defend and indemnify the Melssens and forwarded Auto-Owners the notice of claim. Auto-Owners did not deny coverage, but also did not inspect the property or become actively involved in adjusting the claim.

1 7 In October 2008, Auto-Owners sent the Melssens a "coverage position letter," purportedly denying coverage of claimed damages because they were sustained outside the policy period.

T8 Thereafter, the Holleys agreed to an arbitration and mediation settlement with the Melssens and the foundation engineer. The Melssens paid $140,000 toward the cost of the settlement, but Auto-Owners did not receive advance copies of the settlement documents.

{9 The Melssens filed this action against Auto-Owners in 2009, asserting breach of contract, bad faith breach of contract, and violations of sections 10-83-1115 and 10-3-1116, C.R.S.2011. The Melssens' CGL policy provided:

We will pay those sums that the insured becomes legally obligated to pay as damages because of "bodily injury" or "property damage" to which this insurance applies. We will have the right and duty to defend "any suit" seeking those damages.

The definition section provides:

"Suit" means a civil proceeding in which damages because of "bodily injury," "property damage," "personal injury" or "advertising injury" to which the insurance applies are alleged. "Suit" includes:
a. An arbitration proceeding in which such damages are claimed and to which you must submit or do submit with our consent; or
b. Any other alternative dispute resolution proceeding in which such damages are claimed and to which you submit with our consent.

110 After a three-day trial, a jury returned a verdict in favor of the Melssens on all claims and awarded them damages. The [333]*333trial court awarded the Melssens costs and attorney fees.

T11 In 2010, the General Assembly amended the CDARA by adding, in part, section 13-20-808, C.R.S.2011. This section provides courts with guidance when interpreting liability policies issued to construction professionals. See generally Ronald M. Sandgrund & Scott F. Sullan, H.B. 10-1894: New Law Governing Insurance Coverage for Construction Defect Claims, 39 Colo. Law. 89 (Aug. 2010).

II. "Suit" Triggering the Duty to Defend

12 Auto-Owners contends the trial court erred in submitting to the jury the issue whether the CDARA notice of claim process between the Melssens and the Holleys constituted a "suit" triggering Auto-Owners' obligation to defend under the terms of their policy. We conclude that the trial court properly submitted to the jury the question of whether Auto-Owners consented to the submission of their dispute to "any other alternative dispute resolution proceeding" or whether Auto-Owners waived that policy provision. However, we conclude that the trial court erred in submitting to the jury the question whether the CDARA notice of claim process otherwise constituted a "suit" under the policy, but we further conclude the error was harmless because the CDARA notice is a "suit" within the definition of the policy.

A. Standard of Review

118 "In order to avoid policy coverage, an insurer must establish that the exemption claimed applies in the particular case, and that the exclusions are not subject to any other reasonable interpretations." Hecla Mining Co. v. New Hampshire Ins. Co., 811 P.2d 1083, 1090 (Colo.1991). An insurer is not excused from its duty to defend unless there is no factual or legal basis on which the insurer might be held to indemnify the insured. Id.

114 The determination of a duty to defend may rest on the interpretation of the insurance policy's terms and on whether the terms are ambiguous. Id.

115 The interpretation of an insurance policy is a matter of law we review de novo. Cyprus Amax Minerals Co. v. Lexington Ins. Co., 74 P.3d 294, 299 (Colo.2003).

116 Whether there is a factual basis warranting coverage of the insured is a question of fact to be decided by the trier of fact. See Hecla, 811 P.2d at 1090. Our review of a factual coverage issue is therefore limited to determining whether the trier of fact committed clear error. See One Creative Place, LLC v. Jet Ctr. Partners, LLC, 259 P.3d 1287, 1288 (Colo.App.2011). Under this standard, factual findings are "binding unless so clearly erroneous as not to find support in the record." Lyon v. Amoco Prod. Co., 923 P.2d 350, 353 (Colo.App.1996).

B. Analysis

§17 As an initial matter, we reject the Melssens' contention that Auto-Owners invited any error in having the jury decide whether the CDARA notice of claim process was a "suit." Auto-Owners moved the trial court in limine to preclude the Melssens from arguing that the CDARA notice of claim was the functional equivalent of a complaint commencing a "suit" within the definition of the Auto-Owners policy. The court denied its motion and permitted the jury to decide the issue. Although Auto-Owners then requested permission to argue that the CDARA notice of claim process was not a "suit," its motion in limine preserved its argument for appeal. See Uptain v. Huntington Lab, Inc., 723 P.2d 1322

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
2012 COA 102, 285 P.3d 328, 2012 WL 2353802, 2012 Colo. App. LEXIS 997, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/melssen-v-auto-owners-insurance-co-coloctapp-2012.